How many goals did Trevor Francis score for Birmingham City?

How many goals did Trevor Francis score for Birmingham City? – Trevor Francis, the English footballer scored 119 goals in 280 league appearances for Birmingham before his historic £1 million move to Nottingham Forest.

Born on 19 April 1954, in Plymouth, Devon, Francis was educated at Plymouth’s Public Secondary School for Boys. He joined Birmingham City as a schoolboy after his skills and agility were exhibited.

Francis debuted for Birmingham City’s first team in 1970, aged just 16 and before his 17th birthday, he scored four goals in a match against Bolton Wanderers. He ended his first season with 15 goals from just 22 games.

In the 1970s, Birmingham City reached the occasional domestic semi-final but failed to make a great impact in the First Division championship, so the ability and achievements of Francis were made more noticeable as a result.

On 30 October 1976, he scored one of Birmingham’s most famous goals, cutting inside two Queens Park Rangers players, continuously being forced backwards, before unleashing a 25-yard shot that took the goalie off guard.

In 1978, Francis arranged a secondment from Birmingham to play for the Detroit Express in the North American Soccer League (NASL), where he scored 22 goals in 19 league appearances and was chosen to the NASL first XI alongside Franz Beckenbauer and Giorgio Chinaglia before returning to the Midlands.

In 1979, Francis was signed by Nottingham Forest, the reigning First Division champions and League Cup holders who were managed by Brian Clough. Forest paid £1 million to secure Francis’ signature. At the time, no player had ever been sold between English clubs for a seven-figure fee before (the erstwhile record was less than half).

He also played for Manchester City, Sampdoria, Atalanta, Rangers, Queens Park Rangers, and Sheffield Wednesday.

At international level, he played for England 52 times between 1976 and 1986, scoring 12 goals, and played at the 1982 FIFA World Cup.

Francis was a football manager from 1988 and 2003, most notably with Sheffield Wednesday and Birmingham City. His last management position was with Crystal Palace, where he departed in 2003.

Source: abtc.ng