3 September 1892 - They Got Better

On 3 September 1892, Manchester United played their first league match, losing 4-3 to Blackburn Rovers. Although it was an inauspicious start to an inauspicious season, United have since become the league's most decorated team, winning the title a record twenty times.

For the first season, the club still went by their original name of Newton Heath. Founded in 1878, they attempted to join the Football League upon its creation in 1888, but were rejected for four years. Finally admitted for the 1982-93 season, they opened the campaign away at Blackburn where they lost 4-3.

They proceeded to go winless for their next five matches, losing another three and finished the season dead last in twentieth place. But they avoided relegation by beating Small Heath FC (later known as Birmingham City) in a playoff. Their next season, however, did see them drop into the Second Division for several years before finally returning in 1906 and winning their first league title in 1908.

Since then, they have increased their total to 20, with their most recent title coming in 2013.

22 May 2011 - A Goal In Time For Pavlyuchenko

On 22 May 2011, a pair of goals from Spurs striker Roman Pavlyuchenko relegated Birmingham and set a new Premier League record.

On the last day of the season, Birmingham went into their match against Tottenham in the table's seventeenth place, one spot above the relegation zone and level on points with eighteenth-place Blackpool and nineteenth-place Wigan.

Playing at White Hart Lane, Birmingham--who had won that season's League Cup--went down 1-0 to a goal from Pavlyuchenko in the 49th minute, but drew level thirty minutes later with a strike from Craig Gardner. Then, as they pushed forward for the goal they needed to secure their top-flight survival, Pavlyuchenko struck again with a match winner in the 93rd minute to seal Birmingham's drop. (As it turned out, even a draw would not have been enough for Birmingham, as Wigan won their match at Stoke.)

For Tottenham, the win kept them in fifth place and qualified them for the next season's Europa League.

Pavlyuchenko's goal was the 1,063rd of the Premier League season, setting a new English scoring record for a 38-game season. The record was broken the following season, however, as Premier League teams scored a total of 1,066 goals. 

27 September 1879 - The Birth Of The Birmingham Derby

On 27 September 1879, Birmingham City hosted the first Birmingham derby, beating Aston Villa by the score of 1-0. Since then, Villa has gotten the better of their crosstown rivals, winning the greater share of the teams' 120 meetings.

For that first match, Birmingham were still going by their original name, Small Heath Alliance (pictured). The contest was played at their Muntz Street ground, which drew heavy criticism for Villa players as being "only suitable for pot-holing."

The first competitive match in the derby came in the FA Cup in 1887, with Villa taking a 2-1 victory. Out of their 120 total matches, 52 have gone to Villa and 38 to Birmingham City, with 31 draws. The derby's top scorer is Villa's Billy Walker, who found the net 11 times between 1919 and 1934. City's top scorer is Joe Bradford, with 8 goals from 1920 to 1935.

Several players have switched teams over the years, including a few who moved directly from one team to the other. The highest profile switch came in 1986, when Villa great Dennis Mortimer (who won the European Cup with Villa in 1982) joined Birmingham after a season at Brighton & Hove Albion.

Managers have also made the crosstown move, starting in 1982 when Villa manager Ron Saunders joined Birmingham. In 2011, manager Alex McLeish left Birmingham for Aston Villa after Birmingham were relegated from the Premier League. Villa were relegated in 2016 and the next-scheduled meeting is October 30 in the Championship.

11 January 2007 - Birmingham Plucks The Vine

On 11 January 2007, Birmingham City signed striker Rowan Vine from Luton Town. It turned out to be a bad decision for both of them.

At the time Vine made the switch, Birmingham were on the top of the Championship table, but had suffered injuries to their strike force of Cameron Jerome, Nicklas Bendtner, and Mikael Forsell, prompting manager Steve Bruce to look to the transfer window. Vine, then 24 years old, had gotten Bruce's attention by scoring three goals against Birmingham that season, helping Luton taking four points from the teams' two meetings. And he had a scorer's pedigree with 31 league goals for the Hatters from 2004 to 2007. He also sat near the top of the club's assist charts for those seasons.

