1990–91 Birmingham City F.C. season

The 1990–91 Football League season was Birmingham City Football Club's 88th in the Football League and their second in the Third Division. They finished in 12th position in the 24-team division, their lowest finish ever in the Football League. They entered the 1990–91 FA Cup in the first round proper and lost to Brentford in the second, and entered at and lost in the first round of the League Cup, beaten over two legs by AFC Bournemouth. They won the Associate Members' Cup, a cup competition open to clubs in the third and fourth tiers of the English football league system, defeating Tranmere Rovers 3–2 in the final at Wembley Stadium with goals from Simon Sturridge and two from John Gayle.

Birmingham City F.C.
1990–91 season
ChairmanSamesh Kumar
ManagerDave Mackay until January 1991
Lou Macari until 19 June
GroundSt Andrew's
Football League Third Division12th
FA CupSecond round
(eliminated by Brentford)
League CupFirst round
(eliminated by AFC Bournemouth)
Associate Members' CupWinners
Top goalscorerLeague: John Gayle
Nigel Gleghorn
Simon Sturridge (6)

All: John Gayle
Simon Sturridge (10)
Highest home attendance16,219 vs Brentford, Associate Members' Cup Southern Final, 26 March 1991
Lowest home attendance2,922 vs Lincoln City, Associate Members' Cup prelim round, 27 November 1990
Average home league attendance7,030

Off the field, Dave Mackay resigned as manager in January 1991, to be replaced by Lou Macari on a non-contract basis. With the club in financial difficulties, Macari and his staff walked out of the club in June to join Stoke City.

When I took over the Birmingham job without any contract, things were so bad the chairman asked me to raise £250,000 by the end of the season. It looked impossible, but the revenue was delivered with the great run in the Leyland Daf. It's no secret that, if we hadn't got to Wembley, Birmingham would have been in financial trouble and might have gone under.[1]

Many of the playing staff were out of contract and reluctant to renew, and an action group was formed to try to remove the chairman.[2]

Football League Third Division

DateLeague
position
OpponentsVenueResultScore
F–A
ScorersAttendance
25 August 19909thCambridge UnitedAW1–0Gleghorn6,338
1 September 19903rdLeyton OrientHW3–1Bailey, Hopkins, Moran5,847
8 September 19902ndStoke CityAW1–0Gleghorn16,135
15 September 19902ndBuryHW1–0Peer7,344
18 September 19903rdExeter CityHD1–1Bailey7,703
22 September 19903rdWigan AthleticAD1–1Tait3,904
29 September 19903rdPreston North EndHD1–1Bailey7,154
2 October 19904thFulhamAD2–2Matthewson, Overson4,011
6 October 19905thReadingAD2–2Matthewson, Sturridge5,695
13 October 19905thSouthend UnitedHD1–1Sturridge9,333
20 October 19904thGrimsby TownHD0–010,123
23 October 19905thCrewe AlexandraAD1–1Gleghorn4,449
27 October 19907thShrewsbury TownAL1–4Bailey6,150
3 November 199011thHuddersfield TownHL1–2Tait7,412
10 November 19908thChester CityAW1–0Hopkins2,273
24 November 199010thAFC BournemouthHD0–07,416
1 December 199014thSwansea CityAL0–24,896
15 December 199011thRotherham UnitedHW2–1Tait, Overson4,734
21 December 199012thTranmere RoversAL0–15,054
26 December 199015thBrentfordHL0–26,612
29 December 199016thBolton WanderersHL1–3Bailey7,318
1 January 199015thMansfield TownAW2–1Gayle 23,654
5 January 199114thBradford CityHD1–1Frain pen6,315
12 January 199114thLeyton OrientAD1–1Sturridge4,701
19 January 199115thCambridge UnitedHL0–35,859
26 January 199114thBuryAW1–0Sturridge3,009
2 February 199112thExeter CityAW2–0Gayle 25,154
5 February 199111thWigan AthleticHD0–05,319
13 February 199113thBradford CityAL0–24,776
16 February 199110thAFC BournemouthAW2–1Sturridge, Mundee og6,330
23 February 19918thChester CityHW1–0Dolan6,702
2 March 19916thSwansea CityHW2–0Sturridge, Rodgerson6,903
9 March 19918thRotherham UnitedAD1–1Frain pen5,028
12 March 19917thFulhamHW2–0Peer, Gleghorn8,083
16 March 199110thPreston North EndAL0–25,334
18 March 199110thSouthend UnitedAL1–2Gleghorn6,328
23 March 199111thReadingHD1–1Rodgerson6,795
30 March 199112thBrentfordAD2–2Frain, Gleghorn6,757
2 April 199110thTranmere RoversHW1–0Yates7,675
7 April 199112thBolton WanderersAL1–3Gayle11,280
13 April 199112thMansfield TownHD0–07,635
16 April 199111thStoke CityHW2–1Matthewson, Hopkins6,729
20 April 199111thGrimsby TownAD0–08,842
27 April 199111thCrewe AlexandraHL0–26,429
4 May 199113thShrewsbury TownHL0–16,256
11 May 199112thHuddersfield TownAW1–0Gayle5,195

