Middle row (l-r); JT Withers (Trainer), George Allon, Tom Storey, Norman Findlay, Billy Leitch, Joey Jones, Teddy Winship, John Davidson, Hugh Richmond, A Bell (Trainer)
Front row (l-r); Clem Warren, George Hadley, Jerry Best, George Chaplin, Jimmy Dougall, Jimmy Lawrence, Alec Mercer, Foster Robinson
By Jim Brown
A new kit of red and green halves was introduced for the 1922-23 season and the club’s offices and stands were repainted in the new ‘civic’ colours. With the help of the Supporters Club a number of other ground improvements were carried out including a 100-yard cinder sprinting track alongside the touchline in front of the New (1910) stand which would be a welcome addition to the ‘training appointments’ of the stadium. The stands underwent substantial renovation with the roofs tarred and better quality seats provided for visiting directors and at the Swan Lane end the standing area was substantially increased with waste material from various excavations around the city and additional crush barriers were erected.
The 1922-23 season was another struggle but the 17th place finish was the club’s best in four seasons of league football, although they still finished only two points above the drop zone. The fixture list included attractive games against Manchester United (they beat the Reds 2-0 in their first ever league meeting), West Ham (who would appear in the first Wembley Cup final that season) and local derbies against Leicester City, Wolves and Derby. It was against Wolves on Christmas Day that City recorded their best result since joining the league, a 7-1 victory with Bill Toms scoring a hat-trick, City’s first in the Football League.
Toms, signed from Oldham in the summer of 1922 was a scoring sensation, taking over the mantle of the sadly injured Sammy Stevens. He scored 19 goals in 30 games before he was suspended by the club for an undisclosed act of ‘misconduct’ and he joined Stockport a few weeks later. The other stars of the side and heroes of local boys were goalkeeper Jerry Best, forward Frank ‘Cute’ Herbert and right-winger Jimmy Dougall. Best, who although only 5 foot 6 inches tall and carrying a war injury which restricted movement in one arm performed heroics in City’s goal during a five and a half year career. Herbert was a local lad supposedly signed at the colliery pithead by Albert Evans who went on to have several successful seasons. Dougall was a tricky winger with a devastating cross who graced City’s colours for almost seven years.
Attendances fell that season with the average gate being 13,500. Times were hard with unemployment rising and fewer could afford to go to ‘the match’ and on occasion the crowd dropped below 10,000. For a Monday afternoon game with Fulham in December with most supporters at work, only 4,000 turned up. In the FA Cup City again slumped to a team from a lower status, losing 0-3 at Lancashire Combination side New Brighton. Later rumours circulated that City’s players threatened strike action before the game in protest at a lack of a win bonus for the game against inferior opponents.
One ray of hope was a 2-1 victory in the Birmingham Senior Cup final over Bilston.