Luton, who had paid close to £250,000 for Vine, made a generous profit on the move, receiving £3 million from Birmingham, including a £500,000 bonus when Birmingham were promoted to the Premier League at the end of the season. Vine, however, did not share the club's good fortune.

He scored only 1 goal in 17 league appearances for Birmingham and went on loan to QPR in October 2007, then signed for them permanently in 2008. Since then, he has moved around England and Scotland and currently plays for semi-professional side Gosport Borough in the National League South, which is in the sixth tier of England's football pyramid.

5 May 1956 - Trautmann Puts His Neck On The Line

On 5 May 1956, Manchester City defeated Birmingham City 3-1 in the FA Cup Final before a crowd of over 100,000 at London's Wembley Stadium. It was a remarkable win, considering that the Man City goalkeeper, Bert Trautmann (pictured, center), played the last seventeen minutes with a broken neck.

Although it was Manchester City's second consecutive appearance in the Final, having lost 3-1 to Newcastle the previous year, the English press hailed Birmingham as favorites due to a strong run up to the Final that saw them concede only two goals while scoring eighteen. Man City, on the other hand, had advanced in every round by a mere one-goal margin. But they had an advantage in Trautmann, whom the Football Writers' Association had recently named Footballer of the Year.

Manchester City pressured the Birmingham goal from the opening kickoff, resulting in a third-minute strike from forward Joe Hayes that gave them a 1-0 lead. Birmingham quickly equalized, however, when a 15th-minute shot ricocheted off a Man City defender to wrong-foot Trautmann, then landed in the path of forward Noel Kinsey, who slotted it home.

The two sides were evenly matched to the hour mark, when Man City took advantage of Birmingham's defensive lapses to score two quick goals from forwards Bobby Johnstone (62') and Jack Dyson (64'). Birmingham attacked the Man City goal with renewed fervor when, in the 73rd minute, forward Peter Murphy collided with Trautmann. Murphy's knee rammed into Trautmann's neck, knocking the keeper unconscious.

The rules at the time did not alow for substitutes, so after Trautmann recovered, he insisted on staying on the pitch as Manchester City complete the 3-1 win. Three days later, Trautmann's neck still hurt, so he went to a doctor who confirmed that he had dislodged five vertebrae, one of which was broken in two. Trautmann became a folk hero at Manchester City, for whom he played until 1964, making over 500 appearances.

25 February 2001 - Liverpool Wins The League Cup

On 25 February 2001, Liverpool and Birmingham fought a closely-contested League Cup Final, with the Reds getting the win on penalty kicks - the first penalty shootout in the final of a major English tournament.

Playing before a crowd of 73,500 at Cardiff's Millenium Stadium, Liverpool took the lead with a 30th-minute strike from their homegrown hero, forward Robbie Fowler, who deftly beat the Birmingham keeper with a world class shot from 25 yards out. Although Birmingham had plenty of possession throughout the match, they were unable to find the mark, with their best chances coming through a couple of headers that just went wide of the goal.

The trophy appeared to be Liverpool's when Birmingham received a lifeline courtesy of Liverpool center back Stéphane Henchoz, who, in the dying moments of regulation, fouled Birmingham midfielder Martin O'Connor in the box. Center back Darren Purse converted the 90th-minute penalty kick, sending the match into extra time.

The sides swapped chances in extra time, but were unable to score. In penalties, they were even at 4-4 after five shooters, with Liverpool's Sander Westerveld and Birmingham's Ian Bennett saving one shot each. Jamie Carragher then put Liverpool ahead 5-4, when Birmingham forward Andy Johnson stepped up to the spot. He sent a timid kick to his right, easily saved by Westerveld to give Liverpool the win - their first major trophy since previously winning the League Cup in 1995.

9 February 1979 - Meet The Million-Pound Man

On 9 February 1979, Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough introduced the press to his newest signing, English striker Trevor Francis--the first player in England to break the £1 million transfer fee barrier. Clough added to the spectacle by showing up at the press conference in a bright red leather jacket with his squash racket in hand.

When Clough signed Francis from Birmingham City, he was careful to set the transfer fee at £999,999 in order to prevent the "million pound" mark from going to the striker's head. But taxes pushed the total fee over £1.1 million, more than doubling the previous record of £495,000, paid by Manchester United to Middlesbrough for defender Gordon McQueen in February 1978.

With Francis in the side, Forest lost only one league match for the remainder of the season, finishing second in the Division One table, and won the League Cup. The crown jewel in their season, however, was their 1-0 win over over Swedish side Malmö in the 1979 European Cup Final, with Francis heading in the winning goal.

That proved to be the highlight of Francis' career. Injuries hampered his time at Forest, preventing him from playing in their win in the 1980 European Cup Final, and he moved to Manchester City in 1981 for £1.2 million.

23 February 2008 - Eduardo's Bad Break

On 23 February 2008, Arsenal striker Eduardo suffered an injury that put him out for a year and possibly derailed the club's season.

At the time, Arsenal were at the top of the table, riding a ten-game unbeaten streak that had seen them take 26 of 30 available points to pull five clear of Manchester United. Eduardo, playing in his first season since moving from Dinamo Zagreb in July, had made sixteen league appearances, mostly as a substitute, but was rounding into form after Christmas.

The Gunners were away at Birmingham City when, in the third minute, a challenge from Blues captain Martin Taylor snapped Eduardo's left fibula and dislocated his left ankle. The injuries were so graphic that the BBC declined to show replays of the incident, while players from both teams were visibly distraught at the sight.

Medical staff took the striker directly to the hospital. The match eventually resumed and played out as a scoreless draw, with neither team showing much inspiration to continue. It was the first of four consecutive league draws for the Gunners, who took only three points from their next four matches and slipped down to third, which is where they finished the year.

Eduardo returned the following February, but made only four appearances that season, though he scored three times. He eventually moved to Shakhtar Donetsk in July 2010. That October, he returned to the Emirates with his new team in the Champions League and scored his team's only goal in a 5-1 loss, drawing applause from the home supporters.

2 September 1893 - The League Comes To London

On 2 September 1893, London hosted its very first Football League match as Arsenal and Newcastle United played to a 2-2 draw.

Established in 1888, the Football League was based in the north of England and had, for the first few years, consisted solely of northern clubs. But a series of expansions saw the addition of the Second Division in 1982, followed by the inclusion of five new clubs for the 1893-94 season, including Liverpool, Newcastle, Middlesbrough Ironopolis, Rotherham, and Arsenal, the first southern team to join.

For opening day, Newcastle traveled to Arsenal's Manor Ground in Plumstead, where a crowd of 10,000 assembled for the occasion. Arsenal took a quick lead, as Walter Shaw scored in just the sixth minute, and the first half ended 1-0. Shortly after the restart, the hosts extended their lead with a goal from Arthur Elliott.

Newcastle came back, though, with late strikes from their right and left wingers, Crate and Sorley, to split the points. They went on to finish the season in fifth, while Arsenal ended up in ninth, and fellow newcomers Liverpool won the title by eight points over Birmingham City.

3 September 1892 - They Got Better

On 3 September 1892, Manchester United played their first league match, losing 4-3 to Blackburn Rovers. Although it was an inauspicious start to an inauspicious season, United have since become the league's most decorated team, winning the title a record nineteen times.

For the first season, the club still went by their original name of Newton Heath. Founded in 1878, they attempted to join the Football League upon its creation in 1888, but were rejected for four years. Finally admitted for the 1982-93 season, they opened the campaign away at Blackburn where they lost 4-3.

They proceeded to go winless for their next five matches, losing another three and finished the season dead last in twentieth place. But they avoided relegation by beating Small Heath FC (later known as Birmingham City) in a playoff. Their next season, however, did see them drop into the Second Division for several years before finally returning in 1906 and winning their first league title in 1908.

Since then, they have increased their total to nineteen, with their most recent title coming in 2011.