League table (part)

Final Third Division table (part)
PosClubPldWDLFAGDPts
10thWigan Athletic46209177154+1769
11thHuddersfield Town4618131557+65167
12thBirmingham City461617134549−465
13thLeyton Orient461810185558−364
14thStoke City461612185559−460
KeyPos = League position; Pld = Matches played;
W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost;
F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
Source[3]

FA Cup

RoundDateOpponentsVenueResultScore
F–A
ScorersAttendance
First round17 November 1990Cheltenham TownHW1–0Sturridge7,942
Second round12 December 1990BrentfordHL1–3Aylott5,072

League Cup

RoundDateOpponentsVenueResultScore
F–A
ScorersAttendance
First round 1st leg28 August 1990AFC BournemouthHL0–15,110
First round 2nd leg4 September 1990AFC BournemouthAD1–1Downs pen4,490

Associate Members' Cup

RoundDateOpponentsVenueResultScore
F–A
ScorersAttendance
Preliminary round6 November 1990WalsallAW1–0Skipper og5,053
Preliminary round27 November 1990Lincoln CityHW2–0Clarke og, Sturridge2,922
First round18 February 1991Swansea CityHD0–0
4–2 pens
3,555
Southern area quarter-final26 February 1991Mansfield TownHW2–0Matthewson, Gayle5,358
Southern area semi-final5 March 1991Cambridge UnitedHW3–1Peer, Gleghorn, Overson9,429
Southern area final 1st leg26 March 1991BrentfordHW2–1Rodgerson, Gayle16,219
Southern area final 2nd leg9 April 1991BrentfordAW1–0Sturridge8,745
Final26 May 1991Tranmere RoversWembleyW3–2Sturridge, Gayle 258,756

Appearances and goals

Numbers in parentheses denote appearances as substitute.
Players with name struck through and marked † left the club during the playing season.
Players with names in italics and marked * were on loan from another club for the whole of their season with Birmingham.
Players having played at least one first-team match
Pos.Nat.NameLeagueFA CupLeague CupAM CupTotal
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
GK  WALMartin Thomas450102080560
GK  ENGDean Williams1010000020
DF  ENGKevin Ashley3000200050
DF  ENGIan Clarkson34 (3)010007 (1)042 (4)0
DF  ENGGreg Downs16 (1)020212022 (1)1
DF  ENGTrevor Matthewson463202081584
DF  ENGGary O'Reilly*1000000010
DF  ENGVince Overson402201081513
DF  ENGIan Rodgerson252000041293
MF  SCODougie Bell1000000010
MF  IRLEamonn Dolan5 (5)10000207 (5)1
MF  ENGJohn Frain423202080543
MF  ENGMatthew Fox9 (2)000100010 (2)0
MF  ENGAndy Harris0000000 (1)00 (1)0
MF  ENGRobert Hopkins18 (5)321201023 (5)4
MF  ENGDean Peer37 (3)220208149 (3)3
MF  ENGMark Rutherford1 (2)00000001 (2)0
MF  ENGPaul Tait173102010213
FW  ENGTrevor Aylott23 (2)00 (1)1004 (1)027 (4)1
FW  ENGDennis Bailey25 (7)520201 (3)030 (10)5
FW  ENGSean Francis0 (3)00000000 (3)0
FW  ENGJohn Gayle20 (2)610005 (1)426 (3)10
FW  ENGNigel Gleghorn426202081547
FW  ENGColin Gordon3 (2)00 (1)000003 (3)0
FW  ENGRichie Moran2 (6)1000 (1)0002 (7)1
FW  ENGPhil Robinson*90100002 (1)011 (1)0
FW  ENGSimon Sturridge33 (5)6210 (2)08343 (7)10
FW  ENGMark Yates8 (1)100003011 (1)1

See also

References

General

  • Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
  • Matthews, Tony (2010). Birmingham City: The Complete Record. Derby: DB Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85983-853-2.
  • Source for match dates, league positions and results: "Birmingham City 1990–1991: Results". Statto Organisation. Archived from the original on 11 June 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  • Source for lineups, appearances, goalscorers and attendances: Matthews (2010), Complete Record, pp. 416–17, 480.

Specific