Chapter 5: For Club and Country

The Origins of Bradford City

By David Pendleton

Chapter Five: For Club and Country

1889-90

Manningham opened the new season with victory at Leeds Parish Church. However, with many raw recruits in the side results were patchy as the newcomers found their feet.

The growing popularity of rugby was illustrated by a new innovation by the Bradford Daily Telegraph. For several years they had been printing a late ‘football edition’ on a Saturday evening which contained all the days scores. However, often frustrated fans bought the paper only to discover it was an earlier edition which didn’t contain the sought after results. From Saturday 14 September 1889, the Telegraph’s football edition was printed on pink paper in order to make it immediately recognisable.

Defeat at the hands of Leeds St John’s at Valley Parade on 5 October caused the Bradford Daily Telegraph to lament: ‘the [winning] Leeds try was got whilst nearly all of the Manningham men were standing still appealing. This affords another instance of the folly of "waiting for the whistle."’

A fortnight later Manningham at last gave their fans something to cheer when they defeated Manchester Rangers. Before the game rumours were rife that one of Bradford’s star players - Yorkshire captain Fred Bosner - had transferred to Manningham. There were great cheers when Bosner ran out in the claret and amber jersey. His presence inspired Manningham to victory, but it transpired that the transfer was ‘the inventive genius of an irresponsible news vendor’. Bosner had not been picked for Bradford that afternoon and knowing Manningham were suffering from injuries, he offered his services for the afternoon.

Valley Parade hosted a Yorkshire Colts v Cumberland game on 21 October, in which Manningham’s I Newton and Harrison represented their county. November saw an upturn in Manningham’s fortunes, consecutive away wins at Huddersfield and Castleford - the latter game Manningham were minus captain Eddie Holmes who was representing Yorkshire against Northumberland. A draw at Leigh was followed by a home victory over Castleford. The Valley Parade pitch was protected from the frosts by oat husks allowing the game to go ahead. The following week the run came to an end at Brighouse. Four players were absent due to dense fog in Bradford and the team arrived late at Brighouse due to delays on the railway. Just before Christmas Eddie Holmes gained further representative honours when he played for the North v South at Manchester. Manningham did the double over Huddersfield on 4 January 1890, despite once again being without Holmes who was playing for Yorkshire.

On 22 February Holmes was picked to play for Yorkshire against England at Bradford Park Avenue. Astonishingly Yorkshire won and after the game the English Rugby Union Committee, meeting at the Alexandra Hotel on Great Horton Road, selected Manningham’s Eddie Holmes and three Bradford players to play for England against Scotland the following Saturday.

On 1st March 1890 Eddie Holmes won his first England cap and helped the side defeat Scotland at Edinburgh. In his absence Manningham crashed out of the Yorkshire Cup at the first hurdle. In the dying minutes of the cup tie at Batley, Manningham’s Fawcett had the opportunity to win the game. His attempted drop goal hit the crossbar and bounced back into play. Manningham’s luck was out and so was their interest in the Cup for another year.

The season petered out. Though Holmes again played for England against Ireland at Blackheath on 15 March. A mixed season ended in defeat at Wigan on 19 April.

The clubs annual meeting took place on 16 May at Drummond Road School – of course the site of their former Carlisle Road home. Chairman William Lister said ‘financially we have had a most successful season, and if we had not won as many games as before the play had been worthy of praise’. Of 38 games played, 19 had ended in victory, 2 drawn and 17 lost. On the financial front £280 had been paid off the debts owed after the building of Valley Parade - £500 remained outstanding.

One happy note was that - at a celebration dinner held at the Griffin Hotel, Leeds - Eddie Holmes was, along with his Yorkshire colleagues, presented with a specially struck medal to commemorate their remarkable victory over England.

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 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)

Chapter Thirteen: Dark Clouds Gather (1897-98)