By Jim Brown
The 1952-53 season saw City back in Division Three South after nine seasons in Division Two. Like the modern day, relegation in the 1950s had serious financial consequences on football clubs. Fortunately then the clubs were not hampered by a wage bill more fitting for a higher division club, as there were renewable one-year contracts and a maximum wage but supporters were far less likely to watch lower status football. Although 18,000 turned up for the first home game of the season with Swindon, gates fell when it became apparent that a quick return to Division Two was unlikely and by Christmas they recorded a crowd of under 10,000. The final average gate was 13,430, a drop of over 9,000. The impact on the club’s coffers was catastrophic.
Despite losing that opening game to Swindon, City won their next three games including away games at Leyton Orient and QPR and only lost one of the next nine games. The home form was excellent with a 17-game unbeaten run after the Swindon game before Bournemouth lowered their colours in February. Away from home City’s form was very patchy with only two further wins after the two early victories. The home form kept the side in the top six virtually all season but runaway leaders Bristol Rovers rarely looked like being in the Bantams’ sights. Rovers did attract the biggest Highfield Road gate of the season, over 19,000 watching an exciting 1-1 draw.
A new goalscoring hero emerged when wing half Don Dorman was switched to the forward line in November. The former Birmingham player scored 18 goals, the majority coming in a golden spell between the end of November and the end of January and including successive home league hat-tricks.
In defence Martin McDonnell was a virtual ever present either at right-back or centre-half and was an unsung hero of the team.
With no chance of promotion in April (only one side went up in those days), the Bantams’ form slid badly and none of the last eight games was won but the team still finished in sixth place. Little did City fans realise that this would be the highest finish for another seven years.
To compensate for the fall in income the club’s best player, Irish international winger Norman Lockhart was sold to Aston Villa for £15,500. Storer had no money to spend on players and had to rely on the home-developed youngsters who he had chosen carefully and nurtured together as Modern Machines FC in the Coventry Works leagues. Until 1952 there had been no formalised competition between league team’s youth sides but City had a host of promising youngsters who were now given their chance in Third Division football. Goalkeeper Reg Matthews, defenders Frank Austin, Lol Harvey and forwards Gordon Nutt, Ronnie Waldock and Peter and Jimmy Hill were all given their chance in that first season in the lower division. At the same time yesterday’s heroes were leaving including George Lowrie, Plum Warner and Bryn Allen.
