Conyers Kirby (18 March 1884 – 9 April 1946), also known as Ralph Kirby, was an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played in

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

for

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

. He played as an outside right.

Playing career

Kirby was born in the

Bordesley Green Bordesley Green is an inner-city area of Birmingham, England about two miles east of the city centre. It also contains a road of the same name. It is in the Bordesley Green Ward which also covers some of Small Heath. Heartlands Hospital is lo ...

district of

. While serving in the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...

, he represented them at football and became a champion sprinter. In 1905 he joined Southern League club

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...

, for whom he played four league games. In the 1906 close season he joined

, for whom he made his only

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

appearance, on 6 September 1906 in the First Division match at home to

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

which Birmingham lost 4–2. He later joined

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

, without appearing in the Football League, and played

non-league football Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...

for

Worcester City Worcester City Football Club is an English football club based in Worcester, Worcestershire. The club play in the Midland Football League, the ninth tier of English football. Established in 1902, the club play at Claines Lane. Worcester City's ...

Kidderminster Harriers Kidderminster Harriers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. The team compete in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. Formed in ...

and Willenhall Pickwick, before returning to Fulham in 1913.

Coaching career

Kirby retired from playing in 1918 and moved to Spain, where he became a

referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other titl ...

and a football manager. He coached both CE Europa and

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Founded ...

during the 1920s. He was appointed Europa manager in August 1922. In 1923 he guided Europa to the

Campionat de Catalunya The Catalan football championship ''(Campionat de Catalunya)'' was a football competition in Catalonia and the first football league in Spain before La Liga was established in 1929. In December 1900, Alfons Macaya, the president of Hispania AC, ...

. After finishing level on points with Barcelona, Europa beat them 1–0 in a title play-off. They then represented Catalonia in the

Copa del Rey The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footbal ...

and after defeating Sevilla and Sporting Gijón in earlier rounds, they lost 1–0 to

Athletic Bilbao Athletic Club ( eu, Bilboko Athletic Kluba; es, Athletic Club de Bilbao), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao or just Athletic, is a professional Association football, football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Basque Country (autonomous com ...

the final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

at Les Corts. Kirby was subsequently appointed coach of Barcelona in December 1924, replacing

Jesza Poszony Imre Pozsonyi (also known as Jesza Poszony, first name also as Emmerich and Emérico; 12 December 1880 – 2 October 1963) was a Hungary, Hungarian football player and manager. Career Pozsonyi started his career playing for Magyar ÚE and m ...

. His first game in charge was a 2–0 win in a friendly against

First Vienna First Vienna FC is an Austrian association football club based in the Döbling district of Vienna. Established on 22 August 1894, it is the country's oldest team and has played a notable role in the history of the game there. It is familiarly k ...

on Christmas Day 1925. He remained in charge for 39 games. He joined Athletic Bilbao in September 1925, and returned to England in May 1926.

Honours

CE Europa *

runners-up:

1923 Events January–February * January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory). * January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...

: 1922–23 FC Barcelona *

1925 Events January * January 1 ** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Italia ...

References

External links

Profile at Athletic Bilbao
*

entry at BDFutbol
Ralph Kirby (1922–24)
CE Europa (per 21 January 2021)
Ralph Kirby (1925–26)

(per 20 August 2020) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kirby, Conyers 1884 births 1946 deaths Footballers from Birmingham, West Midlands English footballers Association football wingers Fulham F.C. players Birmingham City F.C. players Blackpool F.C. players Worcester City F.C. players Kidderminster Harriers F.C. players English Football League players Southern Football League players English football referees Royal Army Medical Corps soldiers Athletic Bilbao managers FC Barcelona managers CE Europa managers English football managers English expatriate football managers La Liga managers Willenhall F.C. players 20th-century British Army personnel