The 1961–62 Football League season was Birmingham City Football Club's 59th in the Football League and their 35th in the First Division. They finished in 17th position in the 22-team division. They entered the 1961–62 FA Cup in the third round proper and lost in that round to Tottenham Hotspur after a replay, and entered the League Cup at the first round, again losing their opening match after a replay, this time against Swindon Town. Birmingham lost in the final of the 1960–61 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in October 1961, and only a few weeks later, were eliminated from the 1961–62 competition in the second round by Espanyol.^[1][2] This was Birmingham's last appearance in major European competition for nearly 50 years.

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Birmingham City F.C.

1961–62 season
Chairman	Harry Morris, Jr
Manager	Gil Merrick
Ground	St Andrew's
Football League First Division	17th
FA Cup	Third round (eliminated by Tottenham Hotspur)
Football League Cup	First round (eliminated by Swindon Town)
1960–61 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup	Final (eliminated by AS Roma)
1961–62 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup	Second round (eliminated by Espanyol)
Top goalscorer	League: Ken Leek (18) All: Jimmy Harris, Ken Leek (20)
Highest home attendance	46,096 vs Tottenham Hotspur, FA Cup 3rd round, 6 January 1962
Lowest home attendance	11,596 vs Swindon Town, League Cup 1st round, 13 September 1961
Average home league attendance	25,751
Home colours
← 1960–61 1962–63 →

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Twenty-five players made at least one appearance in nationally organised first-team competition, and there were eleven different goalscorers. Forward Mike Hellawell played in all 50 first-team matches over the season (half back Malcolm Beard missed only one), and Ken Leek and Jimmy Harris finished as joint leading goalscorers with 20 goals in all competitions; Leek was top scorer in league competition with 18 goals.

The final of the 1960–61 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup took place in late September and mid-October 1961, when the first round of the 1961–62 competition was already under way. In the semi-final, Birmingham had beaten Inter Milan home and away; no other English club beat them in a competitive match in the San Siro until Arsenal did so in the Champions League more than 40 years later.^[4] Birmingham played in the final for the second consecutive season, having lost to Barcelona in 1960. In the first leg, missed chances and poor defending allowed Roma to take a two-goal lead at St Andrew's, but second-half goals from Mike Hellawell and Bryan Orritt, whose late equaliser came after Jimmy Harris's shot rebounded from the crossbar, took Birmingham into the second leg on level terms. In front of a large crowd in the Stadio Olimpico, Roma won 2–0 to take the trophy 4–2 on aggregate.^[5]

As finalists in the previous season's competition, Birmingham were awarded a bye to the second round, in which they were drawn against Espanyol. They lost heavily in the first leg, in Barcelona, where Antonio Camps scored a hat-trick.^[6] They won the ill-tempered return leg 1–0 with a goal from Bertie Auld, but four players, including Birmingham's Jimmy Harris and Auld himself, were sent off.^[7]

• Players with name struck through and marked † left the club during the playing season.

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Players having played at least one first-team match

Pos.	Nat.	Name	League		FA Cup		League Cup		1960–61 Fairs Cup		1961–62 Fairs Cup		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
GK	ENG	Johnny Schofield	35	0	2	0	2	0	2	0	2	0	43	0
GK	ENG	Colin Withers	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	0
FB	ENG	George Allen†	5	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
FB	ENG	Brian Farmer†	7[lower-alpha 1]	0	0	0	2	0	2	0	0	0	11	0
FB	ENG	Winston Foster	16	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	17	0
FB	ENG	Stan Lynn	21	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	25	1
FB	ENG	Graham Sissons	33	0	2	0	1	0	2	0	2	0	40	0
FB	ENG	Pat Wright	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
HB	ENG	Malcolm Beard	42	1	2	0	2	0	2	0	2	0	50	1
HB	WAL	Terry Hennessey	34	0	2	0	1	0	2	0	2	0	41	0
HB	ENG	Dick Neal†	6	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	7	1
HB	ENG	Trevor Smith	39	0	2	0	2	0	1	0	2	0	46	0
HB	ENG	Johnny Watts	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
FW	SCO	Bertie Auld	38	5	2	0	0	0	1	0	2	1	43	6
FW	ENG	Jimmy Bloomfield	35	11	0	0	2	0	2	0	1	1	40	12
FW	ENG	Peter Bullock	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
FW	ENG	Jimmy Harris	39	16	2	3	1	0	2	0	2	1	46	20
FW	ENG	Mike Hellawell	42	7	2	0	2	0	2	1	2	0	50	8
FW	WAL	Ken Leek	24	18	2	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	27	20
FW	WAL	Bryan Orritt	17	4	2	0	1	0	2	1	2	0	24	5
FW	ENG	Billy Rudd†	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
FW	ENG	Jimmy Singer	2	1	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	4	1
FW	ENG	Robin Stubbs	7	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	8	0
FW	ENG	Brian Taylor†	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
FW	ENG	Denis Thwaites	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0

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• Birmingham City F.C. seasons