Ken Birch facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kenneth Joseph Birch | ||
| Date of birth | 31 December 1933 | ||
| Place of birth | Birkenhead, England | ||
| Date of death | 24 April 2015 (aged 81) | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Playing position | Right-half | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Birkenhead Boys | |||
| Bebington Hawks | |||
| Everton | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1951–1958 | Everton | 43 | (1) |
| 1958–1959 | Southampton | 34 | (3) |
| 1959–1960 | Chelmsford City | 27 | (5) |
| 1960–1962 | Bangor City | ||
| 1963–19?? | Benoni Premier United | ||
| Teams managed | |||
| 1963–19?? | Benoni Premier United (player-manager) | ||
|
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Kenneth Joseph Birch (born 31 December 1933 – died 24 April 2015) was an English footballer. He played as a right-half, which is a type of midfielder. Ken played for big clubs like Everton and Southampton. Later, he became a hero for the Welsh club Bangor City, leading them to win the Welsh Cup in 1962.
Contents
Ken Birch's Football Journey
Starting at Everton
Ken Birch was born in Birkenhead, England. As a young player, he played for local teams like Bebington Hawks and Birkenhead Boys. He started as a centre-forward (a main goal scorer). In August 1951, he joined Everton as a trainee, hoping to become a professional player.
His football career was paused when he had to do his National Service. He joined the Royal Tank Corps and even played football for the Army! Ken made his first team debut for Everton on 2 April 1956. It was a 1–1 draw against Sheffield United. He played a few more games that season. In the 1956–57 season, he was a regular player at right-back. However, he didn't play as much the following year.
Moving to Southampton
In March 1958, Ken joined Southampton. The club paid £6,000 for him, which was a good amount of money back then. He immediately joined the first team. His first game for "Saints" was a 3–1 win against Northampton Town on 15 March 1958.
Ken played in the last ten matches of that season. Southampton won seven of those games! This helped the team finish sixth in the Third Division South. This result meant they qualified for the new Third Division. In the next season, Ken played in the first 20 league matches. But he found it hard to keep his top form. He eventually lost his place in the team.
Ken left Southampton in the summer of 1959. He then played for Chelmsford City for one season. After that, he joined Bangor City in August 1960.
Hero at Bangor City
When Ken joined, Bangor City played in the Cheshire County League. They usually finished in the middle of the table. But in Ken's first season, they reached the final of the Welsh Cup! They lost 3–1 to Swansea Town.
The very next season, Bangor reached the Welsh Cup final again! This time, they played against Wrexham. The final was played over two matches. Each team won one match, so they had a deciding play-off game. This play-off happened on 7 May 1962, in Rhyl. Ken Birch was one of the goal scorers as Bangor won 3–1! This was a huge victory for the club.
Winning the Welsh Cup meant Bangor could enter the European Cup Winners' Cup! This was a big deal for a smaller club. They were drawn against Napoli, a famous Italian team.
The first game was played at Bangor's Farrar Road Stadium on 5 September 1961. About 8,000 fans packed the stadium. Bangor City players were part-timers, meaning they had other jobs. Napoli were full-time professionals. But Bangor played amazing football! They used a direct style, while Napoli played with lots of passes. Bangor scored after 43 minutes. Then, with eight minutes left, Ken Birch, the team captain, scored a penalty! Bangor won 2–0. They became the first Welsh club to win a game in European competition!
The second game was in Naples, Italy, on 26 September. A huge crowd of 80,000 people watched. Napoli scored two goals to lead 2–0. But with twenty minutes left, Ken Birch's throw-in caused problems for Napoli. Bangor scored, making it 2–1. This meant Bangor was ahead on total goals (2-3 aggregate). However, Napoli scored again with five minutes to go, making it 3–1. This meant the total score was 3–3.
Back then, the "away goals rule" didn't exist. So, they had to play a third match! This play-off was held at Arsenal's Highbury stadium in London. Napoli scored first. Bangor's goalkeeper, Len Davies, played incredibly well to keep them in the game. Bangor equalized in the second half. But with only five minutes left, Napoli scored again. They won the game and went through to the next round. It was a brave effort by Bangor City!
Later Career and Recognition
Ken Birch left Bangor in January 1963. He moved to Johannesburg, South Africa, to become a player-manager for a team called Benoni. This meant he played for the team and also managed them.
In May 2007, Ken was a special guest at Farrar Road. This was for a "Bangor City Legends Reunion" event. It showed how much he was still remembered and respected by the club and its fans.
Achievements
Bangor City
- Welsh Cup winners: 1962
- Welsh Cup finalists: 1961
