Matchday Memories: On This Day 1946 – CCFC’s Roberts Senior Enjoys His Danish Break!
May was a prime month for the Sky Blues end of season goodwill tours in the sixties and seventies – often a warm down in an exotic and very warmed up far eastern country! Here is a round-up of their record on this day (May 27th) which involved chillier European climes! The games were spread over more than three decades, and coincidentally each featured a CCFC player in the City side named Roberts! The first two games separated by exactly thirty years featured CCFC family members, both inside forwards, father Ted and son Dudley (now a CCFPA member)! The third, a couple of seasons later contained a completely unrelated Roberts (now well known as the current CCFC matchday host, Brian or ‘Harry’!!
Dick Bayliss
In 1946, in their second ever overseas tour, their first post World War Two, the ‘Bantams’ (as they were then known) played their last game of a four match one week tour in Denmark. After seeing off Aarhus (2-1) and Vejle Boldklub (6-0) they had drawn 2-2 with a Jutland XI (or Jydskboldspil Union to give the team their correct name)!
Dick Bayliss was managing the Coventry City side. City had been staying at hotel accommodation provided in Randers (in Aarhus) during the tour which was apparently the best available given the war time depredations and CCFC had been offered a civic reception in Vejle on arrival. Before this final game of the tour started City captain, George Mason was presented with a bouquet by his hosts.
Alf Setchell
On this day CCFC faced a new outfit, Randers Freja, and came away with a 3-0 victory. The goals came from a brace delivered by No.9 Ted Roberts and a third from outsde left Alf Setchell.
Ted had come from Derby County in 1934 and since then became a ‘one club man’ with CCFC, though he played for non league Kings Lynn and Banbury Spencer after 1952 until he hung up his boots. Ted Roberts was a great club servant appearing in CCFC’s teams right through from 1936-1952 making 233 appearances for the club and netting a massive 86 times!
These figures exclude many appearances and goals achieved over the war years and almost certainly one of the club’s greatest goalscorers might have achieved even greater fame and international honours had the war years not intervened.
City’s team on the day was:-
Alf Wood; Dennis Tooze & Walter Metcalf; Jack Snape, George Mason & Tommy Crawley, Dennis Simpson, Harry Barratt, Ted Roberts, Emilio Aldecoa & Alf Setchell.
After the game finished the Randers club presented CCFC with a statuette of King Christian of Denmark to mark the occasion. It was meant for City’s boardroom – I wonder whether it is still in the club’s possession? The tour was a great success and City were impressed with the standard of continental play as well as the hospitality and local foodstuffs (see the contemporary Coventry Telegraph cutting left)!
There was even rumours of an impending Danish signing for the Bantams but it didn’t materialise!
City then began preparations to resume their position in Division Two for the upcoming 1946-47 season
Thanks to CCFPA’s Mike Young for researching the article and sourcing the images.
