1896–97 Small Heath F.C. season
The 1896–97 season was the 16th season of competitive association football and 5th season in the Football League played by Small Heath F.C., an English football club based in Birmingham. In 1895–96, Small Heath finished in 15th position in the 16-team First Division and were relegated via the test match system. In 1896–97, they finished 4th in the Second Division.
| 1896–97 season | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Walter W. Hart | |
| Secretary | Alfred Jones | |
| Ground | Coventry Road | |
| Football League Second Division | 4th (of 16) | |
| FA Cup | First round proper (eliminated by Notts County) | |
| Birmingham Senior Cup | Semi-final (eliminated by Wolverhampton Wanderers) | |
| Staffordshire Senior Cup | First round (eliminated by Wolverhampton Wanderers) | |
| Top goalscorer | League: Jimmy Inglis (16) All: Jimmy Inglis (16) | |
| Highest home attendance | 7,500 vs Grimsby Town (31 October 1896) Walsall (25 December 1896) | |
| Lowest home attendance | 800 vs Manchester City (19 April 1897) | |
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Small Heath entered the 1896–97 FA Cup at the first round (round of 32) and lost in that round for the fifth consecutive year, this time to Notts County. In local competitions, they were eliminated in the semi-final of the Birmingham Senior Cup and the first round of the Staffordshire Senior Cup, on each occasion beaten by Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Twenty-three different players represented the club in nationally organised competitive matches during the season and there were 12 different goalscorers. Alex Leake appeared in every match, and the top scorer was Jimmy Inglis with 16 goals. The highest attendance was around 7,500, significantly down on the previous season.