Born in Wordsley, Staffordshire, Farmer joined Birmingham City in 1950 as an amateur when he was 17.
He turned professional in 1954 and made his first-team debut in 1956,[1] but was used only as cover when Jeff Hall or Ken Green were injured or on international duty.
[2] He became a first-team regular following Hall's death in 1959, but lost his place to new signing Stan Lynn some two and a half years later.
[a] He also played 17 games in European competition, appearing in the 1960 and 1961 finals of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.
This biographical article related to association football in England, about a defender born in the 1930s, is a stub.