Harry Storer 1935-36
Prior to that December one-off friendly with FC Austria in December 1935 covered in the last post about programmes, in the next in the current series of images of Coventry City programmes and memorabilia through the years we offer you a full Division Three South version of CCFC’s 1935-36.
This season proved the successful culmination of the 1930’s campaign to get promotion to Division Two masterminded by legendary CCFC manager Harry Storer who built some high scoring CCFC teams built round legendary striker, Clarrie Bourton.
CCFPA’s former chairman Jim Brown and Mike Young have been building up a collection of full programme images from CCFC issues pre 1945. We have currently exceeded 700 full programme images -home and away! All images are taken from the collection and copyright CCFPA (and must not be reproduced without permission). The programme itself was only a little changed from the previous season in overall look but had increased in size to a 20 pager still priced a twopence. The cover (below) of CCFC’s ‘Official Organ’ printed in deep blue on a white background was identical to 1934-35 the front featuring a depiction of the famous ‘Three Spires’ of Coventry over an advert for local brewer M&B. The back had a full page advert for another brewer Ansells.
November 9th 1935 Coventry City 8-1 Crystal Palace (att. 20,818)
This was a day when the ‘Bantams’ secured one of their best ever home wins on their way to the title against a team at that time neck-and-neck with them in the top six (Palace 2nd & CCFC 3rd a point apart). They eventually won 24 out of their 42 games, racking up big scores at home and only losing once. The free scoring side scored three or more eighteen times during the season and scored ‘The Old Five’ or more on seven occasions in clocking up their 108 league goals! They went on to take the D3S title by a point from Luton Town.
Jock Lauderdale
The inside cover had ads for Bernard Pye (fishmonger), W.Harvey (painter & decorator) and Coventry alcohol wholesaler Licensed Trade Limited. Page One would have looked very familar with a Bantam cartoon within the club cartouche over a list of the club’s officials and a ‘Weekly Commentary’ looking at recent past results of CCFC’s rivals and a brief report of the last outing at Bournemouth (a 1-1 draw). As per usual Pages Two to Seven provided all the stats of ‘Attendances’ and goals of the club’s first team and reserves in both league and cup, a review of ‘Today’s opponents’ plus ads for the upcoming reserve (London Combination) game against Luton Town and the away D3S game at Notts County (plus a LMS escursion train (4/- return). This issues’ player vignette was Jock Lauderdale (above right).
The club was obviously doing well in advertising revenue as just these pages had ads for a local undertaker, a gents outfitter, ‘Coventry Medical & Surgical Insurance Association’, an electrical goods supplier, an Insurance Broker and the Venetian Cafe, Broadgate! The centre pages (Eight and Nine) below provided more ads surrounding the teams accurate apart from one change at No.9 for the Palace.
City’s team that day was:-
Horace Pearson, Vic Brown, Charlie Bisby, Billy Frith, George Mason, Harry Boileau, George McNestry, ‘Jock’ Lauderdale, Clarrie Bourton, Les Jones and Arthur Fitton
The Glaziers XI lined up as follows:-
Ronald Dunn, Edward Owens, Albert Thorpe, William Turner, Jimmy Wilde, William Smith, Bob Birtley, Ernest Waldron, Ronnie Rooke, Albert Dawes and Bob Bigg
Les Jones
George McNestry
Crystal Palace, today’s victims, were managed by Tom Bromilow, City’s ‘goal machine’ Clarrie Bourton got his second hat-trick of the season (making it eleven so far) having come back into the team after missing the previous two games. The rest of the damage to the Glaziers was done by Welsh international Les Jones and George McNestry (who both got a brace) and Jock Lauderdale also chipped in with a goal.
Les opened the scoring with a quick double each side of the ten minute mark, Jock scored his just after the half hour and Clarrie got his first on 37 minutes to send CCFC 4-0 up at half time. Former Coventry City player Bob Birtley pulled one back for the Palace after 65 minutes but then the CCFC goal avalanche (four goals in nine minutes) resumed in the last twenty minutes of the game.
First, George opened his account in the seventieth minute, then Clarrie completed his hat-trick with goals on 71 and 76 minutes and ten minutes from time George finished the job. Palace went home with their tails between their legs on the wrong end of an 8-1 defeat!
Clarrie’s record strike rate was 180 in 241 first team outings (1931-38) whilst Les scored 74 goals in his 145 CCFC first team appearances (1933-38) before being transferred to Arsenal by legendary manager Harry Storer.
Billy Frith
Bob Birtley
Billy Frith later went on to manage Coventry City twice! City went on to embarrass the Palace again the following January when they went to Selhurst Park in the semi final of the Division Three South Cup and won 2-1 with goals from Clarrie and Billy Lake.
The Bantams eventually went on to win the trophy in a two leg final versus Swindon Town (winning both legs).
The Glaziers eventually got league revenge in February winning 3-1 at Selhurst Park. City’s goal was scored by, guess who, Clarrie Bourton! Palace eventually finished sixth eight points behind D3S Champions Coventry City.
The rest of today’s programme was pretty standard with Page 10’s ‘Topical Notes’ by ‘Supporter’ ranging over local football results, gate increases in London and the growing club interest in schoolboy talent.
Pages 11 and 12 were full of ads and Page 13 (as usual) had full tables for the top three Divisions and the London Combination (CCFC Reserves were 10th). Pages 14 & 15 (as usual) had the half-time scoreboard for key games over the full fixture and results list of City’s D3S and LC games plus ads for a sports outfitter and Coventry Co-op (see above).
Page 16’s ‘Supporters Club Notes’ by ‘Sec’ talked a lot about fundraising with ‘Penny on the Ball’ and ground collections proceedings and a ‘Whist Drive’ planned for Christmas. Interstingly the page also provided admission prices for various parts of the ground. It seems so little now but would have been a resonable sum for those days. Prominent among the ads on the inside back cover was one for the business of future club chairman Erle Shanks (see above)!
CCFC 1935-36
Newport County and Exeter City finished as the bottom two in the Division and needed to seek re-election to the Football League. Both succeeded!
If anyone knows the whereabouts of any other CCFC home programme from this season we would be eager to hear from you!
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Some of these featured programmes can be seen in more detail by clicking our ‘Progs’ tab (at top). There are still lots of gaps which you may be able to help fill so if you have any prewar programme – home or away – of City games, the earlier the better, we would be grateful if you could let Mike Young know what you have got so he can check whether it fills a hole in our database (his contact email is m.young9@ntlworld.com). If it is, then he will make arrangements with you to get it scanned or photocopied as appropriate.
Though we have asked before we still hope that some of our FPA members, associate members (and general readers) will be able to protect a bit more of the club’s important heritage for posterity and in doing so help make the Club’s (and your) history come alive again!
Thanks to CCFPA’s Mike Young for researching the article and sourcing the images.
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