Matchday Memories: On This Day 1949 – Bet On The Postwar Bantams -3. Baggies Bashed

Harry Storer

As we discussed in the last three post on this site April the 19th has been a largely auspicious date for Coventry City to play its matches and this was particularly clear in the immediate post-war seasons as CCFC found its feet after the horrors of the Second World War and the Coventry blitz. After a transitional season in 1946-47 Coventry City resumed life in Division Two as the pre war Football League resumed its traditional strucure. CCFC played and won their April 19th games in both 1946 and 1947 as detailed in previous posts.There was nothing scheduled for that date in 1947-48 when CCFC finished tenth in the second tier under manager Billy Frith. However, there was an April 19th fixture in 1948-49, an Easter return game at Highfield Road with midland rivals West Bromwich Albion! Guess what happened?

Billy Frith- Manager 1959

Billy had departed the managerial chair in late November after a string of poor results (a dozen league defeats in the first nineteen games) though he would return to manage us again in the next decade. Back in the Highfield Road hot-seat came legendary ‘gaffer’ from 1931-45 Harry Storer and under his guidance, kicking off his tenure with five straight wins, the club stabilised. Actually today’s game came off the back of two straight defeats including a 1-0 reverse at the Hawthorns the previous day so Storer’s team were looking for revenge! They got it with the scores reversed at Highfield Road and City’s saviour was Irish international Norman Lockhart!

Norman Lockhart

Norman scored scored a minute into the second half in front of Highfield Road’s best crowd of the season a bumper 39,480 earning £3,689! Things might gave been different if W.B.A. had not missed a penalty with a quarter of an hour to go!

The two team’s lined up:-

CCFC

Alf Wood; Ron Cox & Don Dearson; Jack Snape, George Mason (c) & Noel Simpson;  Dennis Simpson, Iain Jamieson, Harry Barratt, Jack Marsh & Norman Lockhart.

Iain later became a CCFC Director and Chairman of the Sky Blues.

West Bromwich Albion (managed by J.Smith)

Jim Sanders; J.H.A.Pemberton & L.Millard; J.P.Kennedy, J.Vernon & Reg Ryan; W.B.Elliott, R.J.Barlow; D.J.Walsh, J.W.T.Haines & H.J.E.Morrow   Referee: W.H.E.Evans (Liverpool)

Both Jim Sanders and Reg Ryan pulled on the Bantams shirt during their careers.

CCFC 1948-49 (with Billy Frith)

Coventry City eventually settled for sixteenth place in Division Two, just two points clear of the higher of the two relegated clubs, Nottingham Forest. Forest’s fellow East Midlands side Lincoln City were bottom (22nd) a further seven points adrift. Fulham (champions) and today’s opponents West Bromwich Albion in runners up spot got themselves promoted this season.

Thanks to CCFPA’s Mike Young for sourcing the images.