Works Football Teams

Someone on another forum I follow has asked for information about the histories of the Dunlop, Morris, Rover and Courtaulds football teams in Coventry. Can anyone help us?

Not my area I'm afraid, but year books for the businesses might help. I've got some for Bushill's and it has sections for sports, but of football there is very little detail. It mentions Coventry & District League 2 and 3. The yearbooks are for 1930-37.

A quick look at the newspaper files focusing on Morris gave a couple of reports in the '30's naming some officials No doubt reports of AGM's of the other clubs might give a lead in.

Hi belushi The majority of Coventry factories had their own football teams and their own grounds. There was actually a Works League that played on a Saturday afternoon. Used to look forwards to playing at Morris Engines, I always thought that theirs was by far the best pitch. Probably the biggest works club was Massey Ferguson who ran 3 or 4 teams in their hey day. I think the furthest that we travelled was to Automotive Products in Leamington. Just remembered on this, Standard Triumph was really big too, they also had rugby pitches and teams.

Hi Mick I lived over the road from the Daimler, later Jaguar Daimler, Social Club. Next to the club was a football/cricket pitch where I watched my first adult sport in the early 1960s - I'm a couple of years younger than you. There was also a pavilion next to the pitches. My dad was a cricket umpire, and I would sometimes, aged 9 or 10, help out the scorer. Occasionally one team would have a player who was a squad member for Warwickshire, and I would think I was in the presence of cricket royalty!

Thanks to MR for this information "Goalkeeper Reg Matthews Played for Coventry schools and was signed by his local club, Coventry City FC when he was just fourteen years old, becoming part of the club's groundstaff at Highfield Road. He was turning out for the club's nursery side, Modern Machine Tools FC, eventually signing professional forms in May 1950." I didn't know that CCFC had a "nursery" side ran by a factory. Was this also a works football team or were Modern Machine Tools just sponsors?

I don't personally know the answer to that, Mick. I know Harry Weston was involved. To me, it was always City's "nursery team", with players like Lol Harvey, Frank Austin and Gordon Nutt also coming through to play for The Bantams.

Extracted from Harry Weston's biography. 'We had a football club. The lads in the team were from schoolboy football and they developed into a most able team. Mr Barratt, who was the coach for Coventry City F.C., was invited to see a trial game played by my boys on the Coventry Chain ground in Tile Hill Lane. He was so impressed with the boys he asked if he could take on the job of training them. The boys who were just turned 14 and had just begun their careers in engineering turned out to be a highly successful team. Within a few years, eight were playing in first division football, including Reg Matthews who was sold to Chelsea for the then record sum of £20,000 by Coventry City.' I would recommend Harry Weston's biography, it was compiled by his daughter Paddy and is a good insight into the life of a Coventry man. I had a look but cannot find a copy under £20.

I wonder who the other seven were? Perhaps it should have read "eight were playing in league football".

Hi belushi, seems that you may have been right about the wording. Below is taken from Jim Brown's Journal, it gives some of the players names you may be wondering about. One who did make it was a Jimmy Hill in 1949. "Three weeks ago I wrote about Coventry City's nursery club in 1940s, Modern Machine Tools and how many of the teenagers who played for that team progressed to playing league football with City. I had an email from John Green. "Thanks for a great article on Modern Machine Tools team last Saturday. In the early days they played in the Coventry Minor League and their home games were played at Spencer Park. I was a goalkeeper and played on a couple of occasions as a stand-in for the injured Reg Matthews. Names I recall from those occasions, Albert Sneddon, John Quinney, Billy Gray, Jimmy and Peter Hill. I had signed for the club on a Sunday evening when Charlie Elliot, who was the chief scout, visited my home following a trial that morning at Highfield Road. A successful Cheylesmore Youth Club team who played in the Youth Club League were invited to play against the Modern Machine team and as goalkeeper I was monitored and coached through the game by Billy Morgan, who had been first team keeper before the war. I went on to play in the City 'A' Team but my father wanted me to finish my apprenticeship and so ended my time at Coventry City."

So far, we've got the following who played first team football for the Bantams: Reg Matthews, Lol Harvey, Frank Austin, Gordon Nutt, Jimmy Hill, Peter Hill. I saw them all!!!

"Sunday evening when Charlie Elliot, who was the chief scout," Cut and pasted from above. Would this have been Joe's dad? Not really in this topic, but, how did they get the nickname of the Bantams?

Mick, I was at Woodlands 1954 until 1958 having spent my first secondary year at the Coventry Technical School. If you look at post 18 of 58 in the Woodlands School thread you will see photos of Woodlands soccer teams between 1956 and 1958. I know that the following team members went on to play works football, Bob Bates, Colin Turnbull, Graham Heggie and Brian Lever, they were all good cricketers too. I wonder if you came across any of them during your playing days. I joined the Royal Navy immediately on leaving school and played in many ships teams.

Hi Ken I remember Colin Turnbull (Trumble) very well. Played for Canley Club in the early 70, he was first team captain. He was also captain of Green Lane Wanderers in the Sunday League. Both teams were managed by Johnny Shaw. Colin was fearless!!!!!!!!

Hi Mick, Charlie Elliott had an interesting life, but I don't think he fathered Joe!