Tinpot: New book celebrates Birmingham City's forgotten triumphs

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
Tinpot is the story of football's lost tournaments: the strange and forgotten competitions that sparked into life before disappearing forever. The FA Cup and Football League are the oldest competitions of their kind in the world. They are the survivors - the bright ideas that quickly caught on. Yet, behind these successes lie countless failed experiments. But they still have their stories to tell.

Featuring over 40 forgotten football tournaments, Tinpot visits the curious world where:

  • Birmingham City twice won Soccer Six, the indoor 6-a-side tournament, held at the National Exhibition Centre
  • Birmingham City somehow managed to finish in 3rd place in the FA Cup after winning the competition's first ever penalty shootout
  • Manchester City contested a Wembley final against Chelsea only 24 hours after playing a top-flight derby at Old Trafford
  • Bobby Moore lined up alongside Pelé to captain a USA international side against England
  • Swindon Town beat Juventus at home and away as they marched to an unlikely Anglo-Italian Cup triumph
  • Watford became the first club to lose twice in the FA Cup in the same season
  • A Tranmere Rovers goalkeeper conceded six goals but was still given the man of the match award
  • Claudio Ranieri brought his star-studded Fiorentina side to the Potteries, but they couldn’t do it on a cold, rainy night in Stoke
  • England won a trophy for once, and it wasn’t even 1966: football really did come home!

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice