Matchday Memories: On This Day 1947 – Bayliss’ Bantams Bring Back Baggies’ Point!!

Dick Bayliss

On this day (3rd May) in 1947 Coventry City were a Division Two outfit playing in their second post-war ‘proper’ season and doing reasonably well under Manager Dick Bayliss. On this day seventy five years ago Dick took the ‘Bantams’ (as they were then nicknamed) to the Hawthorns for what was anticipated to be a tough test with their local rivals, West Bromwich Albion. Remarkably, the ‘Baggies’ had been managed since 1902 by Fred Everiss and he was thus in his penultimate season as their ‘gaffer’ as he left at the end of the 1947-48 season after 46 years service!

This was the first of five games in May that would see out the season. Encouragingly, they had managed to beat the Baggies 3-2 at Highfield Road back at the beginning of September in their second game of the season. The City goals then came from Fred Bett and a brace from Harry Barratt.  Last time out they had taken a 1-1 draw away from Luton Town‘s Kenilworth Road and this is precisely what they also achieved today against West Brom.

Les Latham

There was a decent crowd of 23,807 in the Hawthorns to see the game.  Both City’s centre halves, George Mason and understudy Ron Cox were injured so 29 year old Les Latham came in for his debut (and sole CCFC first team appearance)! Another City defender Charlie Elliott, later to become City’s caretaker-manager, was also missing being given leave at the end of April to join Derbyshire County Cricket Club for their season which was due to start soon! Cricket was a sport in which Charlie also excelled!

George Lowrie

There was a good crowd of 23,807 in the Hawthorns to watch the Midland derby. The Bantams’ goal today came from their reliable Welsh international striker George Lowrie with a glorious pile driver after only one minute. It was 1-1 at half-time thanks to a West Brom equaliser from Frank Hodgetts in the tenth minute and after that early goal burst both defences proved invincible as each sides’ forwards failed to muster decent chances in the blustery conditions.

Coventry City lined up as follows:-

Alf Wood; Dennis Tooze & Dick Mason; Charlie Elliott, Harry Barratt & Les Latham; Don Dearson, Dennis Simpson, George Lowrie, Ted Roberts & Emilio Aldecoa

Emilio Aldecoa

Ted Roberts

Emilio was one of two Basque refugees (the other was Jose Bilbao) who were signed by the club after they had left Spain in the late 1930s during their country’s Civil War. Ted is the father of another CCFC centre-forward (CCFPA member) Dudley Roberts who played for the sixties Sky Blues! Alf later became a CCFC trainer in the 1950s

Fred Everiss‘ Baggies XI lined up:-

Tom Grimley; Jimmy Pemberton & Henry Kinsell; Cliff Edwards, Jack Vernon & Len Millard; Billy Elliott, Ike Clarke, Arthur Rowley, Albert Finch & Frank Hodgetts           Referee: J.Wheeler (Sevenoaks) 

CCFC 1946-47

This season the CCFC finished in a respectable eighth place in Division Two. The Baggies were tucked in one place above them and three points better off. Champions Manchester City were promoted with runners-up Burnley, whilst the Welsh pair of Swansea Town and bottom club Newport County took the drop.

Thanks to CCFPA’s Mike Young for sourcing the images