 City instead played home games at <unk> Road , Leeds Road and <unk> during the 1985 – 86 season , when they came 13th , and for the first half of the 1986 – 87 campaign . They returned to Valley Parade , which had undergone a £ <unk> redevelopment , on Boxing Day 1986 against Derby County . After managing the side during the financial hardship and time away from their home ground , Cherry was dismissed only ten days after the return to Valley Parade . Club coach Terry Dolan was appointed as manager and he led the side away from relegation and to a finish of 10th place . By September 1987 , Dolan 's side topped Division Two for the first time in 54 years . They finished fourth after a final day defeat to Ipswich Town and missed out on promotion after they lost to Middlesbrough in the play @-@ offs . Leading players Stuart McCall and John Hendrie , who had both stayed for another season in a bid to take City into Division One , both left , and within two seasons City again dropped into Division Three . In January 1988 Stafford Heginbotham resigned as the Club 's Chairman due to ill health . 
