Jack Fairbrother

11th January 1954 – 1st November 1954

Jack Fairbrother’s reign as Coventry City manager lasted just over nine months and at the time was one of the shortest in the club’s history. He took over from the inimitable Harry Storer in January 1954 and left the following October.

Born in Burton-on-Trent on 16 August 1917 Fairbrother became one of Newcastle’s outstanding goalkeepers of the post war era even though he didn’t make his full league debut until the age of 29 because of the war. He had joined Preston North End from Burton Town in 1937 but failed to win a first team place before the war. He became Preston’s first choice in 1941 and helped them to win the War Cup competition and the Football League North in his first season. He also won honours with the Football League and was unlucky not to be picked for England. At the end of hostilities he played one season for Preston in Division 1 before joining the then Second Division Newcastle in July 1947 for £6500. At the age of 30 he made his debut in a 6-1 home win over Plymouth on the opening day of the 1947-48 season and played 25 games in Newcastle’s Second Division championship side. He was first choice for four seasons making 144 league and cup appearances including the 1951 FA Cup final victory over Blackpool. Jack was a practical joker and sometimes wore white policeman’s gloves as a gimmick. He was also a great student of goalkeeping and his skill at the angles and positioning meant that he rarely had to dive around the area like many keepers of his era.

Early in the 1951-52 season he broke a collar-bone and lost his place to Ronnie Simpson, Simpson played so well that he retained his place and won an FA Cup winners medal that season. In the summer of 1952 Jack moved to non-league Peterborough United where as player-manager he laid the foundation for Posh’s later success which culminated in their entry to the Football League in 1960. In his two seasons in charge they won the scalps of league clubs Torquay and Aldershot in the FA Cup.

His objective at Coventry City was to restore past glories at Highfield Road after the club’s relegation in 1952. His stay at the club however was dogged with ill fortune. Within six weeks tragedy struck when his wife died after a fall in their home, leaving him widowed with two young children. On the field there was little to be done during the latter part of 1953-54 season. That summer he bought two veteran Nottingham Forest players, Tommy Capel and Colin Collindridge, and with a strong squad of players hopes were high for the new season. The team had a flying start winning six and drawing one of their first seven games to go top of the table but they failed to win any of the next five. When star striker Eddie Brown was sold to Birmingham for £9,000 Jack resigned in protest with rumours rife that the new chairman, Erle Shanks, had pulled the trigger.

He resurfaced in early 1955 as coach to the Israel national side before reappearing in the English game in the early 1960s as manager briefly of both Consett and Gateshead before rejoining Peterborough in 1962. The Posh were by then a Third Division side, and he brought them to Highfield Road at Christmas 1962 for a thrilling 3-3 draw. He left Peterborough in 1964 after failing to push for promotion that season. He retired to Lincolnshire where he died in October 1999.

Joined: 11th January 1954
First game: 16th January 1954 v Southend United, away, Third Division South, drew 2-2

Left: 1st November 1954
Last game: 30th October 1954 v Watford, home, Third Division South, won 3-2

36 games as manager

	Lge	Pl	W	D	L	F	A	Pts	Win %	Pos
1953-54	Div 3 S	19	9	2	8	28	23	20	47.3	14th
1954-55	Div 3 S	17	9	5	3	30	21	23	52.9	4th
Totals		36	18	7	11	58	44	43	50.0