1903–04 Bradford City A.F.C. season

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Johnny McMillan (16)
Highest home attendancec. 16,000 (v Bristol City, 19 September 1903)
Lowest home attendancec. 3,000 (v Leicester Fosse, 19 December 1903)
early games colours

The 1903–04 season was the first season in Bradford City A.F.C.'s history, having been founded on 29 May 1903 and then elected into the English Football League to replace Doncaster Rovers in the Second Division. They finished in 10th position in the league and reached the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup.

Bradford City were formed following a series of meetings during the first half of 1903 and replaced the former

Johnny McMillan
finished the top goalscorer with 14 league and two FA Cup goals.

Background

See also: History of Bradford City A.F.C.

Organised league football had been played in the West Riding of Yorkshire since 1894 in the West Yorkshire League,[1] but no side from the county had played in the English Football League. So on 30 January 1903, Scotsman James Whyte, a sub-editor of the Bradford Observer, met with Football Association representative John Brunt at Valley Parade, the home of the city's rugby league side Manningham Football Club, to discuss establishing a Football League club within Bradford. In May, Manningham's committee decided to swap codes from rugby to association football[2] and so the Football League decided to invite Bradford City to join their league in a bid to introduce association football to the West Riding, the main sport in which was rugby league.[3] The League voted in favour of replacing Doncaster Rovers,[3] who had finished the 1902–03 season in 16th position in the Second Division,[4] with Bradford City even though Bradford had yet to play a single game.[3]

Review

Bradford City's first squad. Back row: Campbell (manager), Wilson, Bright, Seymour, Halliday, Robinson, Cutts (trainer). Middle row: Guy, Millar, McMillan, Farnall, Carter, O'Rourke. Front row: Beckram, Forrest, Prosser.

Pre-season

Even before Bradford City were guaranteed a place in the Football League, the club made its first acquisitions by signing

Jimmy Millar.[5] Despite not having enough players to field a full side, four club representatives travelled to London by the end of May for a league management committee meeting, when the club was elected into the Second Division.[3] Money was raised to fund the club, including at least £2,000 from sponsors, a balance of £500 from Manningham FC[3] and proceeds from a summer archery tournament.[6] Bradford City also took over Manningham's Valley Parade ground for their home fixtures.[7]

The four-strong party which visited London,[3] as well as newly elected Alfred Ayrton made up five members of a 13-man sub-committee which controlled club affairs. The first five, who also included J. Brunt, J.E. Fattorini, A.J. Foxcroft and J.T. Whyte, were responsible for first team matters. On 20 June, the club directors appointed former Sunderland secretary-manager Robert Campbell as Bradford City's first manager from a shortlist of 30 applicants.[8] Campbell's role was to coach the players,[8] helped by trainer George Cutts.[9] Ayrton, who had been president of Manningham FC, became the club's first chairman.[10]

Bradford played no recorded pre-season friendlies. Instead, Campbell and Cutts, decided on the first selection for the opening game of the season with

Johnny McMillan as their own captain.[9] Millar, a defender signed from Middlesbrough, was chosen as vice-captain.[11]

September

Bradford City's first league game was at

Eccleshill.[15] The match highlights were shown in Bradford's St George's Hall later in the same evening.[14]

Bradford won their first game in the league in their third game of the season, with a 2–0 victory against Burton United at Peel Croft. A week later, they won their first game at their Valley Parade home by defeating Bristol City 1–0.[9] McMillan scored in each game, with Forrest also scoring against Burton. They finished the month with a 3–1 loss at Manchester United.[13]

October

Bradford played only two league games during October. The first ended in a 5–2 defeat to Burslem Port Vale; the second – on 24 October – finished in a 3–1 victory to Bradford against fellow Yorkshire side Barnsley. Instead, City played their first games in the FA Cup in the club's history. The first qualifying round match and the club's debut in the competition was a 6–1 victory against Rockingham Colliery with six different City players on the scoresheet. City progressed through the following two qualifying rounds against Mirfield United and Worksop Town, with all three games being held at Valley Parade.[13]

During October, City also hosted an inter-league game between the English and Irish Leagues at Valley Parade. Although the ground was not up to high standards, the Football League was keen to encourage football in Bradford. An estimated 20,000 supporters attended the match which finished with a 2–1 victory for the Football League.[16] The club also made their first signing since the start of the season, bringing in forward Thomas Drain from Scottish side Maybole.[17]

November and December

City went another two weeks before playing again when their FA Cup run came to an end with a 2–1 defeat at their fellow Second Division side Chesterfield in the fourth qualifying round. They returned to league action on 21 November against Bolton Wanderers, nearly a month since their win against Barnsley. Drain, who had scored on his debut against Barnsley, scored Bradford's first ever hat-trick, but the game finished in a 3–3 draw. A week later, Drain scored for the third successive league match but City lost 3–2 to Burnley.[13]

