The 1923–24 season was the 23rd season of competitive football played by Cardiff City F.C. and the team's third consecutive season in the First Division of the Football League. Cardiff had been promoted to the First Division in the 1920–21 season after finishing as runners-up in the Second Division.
Cardiff played a much improved campaign from the previous season and led the First Division for the majority of the season. A poor run of form in March resulted in the team dropping to fourth position but they recovered to again lead the division prior to the final game of the season. Needing a win to claim the First Division title, Cardiff could only achieve a draw against Birmingham allowing Huddersfield Town to move into first place and win the championship on goal average. The margin of victory, 0.024 of a goal, remains the narrowest title win in the history of the top tier in English football and was the first time the championship had ever been decided by the method. In cup competitions, the side were eliminated in the fourth round of both the FA Cup and Welsh Cup by Manchester City and Newport County respectively. In the Welsh Cup, Cardiff and Newport required four matches to decide a winner of the tie.
Jimmy Nelson made 53 appearances in all competitions, the most of any Cardiff player. He missed a single senior match during the season, a Welsh Cup tie against Newport County. Cardiff used 24 players during the campaign. Len Davies finished the campaign as the club's top goalscorer for the fourth consecutive season, netting 24 goals in all competitions.
Background and preseason
Cardiff City had entered the Football League in 1920, winning promotion from the Second Division in its first attempt after finishing as runners-up. The team had adapted well to the top tier of English football finishing in fourth place during the 1921–22 season and expectations ahead of the 1922–23 season had been high with The Times describing the team as being considered "as good a team as any in the First Division of the League". However, despite being the highest scoring team in the First Division, Cardiff endured a disappointing campaign and eventually finished in ninth position.
Manager Fred Stewart remained in charge for his ninth season of competitive football. Confidence in the existing squad from Stewart and the club's board meant there was little transfer activity ahead of the new season. In a board meeting prior to the campaign a director of Cardiff was quoted as declaring the club were "envied by nearly all the other League clubs" in regards to the players contracted to the club. The decision to rely on the existing squad was described as "thoroughly justified" during the early stages of the campaign. The club's squad was regarded as largely youthful with only four players over the age of 30. Stewart continued his tradition of sourcing players from the North of England by signing forward Alfie Hagan and winghalf Harry Wake from Newcastle United's reserve side and goalkeeper William Robb from Wallsend Boys Club. The only significant departure saw club captain Charlie Brittain leave after deciding to retire from football having lost his place in the side to Jimmy Nelson. Jimmy Blair was appointed as the new club captain with Fred Keenor as vice-captain.
The club's board were forced to postpone plans for the redevelopment of Ninian Park prior to the season due to the rising costs of installing dressing rooms and offices in one stand. They instead chose to focus on improving the playing conditions of the pitch which had begun to deteriorate.
First Division
Cardiff began their season with a home tie against FA Cup holders Bolton Wanderers. A brace from Jimmy Gill and one from Joe Clennell helped the side to an opening day victory with the match finishing 3–2 with Bolton's David Jack scoring twice. A 2–1 victory over Sunderland in the following match left Cardiff as one of only five unbeaten teams in the First Division after two matches. Cardiff met Bolton in the reverse fixture on 1 September in the team's first away match of the season. Bolton took a 2–0 lead before Len Davies scored his first goal of the season with ten minutes remaining. Cardiff were awarded a penalty soon after but Herbie Evans' effort was saved by Bolton goalkeeper Dick Pym. Cardiff eventually equalised when Billy Hardy converted from a corner to end the match with a 2–2 draw. A 3–0 victory over Sunderland placed Cardiff top of the table after four matches and the team's performance garnered praise from manager Fred Stewart who declared the match "the greatest game I have ever witnessed and I have never seen our lads play such wonderful football." The side went on to lose the top position on goal average following a goalless draw with West Ham United.
In the reverse fixture against West Ham, Cardiff returned to the top of the table with a 1–0 win. The side met Newcastle United, a side who had also enjoyed a strong start to the season, on 22 September. Newcastle took a first half lead but were reduced to ten men due to injury soon after. Despite the extra man advantage, Cardiff could only manage an equalising goal through Len Davies in the second half. Davies scored for the third consecutive match to give his team a 1–0 win over Newcastle at Ninian Park a week later. Notts County's defeat against local rivals Nottingham Forest left Cardiff as the only undefeated team remaining in the First Division after eight matches, with The Times describing the team as playing "bright, thrustful football that brings goals". The side continued their unbeaten run for three further matches, recording a win and a draw over Chelsea and a 1–1 draw with Preston North End before losing their first match of the season in a 3–1 defeat to Preston on 27 October. Preston, who were yet to win a match before the fixture, took an early three goal lead with all of the side's goals being scored in the space of 13 minutes. Cardiff scored a consolation goal in the second half through Len Davies, his sixth goal in seven matches. Cardiff were the last team in all three divisions of the Football League to lose a match.
