St. Georges competed for space with Westminsters, Harold, Florence, Forward, Excelsior and other short lived outfits.
[3] The club entered the first Birmingham Senior Cup in 1876, losing in a second replay in the first round to Cannock at the Bott Lane ground in Walsall.
Albion were favourites for the game, being the defending champions, and having reached the semi-finals of the Birmingham Senior Cup; however the Dragons won 2–1 in front of 5,500 spectators at the Victoria Ground.
[5] The winning goal came when Albion goalkeeper Roberts caught a shot from Denny Hodgetts, but Tommy Green charged him and the ball through the goalposts by several yards.
[6] The club's growing reputation was demonstrated by it being the first Birmingham opponents of Preston North End, holding the Lancashire side to a 2–2 draw at Fentham Road in October 1884.
The highlight of the Cup run was the fastest-ever hat-trick in a match, Tommy Green scoring three in four minutes against Aston Unity.
Despite losing midfielder Barton to injury in the first few minutes, the Dragons took a 2–0 lead at half-time, but conceded an own goal soon after the change of ends, and, with 25 minutes to go and the score 2–2, the referee - a Mr Willison of Wednesbury Old Athletic - allowed a goal for the Swifts which the Dragons claimed had not crossed the line.
As the Football Association legalized professionalism in 1885, St George's faced the same problems as other teams in the Aston area, namely being able to retain players when Villa, having been illegally professional over previous seasons and having considerable financial backing, were now able openly to attract players from other local clubs; this problem was exacerbated by the FA Cup rules on residency, meaning St George's were competing with Aston Unity and Birmingham Excelsior, as well as Villa, for a limited pool of players.
[13] The Cape Hill ground was ready for 1886–87, and considered one of the finest pitches in the country, its disadvantage being a lack of suitable stands.
[citation needed] The club was particularly unlucky in its FA Cup quarter-final, played at the neutral venue of the Aston Lower Grounds.
Each of the 20 clubs was to arrange 16 fixtures, in order to leave dates free for FA and local cup matches, but, by April, many teams had failed to reach the target and the Combination fizzled out.
[33] St George's refused to replay the fixture, so the Alliance annulled the result and awarded 2 points to Albion.
The result would have put St George's second in the table, but the club slipped back after a run of four defeats and a draw in five games March and April.
Played at the Wednesbury Oval in front of 4,000 spectators, the Dragons came from 3–2 down at half-time to win 5–3 and secure their final trophy.
[35] 1890–91 saw the Dragons' best season in the Alliance, finishing fourth of the twelve clubs, including beating champions Stoke 5–2.
[44] To soften the blow, the brewery allowed free use of the ground at Cape Hill, and both Henry Mitchell Sr and Jr would contribute £50 each per year.
In Devey and Hadley, the Dragons had lost their leading scorer[46] and regular goalkeeper respectively, and the other players were all first-choice starters.
[49] In the FA Cup, the club was drawn away to Sunderland Albion, and both teams protested about the state of the pitch before kick-off, following a hard frost.
[50] The referee ordered the teams to play an exhibition match as he ruled the ground unfit for a Cup tie.
With significant debts, limited financial backing, ground owned by a third party, and no substantial public support, the club did not apply to join the League,[52] and disbanded.
[53] The brewery continued its works side, under the name Mitchells & Butlers Football Club, at a regional league level, until the 1990s.