THIS WEEK IN BLUES HISTORY

Pitch Publishing is a fantastic imprint.
They do all the great Got, Not Got series
and plenty of other retro sports titles.

James Brown, The Late Tackle, talkSPORT

Pitch Publishing show the way for enterprising
sports book publishers and remains a beacon
of hope for sports authors aspiring or established.

The Sports Bookshelf.com

Pitch Publishing, an outfit whose "pitch perfect"
commissioning of boxing material stands
as a rebuke to more established houses

Boxing Monthly

Pitch capture the real spirit of sport with entertaining
and clever ideas. They work out what the aficionado
would want to read, then deliver it with great verve.

Paul Hayward, The Daily Telegraph

Pitch have enabled me to write in the ways I enjoy most.
Their production support is superb, delivering eye-catching
designs, attentive proof-reading, energetic marketing and helpful advice.

Tim Quelch, Good Old Sussex by the Sea, Orient to the Emirates, Underdog!

Pitch are willing to back out-of-the-blue and innovative
ideas and turn them into viable, entertaining books.
They do so with great presentation and editorial flair.

Justin Parkinson, Then Came Massacre

Pitch saw the potential in my story, used their expertise
to polish it, published it and helped inspire thousands
around the world to get into the sport of triathlon.

Andy Holgate, Can’t Swim, Can’t Ride, Can’t Run & Can't Sleep, Can't Train, Can't Stop

The process of working with Pitch to produce Picking up the Threads
was enjoyable and rewarding, with the final edition surpassing
expectations and becoming a resounding success.

John Chandler, Picking up the Threads

Pitch will take a chance on books that other publishers won't
and realise that interest in football extends beyond the
Premier League and the top 20 countries in the FIFA rankings.

Steve Menary, Outcasts!

Pitch have the vision to look beyond the obvious,
seeking out interesting ideas and subjects and
matching them with the right target audience.

David Tossell, Tony Greig, The Great English Final, Grovel!, Natural

Pitch have been an absolute joy to work with,
contributing their passion, expertise, knowledge
and experience to help produce a brilliant book.

Sam Pilger, Ashes Match of My Life

Pitch took our original concept and further enhanced it,
using their knowledge, experience and expertise, and helped
make Got, Not Got one of the football books of the year for 2011.

Derek Hammond, Got, Not Got series of books

Pitch bought into the concept of development through football,
channeling profits and proceeds from Eleven into helping
some of the most disadvantaged young people in the world.

Steve Fleming, Eleven

In the highly competitive world of sport publishing,
Pitch have consistently demonstrated the happy
knack of spotting, nurturing and promoting winners.

Neil Dunkin, Anfield of Dreams

05 Sep

THIS WEEK IN BLUES HISTORY

Forty-seven years ago today, a 16-year-old Trevor Francis announced his talent with a four-goal haul against Bolton Wanderers.

Birmingham City On This Day revisits the most magical and memorable moments from the club's distinguished history, mixing in a maelstrom of anecdotes and characters to produce an irresistibly dippable Blues diary - with an entry for every day of the year.

In it you will discover when winning the Second Division title was not enough to get Blues promoted; which Blues player was the first to win an England cap; what inspired Sir Harry Lauder to compose Keep Right On to the End of the Road; what was the score when Blues took on Aston Villa in a cricket match, and how a tragedy for Blues raised awareness for vaccinations against polio across Britain.

But first, here's a sneak preview from the book - a special selection of events from this week in Birmingham City history:

Saturday 5th September 1970 Boy wonder Trevor Francis made his Blues debut coming on as a second half for Bob Latchford at Ninian Park in a 2-0 defeat to Cardiff City. Francis was just 16 years and 139 days old and he remains the youngest ever player to have represented Birmingham City in a competitive fixture.

Thursday 5th September 1991 Blues manager Terry Cooper signed his son Mark Cooper from his former club Exeter City. The midfielder played a total of 44 games, and scored five goals for Birmingham City before leaving for Fulham in a £40,000 deal in November 1992.

Saturday 6th September 1980 Champions Liverpool visited St Andrew’s and were held to a 1-1 draw by Birmingham City. Frank Worthington’s goal earned Blues a point as he levelled the match just four minutes after Kenny Dalglish had given the visitors the lead.

Saturday 7th September 1889 Small Heath made a winning start in the Football Alliance with a 3-2 victory over Birmingham St Georges. Forwards Charlie Short, Eddy Stanley and Will Devey shared Blues’ goals. The Football Alliance ran for three seasons before merging with the Football League to create the Second Division. Blues finished 10th in the first two seasons but improved to take third place in the final edition of the Alliance.

Saturday 7th September 1968 Blues striker Geoff Vowden became the first substitute in the history of the Football League to score a hat-trick. Blues were two goals up against Huddersfield Town when Vowden was brought on for Ron Wylie in the 50th minute. Future Birmingham City striker Frank Worthington pulled a goal back for the Terriers but after that it was all Vowden. The striker scored two headers in three minutes to kill off any hopes the visitors had of mounting a comeback before sealing a 5-1 win by pouncing on a goalkeeping error in the 89th minute.

Thursday 8th September 1977 Blues appointed Sir Alf Ramsey, the man who had guided England to World Cup glory in 1966, as the club’s manager following the dismissal of Willie Bell. Ramsey, who was a Birmingham City director, became the first knight of the realm to manage a Football League club, but his reign only lasted seven months before poor health forced him to step down.

Wednesday 9th September 1953 Inside-left Peter Murphy smashed a nine-minute hat-trick, as Luton Town were thrashed 5-1. Murphy’s treble is one of the fastest hat-tricks in Blues history. South African-born Ted Purdon scored City’s other goals in this Second Division victory.

Saturday 10th September 1892 Small Heath visited Walsall Town Swifts’ new home at The Chuckery for the first ever Football League meeting between the two sides and came away with a comfortable 3-1 victory. Goals from ‘Diamond’ Freddie Wheldon and Caesar Jenkyns, as well as an Alf Pinches own goal, gave the visitors the points.

Tuesday 11th September 1877 Small Heath Alliance played at Muntz Street for the first time beating Saltley College 5-0 in a friendly match. It was the start of a 22-match unbeaten run that began life at the ground. The ground, which was known as Coventry Road while in use by Small Heath, had few facilities when it opened. However, the club built one stand and bought another stand from Aston Villa’s Wellington Road ground for £90 to give the stadium a capacity of 30,000.

Saturday 12th September 1970 Trevor Francis scored the first of his 133 Blues goals to give City the lead against Oxford United at St Andrew’s. Birmingham were held to a 1-1 draw after Roy Clayton cancelled out Francis’ opener while Bob Latchford had a goal ruled out.

Click here for more information on Birmingham City On This Day.