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By Jim Brown
Former player Billy Frith had returned to Highfield Road in the previous season to be assistant manager to Dick Bayliss as well as still playing. He only made seven appearances and at 35-years of age his playing career was over. After Bayliss’ sudden death in April 1947 the City board decided to appoint Frith as manager.
City opened the season in style beating Luton 4-1 with George Lowrie picking up from where he left off the previous season by netting all four goals. Seven days later the Welsh centre-forward netted a hat-trick in a 4-1 win at Brentford but then failed to score again until November when he hit another four in a 5-0 victory over Bradford Park Avenue. By the turn of the year Lowrie had netted seventeen goals in 18 games and was a wanted man. When he netted goal number 18 in the 1-1 draw with promotion favourites Newcastle in February he convinced the St James’ Park club that he was the man to clinch promotion for them. Two weeks later the Geordies paid City a record fee of £18,500 for him and started an era of Coventry once again being a selling club.
City, who finished tenth, were never serious promotion candidates but conversely were rarely in relegation trouble. Six sides won at Highfield Road in a poor home season but with crowds pouring back to football in general, the average gate was up by almost 3,000 at 22,288. The best result of the season was probably the 0-0 draw at Newcastle in October. Over 55,000 watched the Bantams hold out against the Magpies who only dropped five home points all season and boasted an impressive forward line which included England internationals Jackie Milburn and Len Shackleton.
Veteran winger George Ashall was forced to retire after breaking his leg in a 1-0 win over West Brom and Frith signed a replacement Norman Lockhart from Swansea. Lockhart was a fast winger, capable of getting crosses over on the run and he took over penalty duties. Inside him in the forward line Peter Murphy was developing into a fine player and notched seven goals. Frith used some of the Lowrie sale proceeds on Wolves forward Alex McIntosh but he was not a really adequate replacement. Lowrie topped the scoring charts with 18, followed by Ted Roberts with ten.
Other changes were taking place in the Highfield Road playing squad and this season saw the final appearances of pre-war players Charlie Elliott, Norman Smith and Bobby Davidson as well as Ashall. The FA Cup provided more disappointment when, after a good win over Walsall in front of the biggest crowd of the season, over 34,000, the team lost 3-2 at Luton, a side they did the double over in the league.