Having surrendered first place to Huddersfield Town, Cardiff retook the position by defeating West Bromwich Albion with a brace from Gill and one from Herbie Evans. In the reverse fixture against West Brom a week later, Len Davies became the first Cardiff player to score four goals in a Football League match when he scored all of his side's goals in a 4–2 victory. Back-to-back fixtures against Manchester City yielded consecutive 1–1 draws. In the first tie, Cardiff were deemed lucky to have gained a point with The Times stating, "the balance of play was all against them". Billy Grimshaw had given Cardiff the lead with a "speculative" long shot with Manchester City equalising in the final 15 minutes. In the second tie, Scottish forward Denis Lawson made his debut having signed from St Mirren although he was described as not playing "a very distinguished game". The arrival of Lawson ultimately led to the departure of Grimshaw after the club received an offer of £4,000 from fellow First Division side Sunderland. Grimshaw had made over 45 appearances in the previous two seasons and had been ever present prior to Lawson's signing but the chance to recoup a significant transfer fee proved too tempting for the club's board.
Consecutive victories over Nottingham Forest in early December, 1–0 at Ninian Park and 4–1 away from home, enhanced Cardiff's lead in the table. However, the form of rivals Aston Villa, Huddersfield Town and Everton meant that Cardiff were unable to extend their lead by more than two points. An eagerly anticipated fixture against reigning First Division champions Liverpool followed and was regarded as a major test of the Cardiff team although they were expected to at least "hold their own". Cardiff eventually claimed a comfortable 2–0 victory following goals from Clennell and Gill. The Football Echo was glowing in its praise of the side, writing Liverpool had lost through no error of their own but simply "met a team that was better balanced, more capable in combination and more expert in ball control". Seven days later, the scoreline was repeated in the reverse fixture at Ninian Park with Len Davies scoring both goals. Cardiff and Sheffield United met in back-to-back fixtures on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. After drawing 1–1 in the first tie, Cardiff recorded a 3–1 victory in the second, leaving them with a four-point lead over Bolton. In the final match of the calendar year, the team suffered their first defeat for more than two months when they lost 2–1 to Aston Villa in front of a crowd of more than 50,000. After falling behind, Len Davies equalised for Cardiff before captain Blair scored an own goal to hand the opposition victory.
A goal from Clennell was enough to beat Middlesbrough on New Year's Day but the return fixture against Aston Villa again ended in defeat for Cardiff as they were beaten 2–0. On 19 January, Cardiff met Arsenal in a match that was severely affected by strong winds and rain. Against the run of play, Cardiff took the lead through Len Davies but Arsenal were able to equalise soon after. A late attack saw Clennell score the winning goal although later reports suggest that he had been in an offside position. In the reverse fixtures a week later, Cardiff dominated the match and a hat-trick for Gill and a single goal for Len Davies resulted in a 4–0 victory. Cardiff's participation in the FA Cup and Welsh Cup restricted the amount of league fixtures played in February, with the side playing only two matches during the month. After defeating Blackburn Rovers 2–0 at Ninian Park following goals from Gill and Hardy, the side drew 1–1 with Tottenham Hotspur on 16 February. The start of March saw a severe dip in the side's form as injuries to key players Len Davies and Herbie Evans weakened the squad. A defeat to title rivals Huddersfield Town on 1 March reduced Cardiff's lead to a single point. International call-ups further affected the squad in the following match as five first team players were absent for a 2–0 defeat to Notts County, goalkeeper Tom Farquharson along with Keenor, Herbie Evans and Len Davies with Clennell injured. The side's poor run of form continued as they suffered further defeats to Blackburn and Notts County to record four consecutive losses and dropped to fourth position in the table.
Results briefly improved at the end of March with two consecutive goalless draws against Everton that left Cardiff four points behind leaders Sunderland with two games in hand. The side recorded their first victory since mid-February on 7 April, defeating Tottenham 2–1. The win prompted a much improved run of form with Cardiff winning four of the following five matches, recording victories over Burnley (twice), Middlesbrough and Birmingham and a draw with title rivals Huddersfield to accumulate 12 of a possible 14 points in April. The match against Huddersfield was a nervy encounter with The Guardian stating, "the importance of the occasion overcame the forwards when they got within shooting range". The Western Mail described the match as "probably the most momentous league match every to be played at Ninian Park". The results returned Cardiff to first position with one game to play, leading Huddersfield by a single point, with their rivals retaining two games in hand which they were unable to win.