1890–91 Small Heath F.C. season

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Small Heath F.C. 1890–91 season

Small Heath, based in Birmingham, played their tenth season of competitive football and their second in the Football Alliance. They finished 10th out of 12, with seven wins, two draws and thirteen defeats, gathering 16 points—one point fewer than the previous season. They scored 58 goals and conceded 66 in league play, an average of about three goals against per match.

FA Cup and local cups
- The club entered the FA Cup at the first qualifying round but were disqualified after beating Wednesbury Old Athletic in the second qualifying round because Charlie Short had not been registered in time to play. The FA Cup episode was a major setback for the season.
- In local competitions, Small Heath were knocked out of the Birmingham Senior Cup in the first round by West Bromwich Albion, and they reached the semi-finals of the Birmingham Charity Cup, where they were beaten by Aston Villa.

Season and style
- Small Heath played 24 league matches and used 22 different players, with eight different players scoring goals. Five players were ever-present: full-backs Tom Bayley and Fred Speller, forwards Jack Hallam and Fred Wheldon, and captain Will Devey.
- Charlie Short was the club’s top scorer in the league with 16 goals; when FA Cup goals are included, Short and Devey each finished on 17.
- The team often showed flashes of good football but struggled with consistency and keeping clean sheets. There were several high-scoring games both for and against the club, and results swung markedly from one match to the next.

Key players and changes
- Will Devey captained the side. By the season’s end, Walter Gittins, Eddy Stanley, and Charlie Charsley had left the club. Charsley’s departure was marked by a testimonial dinner where he received £40 and a piano.
- New arrivals included forward Charlie Short (who had played one match for Small Heath earlier in the year), full-back Tom Bayley from Walsall Town Swifts, and goalkeeper Charles Partridge from Wednesbury Old Athletic.
- Devey’s departure was anticipated for the next season, and Caesar Jenkyns succeeded him as captain. The club also experimented with Warwick County players during the season, including George Hollis, Billy Ollis, and Fred Wilkes.

Kit, matches, and attendance
- The club’s planned new kit—a plain royal blue shirt with white shorts—arrived late and only in limited numbers. They began the season in the previous kit, black shirts with amber collar, white knickerbockers, and black stockings, until the blue kit could be supplied.
- The season included a mix of friendlies and competitive games. Notable results included an 8–0 FA Cup win over Hednesford Town and a 7–1 league win over Bootle. They also defeated Nottingham Forest twice in three days, and had a heavy defeat at Middlesbrough Ironopolis in a friendly.
- Attendance varied widely. The highest home crowds reached around 5,000 in several games, while the lowest was about 500 for the match against The Wednesday on 10 January 1891.

Finances and outlook
- By the end of the season, Small Heath were £234 in debt. The Birmingham Daily Post suggested that misfortune and mismanagement during the cup-tie crisis hurt the club and that public support wavered toward the end of the season.
- Despite financial and on-field difficulties, the paper suggested bringing in more directors and new blood to sustain the club’s long-term future.

Aftermath
- The 1890–91 season ended with Small Heath in 10th place in the Football Alliance. With Will Devey moving to Wolverhampton Wanderers after the season, the club began planning for changes ahead of 1891–92, including new signings and a refreshed leadership group.