At the end of the season, in which Small Heath finished in third position, most of the teams were absorbed into the newly formed Second Division of the Football League, and the Alliance folded for lack of membership.

In a friendly match against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the end of the previous season, Hollis appeared to lack confidence, Ollis "would have been more useful if he had looked after the ball a little more instead of his opponents", and Wilkes' passing was wild but did "some smart work" and contributed to a goal with "exceedingly plucky play".

In Hollies Small Heath have a keeper of both ability and modesty – a virtue which has not shone conspicuously in that direction for some years – and good reports are to hand of a very promising young local back named Taylor.

[9] The committee experimented with their team selection for the first Alliance match of the season, at home to Burton Swifts, Fred Speller moving up from full back to partner Jack Hallam on the right side of the forward line.

[14] Although a Small Heath team weakened by injury beat Lincoln City 4–0, the Birmingham Daily Post suggested that "if the forwards would learn to understand each other's movements and play a collective game, instead of trying to shine individually, the result would be a great deal more beneficial" to the club.

The Post heaped particular praise on the half-back line, Ollis, Jenkyns and Ted Devey, who "worked wonders, for they not only checkmated their opponents, but fed their own forwards very judiciously, and were always ready to assist in the defence when the necessity arose.

After Wanderers equalised, Tommy Hands received a kick on the temple – the player habitually stooped low to head the ball – and the ten men of Small Heath settled for a draw.

[21] The draw cost Small Heath £20, to be paid to Lincoln City, their scheduled opponents for the following Saturday, in compensation for their match being postponed to accommodate the Cup replay.

The Liverpool Mercury reported the referee was not in a position to spot that Hollis had caught Jamieson's low shot "apparently ... a foot over the line", and Caesar Jenkyns' first-half goal decided the contest.

[28] A "storm of wind and rain" reduced the attendance for the visit to local rivals Birmingham St George's to around 500, but those few present accompanied the play with "a running fire of vigorously-expressed comments", and on each occasion that Jenkyns ended up on the ground, "his downfall appeared to give unspeakable pleasure to the home supporters, who rejoiced greatly as he gradually became plastered in mud from head to foot."

On a pitch "in such a sodden state that it was impossible for the players to pass correctly or shoot with any degree with accuracy", Heath won 3–1 with goals from a Jenkyns free kick and two by Hallam.

[32] Aided by "exceptionally fine goalkeeping by Hollies, and the sturdy defence of Jenkins, Bailey, and Speller", and by James Lundie's own goal, a 2–1 win at Grimsby Town proved an "agreeable surprise" to the Birmingham Daily Post's correspondent.

[33] Christmas Day's entertainment consisted of a friendly at home to Aston Villa on an icy pitch; neither club fielded a full-strength side, but the visitors were still good enough to win 3–0.

[35] Small Heath began the new year with a 2–2 draw at Ardwick, a result highlighted by sound defence and the goalkeeping of Charsley, which left them in fourth place in the Alliance, having played fewer games than two of the three above them.

[44] The scheduled visit to Crewe Alexandra on the following Saturday had to be postponed, because the Football Association ordered that club to replay their FA Cup tie on that date,[45] so a friendly at Newton Heath was arranged at short notice.

The play became increasingly rough, the Sheffield Independent suggesting that "several of the Heathens began to use their weight mercilessly",[49] and Wednesday's claim for a penalty kick after one of the visiting backs handled the ball over the crossbar was turned down by the referee.

The referee, Mr Widdowson, needed police protection from spectators throwing mud and other missiles as he left the field, though the Independent's correspondent suggested he had brought the problem on himself by failing to apply "a little more severity when the roughness first commenced".

[52] The next game was a rather quieter affair, as Heath beat Ladywood Conservatives, who had progressed through the qualifying competition to the first round of the Birmingham Cup, by seven goals to nil without unduly exerting themselves.

[54] When Devey appeared in front of the Football Association to answer his charge of misconduct, the Council found no cause for inquiry, expressed regret for wasting his time, and paid his expenses.

[58] Bill Taylor took his place as Small Heath won a well-contested game by three goals to two, narrowing the gap between the teams to four points with four matches of the season remaining.

"[60] A friendly match at home to Football League club Bolton Wanderers produced a 7–0 win for Small Heath, which "must have come as a great surprise to the supporters of either team".

Sloppy defending by Bayley and Hollis allowed Forest's Oscroft to open the scoring, but after half an hour he was "badly hurt" when charged by Jenkyns "in an unnecessarily severe manner".

In the second half, with both sun and wind in their favour, Heath struck the woodwork several times, but the only goal came when an error from their backs allowed Harry Wood a free run.

[73] According to the Birmingham Daily Post, "Small Heath's improvement compared with last year is very marked, and at the present time the Coventry Road club is able to hold its own in the most select company.

Among the newcomers were back Fred Jones from Newton Heath and forward Harry Edwards, signed from Singer's of Coventry,[77][78] For consistency, attendances and goalscorers' names in the Football Alliance and FA Cup match details are sourced from Matthews (2010).