Bradford played six games during December, with the first two ending in draws against Preston North End and Stockport County. On 19 December, City defeated Leicester Fosse 4–0 at Valley Parade. It was City's highest league victory of the season with McMillan scoring his side's second hat-trick of the campaign. City finished the month with three games in the space of four days. They first lost 4–1 to Woolwich Arsenal on Christmas Day, before a 1–0 victory at Blackpool. The year finished with a draw against Port Vale.[13]

January, February and March

At the turn of the new year, City were defeated by Gainsborough Trinity, before they completed their first double by defeating Burton United 3–0. Two draws followed – against Bristol City and Manchester United. City extended their unbeaten run by winning all three matches during February, with victories against

Glossop, Barnsley and Lincoln City. Each victory finished 2–1 with Beckram, Drain and Robinson all scoring twice during the month. The club's six-game unbeaten run came to an end in the return fixture at Glossop, with further defeats following against Stockport County and Chesterfield. The three-game losing streak was overturned with a 3–0 win over Burnley; Graham scored twice to become the third player to score more than one goal during a league game.[13]

April

City packed in eight games during April to complete the league season. On 1 April, they lost to Lincoln City and then the following day they lost to Preston North End. A third game in four days finished in a 1–1 draw with Chesterfield. The first victory of the month came in the reverse fixture against the club's first ever league opponents Grimsby Town. City lost 1–0 to Bolton Wanderers before a 2–1 victory followed against Leicester Fosse, with McMillan scoring one of the goals. The final two matches both ended in defeats without City scoring; first to Arsenal, then to Blackpool.[13] City finished 10th at the end of the first season recording 31 points from 34 games.[4]

Team captain McMillan finished as the club's top scorer with 14 goals.[18] He played 32 games, with goalkeeper Seymour, half-back Robinson and forward Graham all being ever-presents.[18] With the advent of league football in Bradford, thousands of people came to home games, resulting in the club's end-of-season receipts totalling £3,896. It resulted in a small operating loss from the first season, but donations helped the club record a profit of £39 in their first season in the Football League.[9] Following the end of the season, the club released six players and also sold Guy to Leeds City.[17]

Match results

Legend

Win Draw Loss

Football League Second Division

Main article:
1903–04 Football League Second Division
Source: Frost[13]
Game Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance[A] Goalscorers
1 1 September 1903 Grimsby Town Away 0–2 10,000
2 5 September 1903 Gainsborough Trinity Home 1–3 11,000 Guy
3 12 September 1903 Burton United Away 2–0 3,000
McMillan
4 19 September 1903 Bristol City Home 1–0 16,000
McMillan
5 26 September 1903 Manchester United Away 1–3 30,000
McMillan
6 10 October 1903 Burslem Port Vale Away 2–5 [B] Graham, Prosser
7 24 October 1903 Barnsley Home 3–1 12,000
McMillan
8 21 November 1903 Bolton Wanderers Home 3–3 7,000 Drain (3)
9 28 November 1903 Burnley Away 2–3 1,000
McMillan
10 5 December 1903 Preston North End Home 1–1 13,000
McMillan
11 12 December 1903 Stockport County Home 0–0 6,000
12 19 December 1903 Leicester Fosse Home 4–0 3,000
McMillan (3), own goal
13 25 December 1903 Woolwich Arsenal Away 1–4 20,000
McMillan
14 26 December 1903 Blackpool Away 1–0 [B] Forrest
15 28 December 1903 Burslem Port Vale Home 1–1 13,000
McMillan
16 2 January 1904 Gainsborough Trinity Away 0–3 3,000
17 9 January 1904 Burton United Home 3–0 12,000
McMillan
18 16 January 1904 Bristol City Away 1–1 7,000 Farnall
19 23 January 1904 Manchester United Home 3–3 12,000 Beckram, Forrest, O'Rourke
20 6 February 1904
Glossop
 Home 2–1 5,000
Robinson
21 20 February 1904 Barnsley Away 2–1 5,000 Beckram, Drain
22 27 February 1904 Lincoln City Home 2–1 7,000
Robinson
23 1 March 1904
Glossop
 Away 0–2 [B]
24 5 March 1904 Stockport County Away 0–2 4,000
25 12 March 1904 Chesterfield Home 2–6 10,000 Drain, Forrest
26 26 March 1904 Burnley Home 3–0 10,000 Beckram, Graham (2)
27 1 April 1904 Lincoln City Away 0–1 [B]
28 2 April 1904 Preston North End Away 0–4 5,000
29 4 April 1904 Chesterfield Away 1–1 3,000 Graham
30 9 April 1904 Grimsby Town Home 1–0 10,000
McMillan
31 11 April 1904 Bolton Wanderers Away 0–1 10,000
32 16 April 1904 Leicester Fosse Away 2–1 4,000
McMillan
33 19 April 1904 Woolwich Arsenal Home 0–3 15,000
34 23 April 1904 Blackpool Home 0–2 7,000

FA Cup

Main article: 1903–04 FA Cup
Source:Frost[13]
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance[A] Goalscorers
1Q 3 October 1903 Rockingham Colliery Home 6–1 8,000
Robinson (pen
)
2Q 17 October 1903 Mirfield United Home 3–1 5,000
McMillan, Prosser
(2)
3Q 31 October 1903 Worksop Town Home 5–0 5,000 Beckram (2), Farnall, Forrest, Prosser
4Q 14 November 1903 Chesterfield Away 1–2 6,000 Drain
A. a b All attendances are approximate.
B. a b c d Attendance is unknown.

