[1] The brewery was successful, claiming its use of pure water direct from the springs helped its beer, and by the late 1880s the company was making profits of over £25,000 per year.
The club signed a number of players who had recently played for West Bromwich Albion[6] and had them recognized by the Birmingham Football Association as amateurs.
[7] This was in time for them to play in the Birmingham Senior Cup; the club had walked over Calthorpe in the first round, but lost 4-0 at Stoke in the second.
[9] In the second round however the club was destroyed 14-0 by Wolverhampton Wanderers, the Wolves' record win, nine goals coming in the first half,[10] the score possibly explicable because of question marks raised about the eligibility of some of the players in the first round tie.
The formation of Oldbury Town may have diverted support and effort, as, on the latter's foundation, it claimed already to have a number of playing members, and the brewery seems to have cavilled at paying professional players as the Football League became a reality.