[5] New arrivals included forward Charlie Short, who had played one match for Small Heath in March before finishing the season with Unity Gas,[6] full-back Tom Bayley from Walsall Town Swifts,[7] and goalkeeper Charles Partridge from Wednesbury Old Athletic.

[10] The season opened with a friendly against local Football League club Aston Villa, who suffered a defeat that was "little short of humiliating, and altogether unexpected, even by adherents of Small Heath who had been looking forward to the contest with feelings of apprehension".

[13] On "one of the hottest days of the whole year", Small Heath had intended to introduce their new blue-and-white kit for the visit of Sunderland Albion, but had to revert to the "old and dismal black-and-amber jerseys" when they discovered the suppliers had sent only nine sets of clothing.

The Post commented favourably on Fred Speller at full-back and on half-backs Harry Morris and Ted Devey, and described how "the ponderous Jenkins did much useful work in his usual inelegant fashion.

The Post's correspondent thought Speller was "always safe and judicious" and his full-back partner Tom Bayley had improved since the Sunderland game, but was unimpressed by Charles Partridge's goalkeeping.

Jack Hallam's long shot regained the lead for Heath soon after the interval, but Wednesday levelled the scores again late in the game after strong attacking pressure.

[23] The Football Alliance fined Small Heath and three other clubs £1 each for not notifying the secretary of their results,[24] a minor failure in administrative competence compared with what was to follow.

[25] But their efforts were in vain, as Wednesbury's protest, that Charlie Short had not been registered in time to play in the match, was upheld, and Small Heath were disqualified from the competition.

[26] The local press was scathing: the Post called it "quite the most egregious blunder which has been perpetrated in football circles this season", and supposed that "the veriest tyro in the winter pastime would have known better than to spoil the club's chances for fame in such an absurd way".

[27] Small Heath went into November bottom of the Alliance with only one point, and approached the encounter with league leaders Stoke "intend[ing] at least to test the opponents' mettle".

[28] Walter Ward's debut in goal in a 1–1 draw at Bootle attracted praise from the Liverpool Mercury, as did his defence, and the quickness on the ball and combination play of the forwards, particularly Hallam and Will Devey, was also noted.

[30] Arthur Turner, in what was to be his only appearance in league competition, was a poor substitute for Short, and neither Will Devey nor Charsley were at their best, the latter putting through his own net with an attempted clearance.

On a pitch with a thick covering of snow, Saints took a three-goal lead before Heath recovered their competitiveness, and the game reached half-time with the score 4–2.

[31] The Post warned that "if Small Heath seriously contemplate winning another Alliance match this season, it will be necessary for their players to make a more sustained effort during the progress of the game, and not wait until the last twenty minutes before they afford the spectators a glimpse of their proper form.

The Birmingham Daily Post thought the practice of playing under protest was disruptive both to clubs and supporters, and it was high time the leagues ruled that if a match takes place at all, and bad light or extreme weather does not prevent its completion, then the result should stand.

[38] On 10 January, The Wednesday were the first visitors to Coventry Road after a spell of weather so cold that even before Christmas the pools in Birmingham's parks had been overcrowded with skaters;[39] the pitch was several inches deep in snow, but playable.

At Wednesday's request, the Sheffield Association had restricted to two the number of their players selected for the annual inter-association match against Glasgow scheduled for the same day, but their absence had an adverse effect.

[40] Small Heath failed to progress past their opening match in the Birmingham Cup, on a "dreadfully hard and slippery" pitch covered with straw at West Bromwich Albion's ground.

[49] When play did begin, Small Heath's "forwards were smart and quick on the ball, passed judiciously and accurately, and shot with precision and power" in a 4–2 win.

[51] Their defence was much weakened by the inclusion of Fred Heath in place of Caesar Jenkyns, and Birmingham St George's won the postponed match quite easily.

[55] On Easter Monday, Heath suffered a heavy defeat at Middlesbrough Ironopolis in a friendly; the match was goalless at half-time, but once "the home team no longer had the sun in their eyes", the score rose regularly.

[56] They did little better in the Alliance at Sunderland Albion the next day, where "the home side had three-fourths of the play to themselves, and exhibited their superiority from start to finish" as they won by four goals to nil.

[57] A friendly played in a downpour at Coventry Road, won by Aston Villa by five goals to four with the last kick of the game,[58] preceded the meeting of the same two clubs in the Birmingham Charity Cup at the County Cricket Ground.

[66]In February, it was reported that the Devey brothers intended to stay with Small Heath, but it was a decision dependent "on circumstances over which finance has sole control.