List of Birmingham City F.C. players (1–24 appearances)



Birmingham City Football Club, an English association football club based in the city of Birmingham, was founded in 1875 under the name of Small Heath Alliance. They first entered the FA Cup in the 1881–82 season. When nationally organised league football began in 1888, the club, by then called simply Small Heath F.C., were not invited to join the Football League. Instead, they became a founder member of the Football Alliance, which was formed a year later. In 1892, the Football League decided to expand, and invited the Alliance clubs to join; as one of the less successful members of the Alliance, Small Heath were placed in the newly formed Second Division. The club's first team have competed in numerous nationally and internationally organised competitions, and all players who have played between 1 and 24 such matches are listed below.

More than 500 Birmingham players have appeared in such matches but failed to reach the 25-match milestone. In the early days, the scarcity of nationally organised competitive football meant players could spend many years with the club while making few such outings. Brothers Fred, Tommy and Arthur James, who was the club captain from 1878 to 1885, were founder members of Small Heath Alliance but made only 24 between them.

Numerous players left Birmingham to seek opportunities with other teams. Fred Pentland, who played in one FA Cup tie as a youngster for Birmingham, went on to play for England, coach the German and French Olympic teams, and manage Athletic Bilbao to consecutive La Liga–Copa del Rey "doubles". He was succeeded as Athletic's manager by Ralph Kirby. Steve Finnan, whose professional career began at the club, went on to win the 2005 Champions League with Liverpool and played for the Republic of Ireland at the 2002 World Cup. Some players' careers were cut short by the two World Wars. For example, Tom Farrage, a "promising young player with an eye for goal", was killed in action serving with the Parachute Regiment in 1944.

Many players spent brief periods with Birmingham on loan from other clubs. Some were young players gaining experience: Michael Carrick went on to play more than 300 Premier League matches and Sigurd Rushfeldt became the Norwegian Tippeligaen's all-time top scorer. Other loanees had an established career but were not needed by their owning club: Nigeria international Obafemi Martins scored Birmingham's winning goal against Arsenal in the 2011 Football League Cup Final before his loan spell was cut short by injury.

Key

 * The list is ordered first by number of appearances in total, then by number of League appearances, and then if necessary by date of debut.
 * Appearances as a substitute are included.
 * Statistics are correct up to 1 July 2024, the first day of the 2024–25 season. Where a player left the club permanently after this date, his statistics are updated to his date of leaving.

Player: Players marked * were registered for the club as at the date specified above. Players with name in italics and marked † were on loan from another club for the duration of their Birmingham career. The loaning club is noted in the Notes column. Players marked $ have won the Birmingham City F.C. Player of the Year award. Position: Playing positions are listed according to the tactical formations that were employed at the time. Thus the change in the names of defensive and midfield positions reflects the tactical evolution that occurred from the 1960s onwards. Club career: Club career is defined as the first and last calendar years in which the player appeared for the club in any of the competitions listed below. League appearances and League goals: League appearances and goals comprise those in the Football Alliance, the Football League and the Premier League. Appearances in the 1939–40 Football League season, abandoned after three games because of the Second World War, are excluded. Total appearances and Total goals: Total appearances and goals comprise those in the Football Alliance, Football League (including test matches and play-offs), Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Europa League, Associate Members' Cup/Football League Trophy, Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, Anglo-Italian Cup, Texaco Cup, Anglo-Scottish Cup and Full Members' Cup. Matches in wartime competitions are excluded. International selection: Countries are listed only for players who have been selected for international football. Only the highest level of international competition is given, except where a player competed for more than one country, in which case the highest level reached for each country is shown. Between 1926 and 1950, two competing football teams claimed to represent the island of Ireland. Some players, including Birmingham's Owen Madden, appeared for both teams. For more information, see Ireland national football team (1882–1950) and Republic of Ireland national football team.🇮🇪 ireland denotes players who played for the Irish Football Association team;

denotes players who played for the Football Association of Ireland team. Caps: For players having played at full international level, the caps column counts the number of such appearances during his career with the club.