1901–02 Small Heath F.C. season
# 1901–02 Small Heath F.C. season

The 1901–02 Football League season was Small Heath Football Club's tenth in the Football League and their third in the First Division, having been promoted as runners-up in the Second Division in 1900–01. They finished in 17th place in the 18-team league, one point away from safety, so were relegated back to the Second Division. They also took part in the 1901–02 FA Cup, entering at the intermediate round (between qualifying rounds and rounds proper) and losing in that round to Portsmouth. In locally organised competition, they lost to Aston Villa in the first round of the Birmingham Senior Cup.

Twenty-six players made at least one appearance in nationally organised first-team competition, and there were eleven different goalscorers. Goalkeeper Nat Robinson was ever-present over the 35-match season; full-back Archie Goldie and half-back Alex Leake each missed only one match. Bob McRoberts was leading scorer with 24 goals, of which 19 came in the league.

## Football League First Division

| Date | League position | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2 September 1901 | 5th | Liverpool | H | D | 0–0 | | 12,000 |
| 7 September 1901 | 3rd | Bolton Wanderers | H | W | 2–0 | Aston, McRoberts | 15,000 |
| 14 September 1901 | 1st | Manchester City | A | W | 4–1 | Aston 2, McRoberts, McMillan | 23,000 |
| 21 September 1901 | 3rd | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | L | 1–2 | Aston | 16,000 |
| 28 September 1901 | 6th | Liverpool | A | L | 1–3 | McMillan | 20,000 |
| 5 October 1901 | 5th | Newcastle United | H | W | 3–1 | Aston, McMillan, McRoberts | 12,000 |
| 12 October 1901 | 7th | Aston Villa | H | L | 0–2 | | 23,000 |
| 19 October 1901 | 5th | Sheffield United | H | W | 5–1 | McMillan 2, Athersmith, Jones, McRoberts | 20,000 |
| 26 October 1901 | 5th | Nottingham Forest | A | D | 1–1 | Jones | 10,000 |
| 2 November 1901 | 3rd | Bury | H | W | 1–0 | Wigmore | 15,000 |
| 9 November 1901 | 6th | Blackburn Rovers | A | L | 1–3 | Archer pen | 6,000 |
| 23 November 1901 | 11th | Everton | A | L | 0–1 | | 15,000 |
| 30 November 1901 | 12th | Sunderland | H | L | 2–3 | McMillan, Murray | 18,000 |
| 7 December 1901 | 14th | Grimsby Town | A | L | 0–1 | | 8,000 |
| 21 December 1901 | 14th | Sheffield Wednesday | H | D | 1–1 | Leonard | 12,000 |
| 26 December 1901 | 14th | Aston Villa | A | L | 0–1 | | 40,000 |
| 28 December 1901 | 15th | Notts County | A | L | 1–6 | Leonard | 8,000 |
| 4 January 1902 | 16th | Bolton Wanderers | A | L | 0–4 | | 6,583 |
| 11 January 1902 | 16th | Manchester City | H | W | 1–0 | McRoberts pen | 20,000 |
| 18 January 1902 | 17th | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | L | 1–2 | McRoberts | 5,000 |
| 1 February 1902 | 17th | Newcastle United | A | L | 0–2 | | 13,000 |
| 15 February 1902 | 17th | Sheffield United | A | W | 4–1 | McRoberts, Field, Leonard, Wharton | 9,000 |
| 17 February 1902 | 16th | Stoke | H | D | 1–1 | Athersmith | 8,000 |
| 22 February 1902 | 15th | Grimsby Town | H | W | 6–0 | Field 2, Leonard, McRoberts, Wigmore, McConnell og | 16,000 |
| 1 March 1902 | 16th | Bury | A | L | 0–2 | | 6,000 |
| 8 March 1902 | 15th | Blackburn Rovers | H | W | 2–0 | Wharton 2 | 15,000 |
| 15 March 1902 | 16th | Stoke | A | L | 0–1 | | 4,000 |
| 22 March 1902 | 16th | Everton | H | L | 0–1 | | 15,000 |
| 29 March 1902 | 17th | Sunderland | A | D | 1–1 | Athersmith | 8,000 |
| 31 March 1902 | 17th | Derby County | A | D | 0–0 | | 7,000 |
| 5 April 1902 | 17th | Nottingham Forest | H | D | 1–1 | Athersmith | 15,000 |
| 12 April 1902 | 17th | Derby County | H | W | 5–1 | Leonard 2, McMillan, McRoberts, Wharton | 10,000 |
| 19 April 1902 | 17th | Sheffield Wednesday | A | W | 2–1 | McRoberts, Wharton | 10,000 |
| 26 April 1902 | 17th | Notts County | H | D | 0–0 | | 20,000 |

### League table (part)

Final First Division table (part) :

| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GA | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 14th | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 34 | 13 | 6 | 15 | 46 | 57 | 0.81 | 32 |
| 15th | Grimsby Town | 34 | 13 | 6 | 15 | 44 | 60 | 0.73 | 32 |
| 16th | Stoke | 34 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 45 | 55 | 0.82 | 31 |
| 17th | Small Heath | 34 | 11 | 8 | 15 | 47 | 45 | 1.04 | 30 |
| 18th | Manchester City | 34 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 42 | 58 | 0.72 | 28 |
| Key | Pos = League position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points | Pos = League position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points | Pos = League position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points | Pos = League position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points | Pos = League position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points | Pos = League position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points | Pos = League position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points | Pos = League position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points | Pos = League position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points |
| Source | | | | | | | | | |

## FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Intermediate round | 7 February 1902 | Portsmouth | A | L | 1–2 | McRoberts | 15,000 |

## Appearances and goals

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

Players having played at least one first-team match :

| Name | Position | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Name | Position | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | Total | Total |
| Nat Robinson | Goalkeeper | 34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 0 |
| Arthur Archer† | Full back | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 1 |
| Walter Bunch | Full back | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Archie Goldie | Full back | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 0 |
| Billy Pratt | Full back | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Harold Wassell | Full back | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| George Adey | Half back | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Billy Beer | Half back | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Jim Dougherty | Half back | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Ambrose Hartwell | Half back | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Alex Leake | Half back | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 0 |
| Billy Walton | Half back | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Walter Wigmore | Half back | 28 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 2 |
| Jack Aston | Forward | 11 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 5 |
| Charlie Athersmith | Forward | 32 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 4 |
| Billy Bennett† | Forward | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Oakey Field | Forward | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 |
| Jack Higginson | Forward | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Billy Jones | Forward | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Arthur Leonard | Forward | 20 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 6 |
| John McMillan | Forward | 24 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 7 |
| Bob McRoberts | Forward | 32 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 33 | 11 |
| Jimmy Murray | Forward | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Fred Pentland | Forward | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| James Tebbs | Forward | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Sid Wharton | Forward | 29 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 5 |
