The demolition of the elegant gabled Midland Road stand in 1952 set the tone for a decade that gave little hope to the long suffering Valley Parade faithful. The fact that the erection of the club's first floodlights in 1954 was seen as a highlight speaks for itself. These were austere days indeed.
With both Bradford clubs firmly encamped in the Third Division, the derbies naturally became the focal point of the decade. However, even that chink of light was extinguished when Avenue were relegated to the new Division Four in 1958.
The club's exploits in the FA Cup brought welcome relief from the gloom. In 1958/59 neighbours Avenue were dispatched and only First Division Preston North End finished City's brave challenge in the fourth round. The following season City went one better, knocking out Everton before succumbing to Burnley in the fifth round after a replay. At Valley Parade, City were leading the eventual First Division champions 2-0 until a late burst led to a replay at Turf Moor. Over 50,000 saw City bow out on the wrong end of a 5-0 thrashing.
Though the likes of 'Polly' Ward, the Jackson twins, Johnny McCole and Derek Stokes were crowd favourites from the era, in truth the fifties were a decade to forget at Valley Parade.

The Swinging Sixties had barely begun when City were relegated to Division Four in 1961. It was to be a decade of hope and despair. Three times promotion was missed by the narrowest of margins; twice the ignominy of applying for re-election was forced on the Paraders as they finished at the very bottom of the English game.
A breath of fresh air swept into Valley Parade when Stafford Heginbotham became chairman in 1965. A roof over the Bradford End, the purchase of second hand floodlights from West Ham and new club offices, were concrete proof of Stafford's ambition for the club. Perhaps his finest hour came when he rallied supporters at a packed public meeting at St George's Hall in 1967 when the club faced the real threat of closure.
The following year a new stand on the Midland Road side signalled an upturn in the club's fortunes. The clutches of the bottom division were escaped with promotion to Division Three in 1969.
Ultimately, the sixties are remembered as a decade of sadness. City's young manager Grenville Hair collapsed and died during a training session in 1968. The decade also saw the last Bradford derby. City's promotion left Avenue floundering in Division Four. The following season Avenue were ejected from the League and the rivalry that had begun in the 1880s when Manningham and Bradford first locked horns was dead. Even the great goalscoring hero of the decade, 'Bronco' Layne, had his reputation tarnished when he was banned for life after a match rigging scandal, following his transfer to Sheffield Wednesday.

The decade began with a thrilling FA Cup tie against Spurs. In front of BBC's 'Match of the Day' cameras, City fought back from a two goal deficit to snatch a dramatic 2-2 draw. Sadly, in the replay at White Hart Lane, City were hammered 5-0.
A young player named Ces Podd made his first appearance for City in 1970. Ces was one of the first black players to establish himself in the English game, occasionally he suffered racial abuse from opposition fans, nevertheless he went on to become one of the most popular players in the club's history, making a record 502 League appearances.
City were back in Division Four following relegation in 1972. In 1973-74 erstwhile rivals Avenue spent one melancholy season as tenants at Valley Parade following the sale of their Park Avenue ground. Supporters of both sides fought proposals to merge the two clubs and form a new club entitled Bradford Metro - the club colours were even mooted as chocolate and cream as featured on the municipal dustbin wagons! The idea was quickly dropped and Avenue went into liquidation in the summer of 1974.
Once again the FA Cup brought cheer to Valley Parade. The fourth round was reached on two successive seasons, with memorable ties against teams as diverse as Arsenal and Alverchurch - the latter being City's first ever Sunday game, attracting a bumper 13,062 to Valley Parade.
It was but a taster. In 1976 City reached the quarter finals, beating Chesterfield, Rotherham, Shrewsbury, Tooting & Mitcham and Norwich en route. The latter was the most satisfying, as the Canaries' manager - John Bond - had questioned City's right to be in the fifth round. At Carrow Road he was made to eat his words when City won 2-1.
The quarter final, at home to Southampton, was undoubtedly the high point of the decade. Though City lost 1-0, to a controversial free kick, the boost in morale was priceless. The following season City gained promotion to Division Three under the guidance of young manager Bobby Kennedy.
It was a false dawn. Relegation was immediate and the decade ended with a heartbreaking defeat at Peterborough that cost promotion on the final day of the season.