After an upturn in the fortunes of Leeds City in 1910-11, manager Frank Scott-Walford went into a new season with some optimism. The only departure in the close season had been long-serving goalkeeper Harry Bromage who had moved to Doncaster after battling all through the previous season with Tony Hogg over the keeper's jersey. Leslie Murphy had been bought from Belfast Celtic to replace Bromage and wing-half Joe Moran was another import from Ireland's Shelbourne, joining his erstwhile colleagues, Mick Foley and Joe Enright, at Elland Road.

For the most part, the team that had served throughout the previous season continued unchanged in 1911-12. George Affleck, John Harkins, Tom Morris, Hugh Roberts, Billy McLeod, Joe Enright and Fred Croot all played more than 30 games in each season. Tom Mulholland played 35 games in 1911-12 after playing 20 of the last 22 games the previous year. Stan Cubberley and Alec Creighton provided further continuity between the two seasons.

Such stability after a relatively successful year should have been the foundation for further progress, but strangely this was not the case.

The lack of form which City had experienced throughout most of their short Football League history continued in what turned out to be the most traumatic year to date. The Yorkshire Post remained stern critics, typically saying of the 5-1 home defeat by Burnley, "Leeds City are going from bad to worse. Saturday's defeat was almost a rout … no excuses can be advanced … a vein of incompetence ran through the Leeds team from goalkeeper to centre forward. McLeod drifted back into slackness and mediocrity … though in justice to Gillespie it should be stated that he was the best forward in the City side."

Yet Billy Gillespie, who had been signed from Derry the previous season, was to play only one more match for Leeds. A swift, adroit forward, Gillespie was transferred mid season to Sheffield United where he prospered and won 25 caps for Northern Ireland in an international career that stretched from 1913 to 1931. City could ill afford to squander the talents of good players who had been found cheaply.

There were three players, McLeod, Mulholland and Enright, in double figures for goals, but the old weaknesses of poor away form and unreliable defence were again the problem. Leeds City started off badly and just got worse as the season wore on. They lost three of their first four games and by 16 December had won just 4 out of 17 games, the last five of which had been defeats, including three five goal hammerings. 10 points from those 17 games had made their position virtually unrecoverable.

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There were a few victories during December, January and February, but it was all a case of far too little far too late and a 7-2 defeat at Fulham on March 23 was a low point. However, it was a 2-1 defeat at Glossop on 24 February which was more damaging. City eventually finished 19th, below Glossop on goal average. A point from their final match of the season, away to Leicester Fosse, would have saved them, but a 2-1 defeat left them needing to apply for re-election to the League.

By March 1912, the club's finances were in such disarray that a receiver had to be called in. As it reflected on the bleak position, the Yorkshire Post was ready once more with unpalatable truths. "The crisis … which has been expected for some time, has now been reached. In a playing sense, the position of the club is deplorably low … the club's indebtedness to the chairman Norris Hepworth is £10,713; the club's total indebtedness £13,297." An appeal made at the start of the season for fresh capital had been largely ignored. Under the circumstances, Scott-Walford saw little future in staying and resigned.

The reverse at Leicester Fosse confirmed City's need to seek re-election. A meagre haul of 28 points from 38 games along with 78 goals conceded - the worst defensive record in the division - bode badly. But in May came fresh hope. Norris Hepworth promised to give the club all the financial backing it might need and also announced Herbert Chapman, the Northampton Town manager, as Scott-Walford's successor.

It was no surprise when Scott-Walford tendered his resignation after a total failure to inspire the sort of success the City directors had been hoping for when they brought him in four years previously. He never got the team into a top half finish and their FA Cup form was dismal throughout the period. He had come with a big reputation, but had little cash to spend due to City's financial difficulties and the investment in players from the Southern League and Ireland had not proven successful. It was largely the players that Scott-Walford had inherited who were the best performers, although Tom Morris and George Affleck had been notable successes.

Other Football Highlights from 1911-12

• Blackburn Rovers, five times Cup-winners in the 1880's and 90's, won their first League title, beating runners up Everton by three points. Their total of 49 points is the lowest since Division One was increased to 20 teams in 1905
• Barnsley played six goalless games in an extraordinary Cup campaign that saw them reach the final for the second time in three years, a record for a Second Division club. This time they emerged victorious, beating West Bromwich 1-0 after extra time in the Cup final replay
• England represented the United Kingdom again and retained their Olympic title in Stockholm, again beating Denmark in the final
• The laws of the game were changed so that goalkeepers could only handle the ball in their penalty area. The change was prompted by a match in 1910, when both the Third Lanark and Motherwell goalkeepers took advantage of being able to handle the ball anywhere on the pitch to both score a goal

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