Nuneaton’s Footballing Heritage Nuneaton Town 1919-1937 Part 1 Contents Page No. Introduction ..................................................................................... 3 1919-1920 ........................................................................................ 5 1920-1921 ....................................................................................... 27 1921-1922 ....................................................................................... 54 1922-1923 ....................................................................................... 79 1923-1924 ..................................................................................... 105 1924-1925 ..................................................................................... 135 1925-1926 ..................................................................................... 156 1926-1927 ..................................................................................... 181 1927-1928 ..................................................................................... 204 1928-1929 ..................................................................................... 226 Acknowledgements ...................................................................... 254 Nuneaton Town 1919-1937 Part 1 Introduction Letter from The Birmingham League Nuneaton Town Football Club: Birmingham, March 28th, 1919. Ground Purchase Dear Sir, We are informed that there is every prospect of the directors I am in receipt of your letter of the 26th inst., and note that and committee of the Nuneaton Town F.C. obtaining a your Club is negotiating for a centrally situated ground which playing ground within a very short time. The club has an you intend to equip for football. I wish your venture every offer of purchase on three sites and the decision is to be success, and trust the public will heavily support your efforts taken at a special meeting of the management. It is felt to provide good class football, which can be witnessed under that a ground must be purchased, and not leased, as in comfortable conditions. I know your Club has made great previous years. Otherwise the same difficulty, of obtaining endeavours to provide better football in Nuneaton, and a playing space might crop up again in the future. A club of now that it has secured membership of this League, I feel the standing of Nuneaton ought to possess a ground of its certain the public will endorse the enterprise and provide own. But the scheme involves a big outlay, and in order to the necessary support to enable your Club to continue its fully equip and lay out a football arena the sum of between membership. I have carefully considered your request, and, £3,000 and £4,000 will be necessary. Now Nuneaton is in the in the circumstances, I am prepared, on behalf of the League, Birmingham and District League, it is necessary to have a to extend the time for notification of your continuance of first-class ground. membership or withdrawal until April 14th. The matter of finance has given much anxiety to the Yours faithfully A. W. Cooknell management and the directors feel that they would like some criterion of the amount of public support upon which Ground Purchase: March 1919 they can rely. It has, therefore, been decided to call up the The Directors of the Nuneaton Town Football Club have, I capital of the company, and any person desiring to take understand completed the purchase of Wash Lane Farm Estate. up shares or subscribe financially, are asked to acquaint the officials with their applications. It is hoped that Time is very short and the work of preparing the ground will supporters will subscribe their £1 as well as the have to be hurried on if it is to be ready for play next September. businessmen and tradespeople their large sums. Promises We are to have one of the best football grounds in the of financial support can be sent to the secretary, Mr W. A. Midlands and Nuneaton is, I venture to predict, going to be Thompson, Attleborough Road, Nuneaton or to “True Blue”, brought prominently to public notice. The club will be a good “Observer” Office. way of making Nuneaton known to the outside world. NUNEATON TOWN FOOTBALL CLUB, LIMITED Application for Shares will close on Monday Next. Cut this out, fill it up with full particulars, and enclose your remittance to the Nuneaton Observer Ltd, Bond Gate, Nuneaton. The “Observer” will then hand on your application and money to the secretary of the Company, or send to one of the Officials of the Company. NUNEATON TOWN FOOTBALL CLUB LIMITED APPLICATION FOR SHARES. Please allot me ……………. ten shilling shares in the Nuneaton Town Football Club Limited. Signed .......................................................................................................................................................................................... Address ........................................................................................................................................................................................ Date .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 3 Nuneaton’s Footballing Heritage Nuneaton Town 1919-1937 Part 1 Public Spirited Chairman of Directors New Ground Name We are informed by Mr. J. Moore, of Queen’s Road, Nuneaton, Now that alterations are being made to the Cock and Bear that he has purchased the estate at the back of the Cock site in order to equip the ground as a football arena for and Bear Hotel from the executors of Messrs. Turner, Son Nuneaton Town F.C., I should judge the moment opportune and Nephew, of Birmingham. His object is to secure the land for the Council to widen the canal bridge near the spot. 1 (consisting of about 24 /2 acres and farmhouse and buildings At present it is much too narrow for the amount of traffic known as the “Wash Lane Farm”) for the Town Football Club. which passes over it, and the fact of the Council School Mr Moore gives the option of the whole or part of the land for a being close by makes the bridge almost dangerous. Often time to the Nuneaton Town Football Club, Ltd. The price paid when I have been walking down the hill about noon I have for the estate is, we understand £4,000. been anxious for the safety of the little children running to and fro. I hope the Council will consider the matter. Mr Moore is the Chairman of the Directors of the Town Football club, Ltd. He has always taken a great interest in the Club, and The mention of the new football ground brings to my his desire to secure the land for the Club has induced him to mind a question which was asked some little time ago, take this step. vis. whether the Town Club could not find a better name for the ground than the “Cock and Bear”. Certainly It now remains for the public of Nuneaton to take up the the name is far from picturesque and the matter is necessary share capital in order to secure a permanent playing well worth the attention of the officials. Why not call ground for the town club. This excellent site ought to become it “Manor Park”? “After all, there’s a lot of dignity in a the property of the Club, and the Directors will, we trust, name,” wrote my correspondent when he introduced the resolve the necessary financial support. question. I am inclined to agree with him in this instance. The Club has already decided to continue in the Birmingham and District League, and if the ground is secured and prepared in time, some excellent football — attracting huge crowds to Nuneaton — ought to be witnessed. Preparations Being Hurried The number of shares taken up is not altogether satisfactory, It is good to know that the work is now proceeding at a and it has been decided to extend the time for applications. satisfactory pace. Fortunately the playing pitch itself will Applications may be sent to the “Observer” Office with require little attention. It is exceedingly level, and the remittances, and will be handed over to the Secretary, when turf excellent. In one or two places only will there have the directors will issue the necessary share certificates. to be a slight relaying, and this will be done as soon as possible. We understand that Mr Moore has promised to negotiate favourably with the Demobilised Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Permission will almost certainly be obtained to divert Association regarding the land they require and the farm for the footpath at present running from Manor Court Road the proposed Institute. to the canal. The path in future will pass into Varnum’s Lane. This alteration will completely enclose the football field, and make it private. A corrugated iron enclosure Football Club Shareholder’s Meeting has been created along the bottom end of the field, from the public house to the hedge. At the opposite end along On Monday evening a meeting of the shareholders of the the canal side covering stands are being erected. These Nuneaton Town F. C. was held at the Bull’s Head Hotel, will serve two purposes. They will conceal the view from Abbey Street. The business was entirely formal, a resolution the roadway and the canal side, and therefore enclose being passed to give powers to the directorate for borrowing the ground and will also accommodate several thousand purposes under the articles of association of the Company. spectators. It is proposed to build the stands on tier fashion so that all spectators can see. Supporters must not confuse these