1903–04 Bradford City A.F.C. season

December 2021 Bradford City 1903–04 Robert Campbell Alfred Ayrton Valley Parade Football League Second Division 10th FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round Johnny McMillan (14) Johnny McMillan (16) c. 16,000 (v Bristol City, 19 September 1903) c. 3,000 (v Leicester Fosse, 19 December 1903) _goldstripes _goldstripes_thin _goldstripes 8b0000 8b0000 8b0000 ffffff 8b0000 _gold_hoops2 _goldhoops _gold_hoops2 8b0000 8b0000 8b0000 ffffff 8b0000 early games 1904–05 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 rugby league club of Manningham, whose Valley Parade ground they used. The club had already signed six players before they were accepted into the league before the rest of the side were later signed by a five-man committee. The board directors appointed Robert Campbell as the club's first manager. Bradford City's first game ended in a 2–0 defeat at Grimsby Town and the first home game resulted in another loss to Gainsborough Trinity. Club captain Johnny McMillan finished the top goalscorer with 14 league and two FA Cup goals. Background 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,Frost 1988 9 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 footballFrost 1988 11 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.Frost 1988 13 The League voted in favour of replacing Doncaster Rovers, who had finished the 1902–03 season in 16th position in the Second Division,Butler 1987 50 with Bradford City even though Bradford had yet to play a single game. Review right|thumb|250px|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 Jack Forrest and Ben Prosser from Stoke on 1 May. These were followed by four more players joining the club; Sam Bright, George Robinson, Peter O'Rourke and Jimmy Millar.Frost 1988 12 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. Money was raised to fund the club, including at least £2,000 from sponsors, a balance of £500 from Manningham FC and proceeds from a summer archery tournament.http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/History/0,,10266~91540,00.html In the beginning 2010-09-30 Bradford City A.F.C. https://web.archive.org/web/20101018180520/http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/History/0%2C%2C10266~91540%2C00.html 18 October 2010 dead Bradford City also took over Manningham's Valley Parade ground for their home fixtures.Frost 1988 54 The four-strong party which visited London, 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.Frost 1988 65 Campbell's role was to coach the players, helped by trainer George Cutts.Frost 1988 14 Ayrton, who had been president of Manningham FC, became the club's first chairman.http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/News/0,,10266~2197547,00.html Special guest to attend Oxford fixture 30 October 2010 2010-11-01 Bradford City A.F.C. https://web.archive.org/web/20101030133836/http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/News/0%2C%2C10266~2197547%2C00.html 30 October 2010 dead Bradford played no recorded pre-season friendlies. Instead, Campbell and Cutts, decided on the first selection for the opening game of the season with Grimsby Town by playing a series of Whites v Stripes games between professionals already signed by the club and amateur players. The first squad was signed at a cost of £917 10s 0d, with the players choosing Johnny McMillan as their own captain. Millar, a defender signed from Middlesbrough, was chosen as vice-captain.Frost 1988 124 September Bradford City's first league game was at Blundell Park against Grimsby Town on 1 September 1903, on a sunny Tuesday evening in front of 10,000 fans. The pioneering team consisted of Arthur Seymour in goal, defenders Willie Wilson, Fred Halliday, George Robinson, Jimmy Millar and Thomas Farnall with Richard Guy, John Beckram, Jack Forrest, Johnny McMillan and John Graham in attack. Graham, Beckram and Guy all came close to giving City an opening day lead, but Grimsby scored through Archie Dunn. After City were reduced to ten men because of an injury to Guy, Fred Rouse doubled Grimsby's lead in the second half; Grimsby finished the victors 2–0.Frost 1988 149 Four days later, City hosted their first home at Valley Parade against Gainsborough Trinity. The game attracted 11,000 spectators even though there was no covered accommodation for fans. Among the spectators was Bradford's Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jSysWQ1ttI https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/2jSysWQ1ttI 2021-11-14 live 5 September 1903 Bradford City v Gainsborough Trinity (1903) British Film Institute (Mitchell & Kenyon Collection) 9 October 2010 City lost 3–1 with Guy scoring the club's first ever league goal, but they also had a goal disallowed and missed a penalty. The Bradford Daily Argus reported that the goal was "greeted with a shout which awoke babies on the distant hillsides of Bolton and Eccleshill.Dewhirst 1998 [chapter] 1 The match highlights were shown in Bradford's St George's Hall later in the same evening. 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. McMillan scored in each game, with Forrest also scoring against Burton. They finished the month with a 3–1 loss at Manchester United. 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. 