22 May 2011 - A Goal In Time For Pavlyuchenko

On 22 May 2011, a pair of goals from Spurs striker Roman Pavlyuchenko relegated Birmingham and set a new Premier League record.

On the last day of the season, Birmingham went into their match against Tottenham in the table's seventeenth place, one spot above the relegation zone and level on points with eighteenth-place Blackpool and nineteenth-place Wigan.

Playing at White Hart Lane, Birmingham--who had won that season's League Cup--went down 1-0 to a goal from Pavlyuchenko in the 49th minute, but drew level thirty minutes later with a strike from Craig Gardner. Then, as they pushed forward for the goal they needed to secure their top-flight survival, Pavlyuchenko struck again with a match winner in the 93rd minute to seal Birmingham's drop. (As it turned out, even a draw would not have been enough for Birmingham, as Wigan won their match at Stoke.)

For Tottenham, the win kept them in fifth place and qualified them for the next season's Europa League.

Pavlyuchenko's goal was the 1,063rd of the Premier League season, setting a new English scoring record for a 38-game season.

27 September 1879 - The Birth Of The Birmingham Derby

On 27 September 1879, Birmingham City hosted the first Birmingham derby, beating Aston Villa by the score of 1-0. Since then, Villa has gotten the better of their crosstown rivals, winning the greater share of the teams' 117 meetings.

For that first match, Birmingham were still going by their original name, Small Heath Alliance (pictured). The contest was played at their Muntz Street ground, which drew heavy criticism for Villa players as being "only suitable for pot-holing."

The first competitive match in the derby came in the FA Cup in 1887, with Villa taking a 2-1 victory. Out of their 117 total matches, 51 have gone to Villa and 37 to Birmingham City, with 29 draws. The derby's top scorer is Villa's Billy Walker, who found the net 11 times between 1919 and 1934. City's top scorer is Joe Bradford, with 8 goals from 1920 to 1935.

Several players have switched teams over the years, including a few who moved directly from one team to the other. The highest profile switch came in 1986, when Villa great Dennis Mortimer (who won the European Cup with Villa in 1982) joined Birmingham after a season at Brighton & Hove Albion.

Managers have also made the crosstown move, starting in 1982 when Villa manager Ron Saunders joined Birmingham. In 2011, manager Alex McLeish left Birmingham for Aston Villa after Birmingham were relegated from the Premier League. Due to that relegation, there is no derby on the fixture list for the foreseeable future.

11 January 2007 - Birmingham Plucks The Vine

On 11 January 2007, Birmingham City signed striker Rowan Vine from Luton Town. It turned out to be a bad decision for both of them.

At the time Vine made the switch, Birmingham were on the top of the Championship table, but had suffered injuries to their strike force of Cameron Jerome, Nicklas Bendtner, and Mikael Forsell, prompting manager Steve Bruce to look to the transfer window. Vine, then 24 years old, had gotten Bruce's attention by scoring three goals against Birmingham that season, helping Luton taking four points from the teams' two meetings. And he had a scorer's pedigree with 31 league goals for the Hatters from 2004 to 2007. He also sat near the top of the club's assist charts for those seasons.

Luton, who had paid close to £250,000 for Vine, made a generous profit on the move, receiving £3 million from Birmingham, including a £500,000 bonus when Birmingham were promoted to the Premier League at the end of the season. Vine, however, did not share the club's good fortune.

He scored only 1 goal in 17 league appearances for Birmingham and went on loan to QPR in October 2007. The loan became permanent in 2008, but after contrubuting only 9 goals in 69 league appearances for the Londoners, he went on further loans to Hull City and Brentford in 2010. His loan spell at Brentford ended in January 2011, so Vine is back at QPR, though it remains to be seen for how long.

5 May 1956 - Trautmann Puts His Neck On The Line

On 5 May 1956, Manchester City defeated Birmingham City 3-1 in the FA Cup Final before a crowd of over 100,000 at London's Wembley Stadium. It was a remarkable win, considering that the Man City goalkeeper, Bert Trautmann (pictured, center), played the last seventeen minutes with a broken neck.

