Middle row (l-r);
Front row (l-r);
By Jim Brown
The summer of 1954 saw the new board paying off a large slice of the club’s £23,000 debt. Scouting and coaching systems were re-organised, a sports-room and restaurant provided for the players and the club’s gymnasium was re-equipped. More money was spent on the Highfield Road facilities than at any time since the Second World war. The 1954-55 season dawned with the aim which was virtually to become the club motto for nearly the next ten years: ‘Promotion THIS season’.
Manager Jack Fairbrother planned for the new season and despite the financial difficulties a new left-wing pairing of Tommy Capel and Colin Collindridge arrived for a large £10,000 fee from Nottingham Forest. The season started well and ‘the team that Jack built’, as they were dubbed by the press, won six out of the first seven games with attendances the highest since relegation two years previously. Centre-forward Eddie Brown scored eight goals in those seven games, including the fastest goal ever at the ground against Leyton Orient, timed at 12 seconds. Over 29,000 attended the home game with unbeaten leaders Bristol City but left disappointed with a 1-3 defeat and chairman Erle Shanks was unhappy.
The month of October was one of the most traumatic in the club’s history. Brown was dropped after a defeat at Leyton Orient and ten days later was sold to Birmingham City for £10,000. Home-grown winger Gordon Nutt also had a transfer request accepted – he did not move until two months later, when First Division Cardiff paid £16,000 for him. All was not well between chairman and manager and the next club programme’s ‘From the Boardroom’ notes contained outspoken criticism of some of the playing staff: ‘We will not tolerate any player playing for Coventry City who is not giving us 100 per cent effort for 90 minutes’.
Fairbrother said nothing publicly but eleven days later resigned, according to the club’s official statement, ‘through health reasons’. In the programme for the following home game he described the pressure he had felt since his wife’s death – ‘I should have had a holiday’ – and thanked the club’s directors for their support and help. The real story has never been revealed but it is likely that Fairbrother resented Shanks’ interference in the dressing room and did not agree with the decision to sell Brown. Ironically City were fourth in the table when Jack decided to go.
On the night of Fairbrother’s resignation City’s reserves were playing at home to Millwall and watching from the stands in his capacity as a scout for Aston Villa was former boss Harry Storer. It was Storer’s former first lieutenant and cricketing buddy, Charlie Elliott, who was asked to step up from chief scout to be caretaker-manager until a replacement was found.
The team were in the top four until the end of November but then a disastrous run of only two wins in 14 games saw promotion dreams shattered. The proceeds of the sales of Brown and Nutt were frittered on mediocre replacements like veteran striker Jack Lee. The only bright star in a dull season was the form of young goalkeeper Reg Matthews. Having started the season as understudy to Peter Taylor, Reg took his opportunity with both hands and within four months was playing for the England under 23 side with an England ‘B’ cap following soon afterwards.
In January Erle Shanks pulled off an amazing coup when he persuaded AS Roma’s English coach Jesse Carver to become the club’s manager that coming summer. After that news the rest of the season was bound to be an anti-climax and gates tailed off despite an impressive home record which saw then lose only three league games at Highfield Road. A game against Newport County on a wet Monday evening attracted only 3,974, a gate that still stands as City’s lowest league crowd since 1928. The early season gates however ensured that the season’s average was 14,202, almost 4,000 up on the previous season. A final position of ninth flattered the team however and they finished 23 points adrift of the promoted champions Bristol City. In the FA Cup they reached the third round where they faced First Division Huddersfield Town and earned a replay with a brave display at Leeds Road in a game which brought the agile and brave Matthews to a wider audience. Over 23,000 paid £3,308 and braved bitterly cold weather to watch the Thursday afternoon replay which a plucky City team lost 1-2 after extra-time.
