Chapter 17: Breakaway Threatens The Future (1901-02)

The Origins of Bradford City

By David Pendleton

Chapter 17: Breakaway Threatens the Future

1901-02

In the summer of 1901 the top teams of Yorkshire and Lancashire broke away to form the Northern Rugby League. Manningham were cast adrift in the Yorkshire Senior Competition. Bereft of matches against Bradford, Huddersfield and Halifax there was little doubt that they would struggle financially.

The staging of ‘Savage South Africa’, though welcome from a financial point of view, had wrecked the Valley Parade pitch. Secretary S Naylor, who apparently had gained considerable experience grass raising in Canada, was given a free reign to improve the pitch. 100 tons of fresh earth and 80 cwt of bone meal was poured onto the field. It was thoroughly levelled and special seed from a supplier in Basingstoke sown. All for the princely sum of £22!

The pitch was in constant use. Manningham trained on Tuesday and Thursdays, while their new tenants, Bradford & District Football League Champions Girlington, practiced on Monday and Wednesdays. The rise of football was being watched with great interest and the staging of Girlington’s matches was seen as the precursor to a possible professional team in the city. Bolton Wanderers met a Bradford & District side at Valley Parade on Monday 4 September 1901. The Bradford side gave a good account of itself and were level at halftime. However, the 600 fans hoping for a home victory were disappointed when the physically stronger Wanderers side prevailed in the second period to run out 3-1 winners.

Manningham paraded seven new faces in their opening game at home to Heckmondwike. The capture of Bradford’s Bob Wood caused particular excitement and optimism ran rife following an 8-0 victory. The following Saturday saw Girlington’s first home game at Valley Parade. While Manningham were losing narrowly at Wakefield, Girlington thrashed Belgrave 7-0. Manningham’s fixture cards, emblazoned with the clubs claret and amber colours and the civic coat of arms, had room for fans to record both Manningham’s and Girlington’s results.

However, rugby was still the big draw. St George’s Hall based company Edison’s even took ‘animated pictures’ of Manningham’s 9-5 victory over Bramley at Valley Parade. The pictures were shown at St George’s the following week to an enthralled audience.

Despite the clubs precarious financial position, plans were advanced for a pavilion at the Kop End of the ground. Housing dressing rooms and a refreshment bar, they were to be flanked by bowling greens and lawn tennis courts. Though the plans were seen to have merit, the committee had no definite plans to proceed in the near future.

With Manningham at the ‘Inland Port’, Goole to you and me, Girlington were facing Airedale in what the papers billed as the clash of the ‘socker giants of Bradford’. In a 2-2 draw Airedale’s Bowler suffered a broken leg following a collision with Girlington defender Hubbert. During a lengthy wait for an ambulance there was an impromptu whip round for the unfortunate player. The delay was also used to send for a replacement who fortunately worked nearby!

Manningham’s early promise came to fruition when they went top of the league after victory at Dewsbury on 19 October. However, their joy was short lived as they were deducted two points and fined one guinea for a breach of professionalism rules during the transfer of Gellings from Keighley. Despite the deduction hopes were still sky high. Two lengthy excursion trains conveyed over 500 fans to the top of the table encounter with York. Manningham endured lengthy spells of pressure to win 4-2.

With York pegged back, the visit of high-flying Leeds to Valley Parade attracted over 7,000 fans. Unfortunately, the visitors were superior in every department and only heroic defending kept the score down in a 10-14 defeat. In January a 2-5 defeat at Headingley all but handed the title to Leeds. With the title gone Manningham’s form slumped alarmingly. On a frosty February day only eleven players turned up at the station prior to the trip to Castleford. Apparently the missing players assumed the game would be called off. Manningham took to the field four players short, in desperation they had even asked two of the Bradford press pack whether they would like to make up the numbers! In the event it was damage limitation and they did well to keep the score down to 14-0.

A full compliment travelled the short distance to the derby match at Keighley the following week. A packed crowd witnessed a thrilling game in which six players were dismissed for fighting. Keighley won 10-0 but the repercussions were to be serious for both sides. Suspensions meant that all the players missed their teams first round games in the Rugby League Cup. Dawson of Keighley and Manningham’s Gill who were seen to be the major culprits were suspended for a month, effectively ending their seasons.

Manningham fell at the first hurdle in the Rugby League Cup, losing 3-10 at Dewsbury. On April Fools Day the Bradford Charity Cup saw a 6,000 crowd raise £140 to witness Bradford win 17-4 at Valley Parade. Manningham president Alfred Ayrton ran the line during the game! The clubs regular season finished with two meaningless victories over Holbeck and Bramley.

In recognition of the growing popularity of football, the Mayor of Bradford, W C Lupton, instigated a charity match between Girlington and a Bradford & District side at Valley Parade. The game, played on 28 April, was Girlington’s last, as the Red Lion based side folded in the summer. Though they had won the Bradford & District Cup, they had finished a disappointing third in the League. For the time being at least, the football experiment at Valley Parade appeared to have failed.

Manningham’s annual meeting was a sombre affair. Alfred Ayrton told the gathering that it was “impossible to carry on good football unless there was a sufficiency of support from the public”. The club had made a loss of £202 6s 9d on the season. Gate receipts were down £588 on the previous campaign. Members subscriptions were down by £86.

A huge effort had been made to lower overheads. £241 had been saved. Everything from travelling expenses to postage had been slashed. Secretary S Naylor said starkly “if they [the finances] did not alter the club could not go on”. The formation of the Northern Rugby League and the subsequent loss of money spinning fixtures had hit the finances hard and put the entire future of the club in serious doubt.

Chapter One: Genesis (1872-80)

Chapter Two: Carlisle Road (1880-86)

Chapter Three: Valley Parade's first season (1886-87)

Chapter Four: Death On The Midland Road (1887-9)

Chapter Five: For Club and Country (1889-90)

Chapter Six: Trouble At The Mill (1890-91)

Chapter Seven: Football Begins to Cast Its Shadow (1891-92)

Chapter Eight: Semi-Finalists and League Pioneers (1892-93)

Chapter Nine: Champions! (1893-94)

Chapter Ten: The Last Season of Rugby Union (1894-95)

Chapter Eleven: Champions of the Rugby League (1895-96)

Chapter Twelve: Death of a Hero (1896-97)