Although it was Manchester City's second consecutive appearance in the Final, having lost 3-1 to Newcastle the previous year, the English press hailed Birmingham as favorites due to a strong run up to the Final that saw them concede only two goals while scoring eighteen. Man City, on the other hand, had advanced in every round by a mere one-goal margin. But they had an advantage in Trautmann, whom the Football Writers' Association had recently named Footballer of the Year.

Manchester City pressured the Birmingham goal from the opening kickoff, resulting in a third-minute strike from forward Joe Hayes that gave them a 1-0 lead. Birmingham quickly equalized, however, when a 15th-minute shot ricocheted off a Man City defender to wrong-foot Trautmann, then landed in the path of forward Noel Kinsey, who slotted it home.

The two sides were evenly matched to the hour mark, when Man City took advantage of Birmingham's defensive lapses to score two quick goals from forwards Bobby Johnstone (62') and Jack Dyson (64'). Birmingham attacked the Man City goal with renewed fervor when, in the 73rd minute, forward Peter Murphy collided with Trautmann. Murphy's knee rammed into Trautmann's neck, knocking the keeper unconscious.

The rules at the time did not alow for substitutes, so after Trautmann recovered, he insisted on staying on the pitch as Manchester City complete the 3-1 win. Three days later, Trautmann's neck still hurt, so he went to a doctor who confirmed that he had dislodged five vertebrae, one of which was broken in two. Trautmann became a folk hero at Manchester City, for whom he played until 1964, making over 500 appearances.

25 February 2001 - Liverpool Wins The League (Cup)

On 25 February 2001, Liverpool and Birmingham fought a closely-contested League Cup Final, with the Reds getting the win on penalty kicks - the first penalty shootout in the final of a major English tournament.

Playing before a crowd of 73,500 at Cardiff's Millenium Stadium, Liverpool took the lead with a 30th-minute strike from their homegrown hero, forward Robbie Fowler, who deftly beat the Birmingham keeper with a world class shot from 25 yards out. Although Birmingham had plenty of possession throughout the match, they were unable to find the mark, with their best chances coming through a couple of headers that just went wide of the goal.

The trophy appeared to be Liverpool's when Birmingham received a lifeline courtesy of Liverpool center back Stéphane Henchoz, who, in the dying moments of regulation, fouled Birmingham midfielder Martin O'Connor in the box. Center back Darren Purse converted the 90th-minute penalty kick, sending the match into extra time.

The sides swapped chances in extra time, but were unable to score. In penalties, they were even at 4-4 after five shooters, with Liverpool's Sander Westveld and Birmingham's Ian Bennett saving one shot each. Jamie Carragher then put Liverpool ahead 5-4, when Birmingham forward Andy Johnson stepped up to the spot. He sent a timid kick to his right, easily saved by Westerveld to give Liverpool the win - their first major trophy since previously winning the League Cup in 1995.

9 February 1979 - Meet The Million-Pound Man

On 9 February 1979, Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough introduced the press to his newest signing, English striker Trevor Francis--the first player in England to break the £1 million barrier. Clough added to the spectacle by showing up at the press conference in a bright red leather jacket with his squash racket in hand.

When Clough signed Francis from Birmingham City, he was careful to set the transfer fee at £999,999 in order to prevent the "million pound" mark from going to the striker's head. But taxes pushed the total fee over £1.1 million, more than doubling the previous record of £495,000, paid by Manchester United to Middlesbrough for defender Gordon McQueen in February 1978.

With Francis in the side, Forest lost only one league match for the remainder of the season, finishing second in the Division One table, and won the League Cup. The crown jewel in their season, however, was their 1-0 win over over Swedish side Malmö in the 1979 European Cup Final, with Francis heading in the winning goal.

That proved to be the highlight of Francis' career. Injuries hampered his time at Forest, preventing him from playing in their win in the 1980 European Cup Final, and he moved to Manchester City in 1981 for £1.2 million.