League table

Main article: 1903–04 Football League § Second Division

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
8 Barnsley 34 11 10 13 38 57 0.667 32
9 Gainsborough Trinity 34 14 3 17 53 60 0.883 31
10 Bradford City[a] 34 12 7 15 45 59 0.763 31
11 Chesterfield Town 34 11 8 15 37 45 0.822 30
12 Lincoln City 34 11 8 15 41 58 0.707 30
Source: [19]
Notes:
  1. ^ New club in the league

Player details

Source: Frost[18]
Pos. Name League FA Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
FW John Beckram 23 4 1 2 24 6
DF
Sam Bright
 6 0 0 0 6 0
FB Tony Carter 7 0 4 0 11 0
CF Thomas Drain 22 9 1 1 23 10
HB Thomas Farnall 25 1 1 1 27 2
CF Jack Forrest 27 5 3 2 30 7
FW John Graham 34 6 4 1 38 7
OR Richard Guy 6 1 3 1 9 2
FB Fred Halliday 23 0 1 0 24 0
OR John Harper 2 0 0 0 2 0
DF
Jimmy McLean
 1 0 0 0 1 0
IL
Johnny McMillan
 32 14 4 2 36 16
HB
Jimmy Millar
 24 0 4 0 28 0
FW Everitt Moore 3 0 0 0 3 0
OR John Murphy 1 0 0 0 1 0
CH Peter O'Rourke 25 1 4 0 29 1
IR Ben Prosser 15 1 4 4 19 5
HB
George Robinson
 34 2 3 1 37 3
GK Arthur Seymour 34 0 4 0 38 0
RB Willie Wilson 30 0 3 0 33 0

Transfers

Source: Frost[17]

In

Date Pos Name From Fee
May 1903 CF Jack Forrest Stoke
May 1903 IL
Johnny McMillan
 Small Heath
May 1903 IR Ben Prosser Stoke
June 1903 OR Richard Guy Manchester City
June 1903 FB Fred Halliday Bolton Wanderers
June 1903 HB
Jimmy Millar
 Middlesbrough
June 1903 FW Everitt Moore Rawdon
June 1903 HB
George Robinson
 Nottingham Forest
July 1903 FW John Beckram Sheffield United
July 1903 DF
Sam Bright
 Sheffield United
July 1903 FB Tony Carter Sunderland
July 1903 HB Thomas Farnall Watford
July 1903 GK Arthur Seymour Barnsley
August 1903 FW John Graham Newcastle United
August 1903 CH Peter O'Rourke Chesterfield
August 1903 RB Willie Wilson Newcastle United
October 1903 CF Thomas Drain Maybole
January 1904 OR John Harper Maybole
January 1904 OR John Murphy Stoke
April 1904 DF
Jimmy McLean
 Clachnacuddin

Out

Date Pos Name From Fee
May 1904 OR Richard Guy Leeds City
1904 DF
Sam Bright
 Released
1904 OR John Harper Released
1904 FW Everitt Moore Released
1904 OR John Murphy Released
1904 IR Ben Prosser Released
1904 GK Arthur Seymour Released

See also

References

  1. ^ Frost 1988, p. 9
  2. ^ Frost 1988, p. 11
  3. ^ a b c d e f Frost 1988, p. 13
  4. ^ a b Butler 1987, p. 50
  5. ^ Frost 1988, p. 12
  6. ^ "In the beginning". Bradford City A.F.C. Archived from the original on 18 October 2010. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
  7. ^ a b c d Frost 1988, p. 54
  8. ^ a b Frost 1988, p. 65
  9. ^ a b c d Frost 1988, p. 14
  10. ^ "Special guest to attend Oxford fixture". Bradford City A.F.C. 30 October 2010. Archived from the original on 30 October 2010. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
  11. ^ Frost 1988, p. 124
  12. ^ Frost 1988, p. 149
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Frost 1988, p. 170
  14. ^ a b c Bradford City v Gainsborough Trinity (1903). British Film Institute (Mitchell & Kenyon Collection). 5 September 1903. Archived from the original on 14 November 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2010.
  15. ^ Dewhirst 1998, p. [chapter] 1
  16. ^ Frost 1988, p. 62
  17. ^ a b c Frost 1988, pp. 391–410
  18. ^ a b c Frost 1988, p. 171
  19. ^ "1903–04 Football League". fchd.info. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
Bibliography
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