78/79 What a season!

[Brend'Watkins]

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Where did you get that from, Bren?

[cdbearsfan]

Who are the "Birmingham" mentioned would that be Birmingham St George's? And would it be right to assume that they played their home games at what is now Villa Park before we did?

Edit: no hold on... there's a different St George's mentioned so who are Birmingham playing at our ground? Blose were still Small Heath weren't they?

[flybo]

wonder if rushall rovers have any connection to rushall Olympic.
thats my local none league team live in pelsall but follow rushall

[Dave Cooper please]

Who are the "Birmingham" mentioned would that be Birmingham St George's? And would it be right to assume that they played their home games at what is now Villa Park before we did?

Edit: no hold on... there's a different St George's mentioned so who are Birmingham playing at our ground? Blose were still Small Heath weren't they?

No, there was (briefly) a club just called Birmingham, they played in the FA Cup in 1879, losing 6-0 to Oxford University, they are not related to Small Heath as far as I know.
Back then Aston Lower Grounds didn't have a stadium, just a pitch which I assume could be hired by any team much like a parks pitch these days.

[Dave Cooper please]

wonder if rushall rovers have any connection to rushall Olympic.
thats my local none league team live in pelsall but follow rushall

No, Olympic were formed about 20 years after Rovers stopped being mentioned anywhere.

[cdbearsfan]

Good work Coops!

[DeKuip]

The days when away games were played in Saltley, Aston Lane and where Villa Park is now!

Where was Heathfield's "CrickHands" ground, would that be short for Handsworth Cricket?

[Brend'Watkins]

Where did you get that from, Bren?

It's not mine.  It was loaned to a friend of mine along with other interesting stuff.

[dave.woodhall]

Mr Russell has asked me to pass this on:

I hadn't seen that fixture list but it ties in with everything I've found out, including lots of stuff about the Birmingham Club - obviously the internet readers don't read the H&V magazine! Their official name was the Birmingham Cricket & Football Club. I even have newspaper adverts for their fixtures against teams from Sheffield - Boxing Day 1875, Nottingham 12 Feb 1876, Hagley 05 Jan 1877, Sheffield 27 Jan 1877
Shrewsbury 14 April 1877,  Walsall 3 Nov 1877 and Sheffield Exchange 10 Nov 1877.   

Admission - reserved seats threepence , but they moved to the Bristol Road, couldn't charge gate money and went into oblivion.
 
And of course the Aston Lower Grounds were THE Midlands entertainment centre - a sort of Drayton Manor of their day - Buffalo Bill and all that.
Lots and lots of cricket including W.G.Grace. Athletics galore, Grass track cycle racing, roller skating  There was even a steeplechase course in Aston Park in the 1850's  It was Flowers Brewery which eventually sold out .

[silhillvilla]

Surprised to see Stoke in there

[Jimbo]

In a parallel universe, where Birmingham Cricket & Football Club succeed and Small Heath Alliance cease to exist, would the former become as bitter and twisted as the Small Heath that went on to blight our universe?