In the next in the current series, where we present images of Coventry City programmes and memorabilia through the years, we are starting to come out of the shadow of World War One. CCFPA chairman Jim Brown and committee member Mike Young have been building up a collection of full programme images from CCFC issues pre 1945. All images are taken from the collection (which now exceeds seven hundred issues) and are copyright CCFPA (and must not be reproduced without permission)
Programmes from the World War One period are very scarce, if they were produced at all given the wartime paper shortage. After a two year gap (1916-17 and 1917-18) when no programmes are known featuring a Coventry City game (or any other XI) at Highfield Road, for 1918-19 an attempt was made to publish a simple two sided sheet by way of a programme. There are only a few examples from games from this season, however. We are lucky therefore to have an image of one of them for the game between CCFC and Nottingham Forest from 21st December 1918.
If anyone knows the whereabouts of any other CCFC home programme from this season we would be eager to hear from you!
After professional football had effectively been closed down for wartime (apart from the odd local charity based friendly) CCFC had been placed in the regionalised English League (Midland Division) for 1918-19 in preparation for the resumption of a more normalised full League schedule planned for 1919-20. City had resigned from the Southern League when it became clear it would not seek merger with the Football League. Fortunately, they got themselves elected to the new Division Two in March 1919 ready for the next season!
The Midland Division’s geographical range was large encompassing the likes of Grimsby Town, Hull City and Lincoln City in the East and both Sheffield Wednesday and United as well as now defunct clubs Leeds City and Rotherham County in the North. The only genuinely Midland opponents this season were both Nottingham clubs (Forest and County), Leicester Fosse and Birmingham (before it adopted the ‘City’ title). A full competition as well as a subsidiary one was set up (against some of the same clubs).
‘The Bantams’ or ‘Citizens’ as they were known resumed at Highfield Road. The club’s president as was traditional remained the town’s MP Edward Manville. Coventry was by now approaching a population of 200,000. Club Chairman was Alf Collingbourne but a new Board of Directors was not constituted until March 1919. The club’s Secretary-Manager William Clayton scraped together a rag bag of players, a few from pre-war, some youngsters and some reasonable quality guest professionals who were still attached to the Coventry factories who has been working flat out on war-time production. The programme’s editorial (top right) makes an apology for an attempt to ‘poach’ players from local company Siddely-Deasey!
The two page programme-cum-team sheet is of an odd elongated shape on thinnish paper requiring folding for storage and easily torn which accounts for their scarcity! The fixtures were paired this season with home and away fixtures following on within a week. The Bantams had beaten top-of-the-table Nottingham Forest 1-0 a week earlier in front of 8,000 in Nottingham with a goal six minutes before half time from top scorer Chris Sambrooke. In this game, however, City were helped by the home team going down to ten men during the second half due to injury. City played as per the programme though Forest made some changes (see match report from the Nottingham Football Post below).
On this day the leaders, managed by Bob Masters) got ample revenge at Highfield Road with 12,000 fans watching CCFC beaten 5-2 in a match shortened to forty minutes each way. Forest scored first with a ninth minute goal from Walter Tinsley to send the home team in 1-0 down at half time. Three minutes after the resumption Thomas Holford doubled the lead and Tinsley’s second made it 3-0 to the Garibaldi Reds. City began a spirited come back against the ten men with two goals in three minutes from Chris Sambrooke (55) and Billy Smith (58) (though some credit both goals to Chris.). Forest were not to be denied however and a goal from Noah Burton (64 mins) and another (on 66 mins) from Tom Holford (some sources say Fred ‘Sticker’ Banks) made their victory comprehensive. Coventry City finished ninth in the Midland Section.
Next time we will feature a programme from CCFC’s first post-war season in the Football League in 1919-20 when they played in Division Two!
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Some of these featured programmes can be seen in more detail by clicking our ‘Progs’ tab (at top). There are still lots of gaps which you may be able to help fill so if you have any prewar programme – home or away – of City games, the earlier the better, we would be grateful if you could let Mike Young know what you have got so he can check whether it fills a hole in our database (his contact email is m.young9@ntlworld.com) . If it is, then he will make arrangements with you to get it scanned or photocopied as appropriate.
Though we have asked before we still hope that some of our FPA members and associate members will be able to protect a bit more of the club’s important heritage for posterity and in doing so help make the Club’s (and your) history come alive again!