Matchday Memories: On This Day 1945 Pt.1 – Saddlers Squeeze Out City In 11 Goal Cup Thriller

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CCFC Manager Harry Storer

On this day (20th January) in 1945 the year World War II was finally brought to an end Coventry City were playing in a Wartime Regional Northern League with league competitions in both halves of the season. Actually the vast majority of City’s opponents were actually from the Midlands.

Tommy Crawley

From the turn of the year the Bantams, under the management of Harry Storer, were playing in a third competition, the Football League Cup (also regionalised as a mini league in its initial phase). Home and away games were to be played against Aston Villa, Birmingham City, W.B.A., Northampton Town, Notts. County, Walsall and West Bromwich Albion. The ‘Bantams’ (as City were nicknamed in the pre Sky Blue era) had been on a very poor run in all games and had only two draws to show for their efforts in their previous nine games from mid November and would have to wait until near the end of February for their next win.

‘Neil’ Dougall

In this cup competition they had drawn one and lost two games so far and this week and the following week would play their pair of fixtures with Walsall and today they were at Fellows Park in front of only 1,095 spectators. A remarkable game ensued with City 3-1 up at half-time yet eventually losing by the odd goal in eleven!  The Bantams’ centre forward Tommy Crawley got a hat-trick but finished on the losing side. Cornelius ‘Neil’ Dougall also got a brace for CCFC. The Saddlers had three players who got a brace, Dave Russell, Peace and Gilbert Alsop (who had also previously played for CCFC).

The scoring went: 1-0; 2-0; 3-0; 3-1; 3-2; 3-3; 3-4; 3-5; 4-5; 5-5 and 5-6 with Walsall winning with virtually the last kick of the game! A contemporary match report is shown below.

Club captain George Mason

Storer’s Bantams that day were:-

Jack Bowles; Stan Kelley; Ron ‘Mick’ O’Brien; Billy Frith; George Mason (c); J. Kendall; Jimmy McKeown; Ken ‘Slasher’ Green; Tommy Crawley; Cornelius ‘Neil’ Dougall and George Edwards.

Bowles was a guest player from Stockport County. Other players had experience with other league clubs and/or the forces but were employed in war work in local factories or were CCFC juniors from non league sides. The side was built around the legendary club ‘iron man’ captain of the Coventry side during that era George Mason

The Saddlers team was:-

Billingsley, Jack Shelton (c), Batty, Dave Russell, Jack Vinall, Johnson, G.Meath, Randolph Jenkins, Gil Alsop, Peace and Charlie Bulger       Referee:-  G.S.Blackhall (Wednesbury)

Several Walsall players were guests, the ‘keeper came from Aston Villa, Jenkins from Distillery, Johnson (Southport) and Russell (Sheffield Wednesday).

CCFC finished 57th nationally in the Cup competition winning only two of the eleven games completed. In the regional league they finished, when aggregated nationally, 41st in both competitions.

If anyone has a CCFC team picture from 1944-45 please get in touch with the editor at m.young9@ntlworld.com

For another game on this same day played at Highfield Road whilst City were at Walsall see the next post.

Thanks to CCFPA’s Mike Young for researching and illustrating the article

 

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