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The 1893–94 season was the 13th season of competitive association football and second season in the Football League played by Small Heath F.C., an English football club based in Birmingham. In 1892–93, the inaugural season of the Football League Second Division, Small Heath had won the divisional championship but failed to gain promotion via the test match system. This year, they finished as distant runners-up in the League, eight points behind Liverpool, but were successful in the test match, defeating Darwen 3–1 to confirm their place in the First Division for the 1894–95 Football League season. The club struggled financially during the season, and there were suggestions that it might have disbanded had promotion not been secured. Small Heath entered the 1893–94 FA Cup in the first round proper, and lost in that round for the second consecutive year, this time to the eventual losing finalists, Bolton Wanderers of the First Division. In local competitions, they were eliminated by Midland League club Loughborough in the first round of the Birmingham Senior Cup and by Wolverhampton Wanderers in the semi-final of the Mayor of Birmingham's Charity Cup. Small Heath played fewer friendly matches than in the previous season, instead competing in a regionally organised supplementary competition, the United Counties League, in which they finished third of four teams in the southern section. Small Heath used 23 different players in nationally organised competitive matches during the season and had 12 different goalscorers. Four players, Ted Devey, Fred Wheldon, Tommy Hands and Billy Ollis, appeared in every League match, all but Devey for the second consecutive season. The top scorer was inside-forward Frank Mobley with 25 goals – his total of 24 League goals made him the Second Division's leading scorer – and all five first-choice forwards reached double figures for the second season running. ==Background== Small Heath were elected to the newly formed Second Division in 1892, and went on to win the divisional championship. However, promotion to the First Division depended on the test match system, in which each of the lowest-ranked three teams from the First Division played off against one of the highest-ranked three from the Second Division. Small Heath lost to Newton Heath after a replay, so were not promoted. The League's Annual General Meeting heard proposals that the First Division be expanded to either 20 or 18 teams. Both motions were, unsurprisingly, seconded by Small Heath, but both were defeated, thus confirming that the team would play in the Second Division for the 1893–94 season. The Second Division championship shield was presented to the club at a meeting of the Football League held at the Colonnade Hotel in New Street, Birmingham, in August. Of the regular first-team members from the previous season, goalkeeper Chris Charsley, a serving police officer, was unavailable〔 and full back Tom Bayley had been released.〔Matthews, ''Complete Record'', p. 71.〕 Fred Speller, who had suffered a badly broken leg early in the season, had been playing in practice matches and was believed to be back to full fitness.〔 Fringe players Harry Edwards and Fred Jones had left the club,〔Matthews, ''Complete Record'', pp. 85, 102.〕 and Harry Morris had retired to concentrate on his plumbing business.〔 Goalkeeper George Hollis, backs Arthur Littleford, Bernard Pumfrey and George Short, half-backs Ted Devey, Caesar Jenkyns, Teddy Jolley and Billy Ollis, and forwards Jack Hallam, Tommy Hands, Frank Mobley, Billy Walton and Fred Wheldon all remained with the club.〔 Newcomers included forwards Jack Lee, Charles Izon and Walter Jackson, all signed from non-league clubs in the West Midlands area. Alfred Jones continued as secretary-manager, and Caesar Jenkyns retained the captaincy.〔Matthews, ''Complete Record'', pp. 8–9.〕 The team adopted a new kit, keeping the white knickerbockers but replacing the royal blue shirt and stockings with shirts in a lighter shade of blue, with navy collar trim, cuffs and pocket and navy stockings.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Birmingham City )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「1893–94 Small Heath F.C. season」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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