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.Frost 1988 62 The club also made their first signing since the start of the season, bringing in forward Thomas Drain from Scottish side Maybole. 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. 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. 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. 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. City finished 10th at the end of the first season recording 31 points from 34 games. Team captain McMillan finished as the club's top scorer with 14 goals. He played 32 games, with goalkeeper Seymour, half-back Robinson and forward Graham all being ever-presents. 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. Following the end of the season, the club released six players and also sold Guy to Leeds City. Match results Legend WinDrawLoss Football League Second Division 1903–04 Football League Second Division Source: FrostFrost 1988 170 +GameDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceAttendance A aGoalscorers11 September 1903Grimsby TownAway0–210,00025 September 1903Gainsborough TrinityHome1–311,000Guy312 September 1903Burton UnitedAway2–03,000Forrest, McMillan419 September 1903Bristol CityHome1–016,000McMillan526 September 1903Manchester UnitedAway1–330,000McMillan610 October 1903Burslem Port ValeAway2–5Unknown B aGraham, Prosser724 October 1903BarnsleyHome3–112,000Drain, Graham, McMillan821 November 1903Bolton WanderersHome3–37,000Drain (3)928 November 1903BurnleyAway2–31,000Drain, McMillan105 December 1903Preston North EndHome1–113,000McMillan1112 December 1903Stockport CountyHome0–06,0001219 December 1903Leicester FosseHome4–03,000McMillan (3), own goal1325 December 1903Woolwich ArsenalAway1–420,000McMillan1426 December 1903BlackpoolAway1–0Unknown B bForrest1528 December 1903Burslem Port ValeHome1–113,000McMillan162 January 1904Gainsborough TrinityAway0–33,000179 January 1904Burton UnitedHome3–012,000Drain, Forrest, McMillan1816 January 1904Bristol CityAway1–17,000Farnall1923 January 1904Manchester UnitedHome3–312,000Beckram, Forrest, O'Rourke206 February 1904GlossopHome2–15,000Beckram, Robinson2120 February 1904BarnsleyAway2–15,000Beckram, Drain2227 February 1904Lincoln CityHome2–17,000Drain, Robinson231 March 1904GlossopAway0–2Unknown B c245 March 1904Stockport CountyAway0–24,0002512 March 1904ChesterfieldHome2–610,000Drain, Forrest2626 March 1904BurnleyHome3–010,000Beckram, Graham (2)271 April 1904Lincoln CityAway0–1Unknown B d282 April 1904Preston North EndAway0–45,000294 April 1904ChesterfieldAway1–13,000Graham309 April 1904Grimsby TownHome1–010,000McMillan3111 April 1904Bolton WanderersAway0–110,0003216 April 1904Leicester FosseAway2–14,000Graham, McMillan3319 April 1904Woolwich ArsenalHome0–315,0003423 April 1904BlackpoolHome0–27,000 FA Cup 1903–04 FA Cup Source:Frost +RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceAttendance A bGoalscorers1Q3 October 1903Rockingham CollieryHome6–18,000Forrest, Graham, Guy, McMillan, Prosser, Robinson (pen)2Q17 October 1903Mirfield UnitedHome3–15,000McMillan, Prosser (2)3Q31 October 1903Worksop TownHome5–05,000Beckram (2), Farnall, Forrest, Prosser4Q14 November 1903ChesterfieldAway1–26,000Drain A. Attendance A aAttendance A b All attendances are approximate. B. Unknown B aUnknown B bUnknown B cUnknown B d Attendance is unknown. League table 1903–04 Football League#Second Division Second Division y BRA Player details Source: FrostFrost 1988 171 Pos.NameLeagueFA CupTotalAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsFWJohn Beckram23412246DFSam Bright600060FBTony Carter7040110CFThomas Drain229112310HBThomas Farnall25111272CFJack Forrest27532307FWJohn Graham34641387ORRichard Guy613192FBFred Halliday23010240ORJohn Harper200020DFJimmy McLean100010ILJohnny McMillan3214423616HBJimmy Millar24040280FWEveritt Moore300030ORJohn Murphy100010CHPeter O'Rourke25140291IRBen Prosser15144195HBGeorge Robinson34231373GKArthur Seymour34040380RBWillie Wilson30030330 Transfers Source: FrostFrost 1988 391–410 In DatePosNameFromFeeMay 1903CFJack ForrestStokeMay 1903ILJohnny McMillanSmall HeathMay 1903IRBen ProsserStokeJune 1903ORRichard GuyManchester CityJune 1903FBFred HallidayBolton WanderersJune 1903HBJimmy MillarMiddlesbroughJune 1903FWEveritt MooreRawdonJune 1903HBGeorge RobinsonNottingham ForestJuly 1903FWJohn BeckramSheffield UnitedJuly 1903DFSam BrightSheffield UnitedJuly 1903FBTony CarterSunderlandJuly 1903HBThomas FarnallWatfordJuly 1903GKArthur SeymourBarnsleyAugust 1903FWJohn GrahamNewcastle UnitedAugust 1903CHPeter O'RourkeChesterfieldAugust 1903RBWillie WilsonNewcastle UnitedOctober 1903CFThomas DrainMayboleJanuary 1904ORJohn HarperMayboleJanuary 1904ORJohn MurphyStokeApril 1904DFJimmy McLeanClachnacuddin Out DatePosNameFromFeeMay 1904ORRichard GuyLeeds City1904DFSam BrightReleased1904ORJohn HarperReleased1904FWEveritt MooreReleased1904ORJohn MurphyReleased1904IRBen ProsserReleased1904GKArthur SeymourReleased See also 1903–04 in English football References Bibliography The Football League 1888–1988 The Official Illustrated History Bryon Butler Macdonald Queen Anne Press 1987 0-356-15072-0 Dewhirst John City Memories – An Illustrated Record of Bradford City A.F.C. True North Books 1998 1-900463-57-1 Frost Terry Bradford City A Complete Record 1903–1988 Breedon Books Sport 1988 0-907969-38-0 Category:Bradford City A.F.C. seasons Bradford City A.F.C.