1888–89 Burslem Port Vale F.C. season

The 1888–89 season was Burslem Port Vale's first season and only season of football in The Combination.[1] The league was abandoned before the fixture list was completed, though Vale were in poor form regardless. They exited the FA Cup, Staffordshire Senior Cup and North Staffordshire Challenge Cup in their opening rounds and also struggled in friendlies, the low point being a 3–1 defeat to village team Oswaldtwistle Rovers at the Athletic Ground.

Burslem Port Vale
1888–89 season
StadiumAthletic Ground
The CombinationAbandoned
FA CupSecond Qualifying Round
(knocked out by Small Heath Alliance)
Staffordshire Senior CupFourth Round
(knocked out by Burton Wanderers)
North Staffordshire Challenge CupSemi-finalists
(knocked out by Leek)
Top goalscorerLeague: Jimmy Ditchfield (8)
All: Jimmy Ditchfield (12)
Highest home attendance5,000 vs. Stoke, 16 February 1889
Average home league attendance2,200
Biggest win6–1 vs. Gainsborough Trinity, 8 September 1888
Biggest defeat1–5 and 2–6

Overview

The Combination

Burslem Port Vale prepared for their first ever league campaign by signings Lewis Ballham from Stoke and Dick Danks from Wolverhampton Wanderers, though they lost Harry Cookson to South Shore and Bob Ramsay to Stoke.[1] Despite being overweight, forward Billy Reynolds scored the winning goal in the season opening victory over Birmingham St George's at the Athletic Ground.[1] Though they lost 2–1 at home to Halliwell, they recorded 6–1 and 3–0 home victories over Gainsborough Trinity and South Shore.[1] However a sequence of away fixtures followed, in which they picked two points on the road all season.[1] Their home form remained steady though, picking up 16 of a possible 26 points at home.[1]

Cup competitions and friendlies

Vale's interest in the FA Cup ended early as they were beaten 3–2 at Small Heath Alliance.[1] Their friendlies in the first part of the season were also largely disappointing, losing 4–0 to Preston North End and 8–1 to Blackburn Rovers – both strong sides – but more worryingly they were humbled 4–0 at little-known side Witton.[1] A 3–1 home defeat to Lancashire village team Oswaldtwistle Rovers on 12 January was embarrassing, one of the worst results in the club's short history as they proved themselves "not worthy of a club their standing" on the day.[1] On 16 February, they fell to a 5–1 defeat at home to Potteries derby rivals Stoke in front of a season-high crowd of 5,000.[1] They managed to beat Burton Wanderers 4–2 in the fourth round of the Staffordshire Senior Cup on 9 March, but were forced to replay the game after the visitors complained about the state of the Athletic Ground pitch; the replay was lost 3–1 as the team reverted to "the old game of a long kick and a sharp rush".[1]

Desperate to turn around their poor form, the club signed "the best centre-forward that ever left Scotland" in 19-year old Frank McGinnes, who had built up a formidable reputation at Halliwell.[1] They travelled to Anfield on 20 April and recorded a 1–0 victory over Everton, but the season petered out with defeat to Leek in the semi-finals of the North Staffordshire Challenge Cup and a 7–1 thumping after fielding a weakened side at Bootle.[1] The Combination league collapsed, but the team's poor form meant they were not invited to compete in either the new Football Alliance.[1] The club management resolved to strengthen the team and had to be content with friendlies for the following campaign.[1]

Results

Burslem Port Vale's score comes first

Legend
Win Draw Loss

The Combination
DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
1 September 1888Birmingham St George'sH2–13,500Ditchfield, Reynolds
3 September 1888HalliwellH1–23,000Ditchfield
8 September 1888Gainsborough TrinityH6–12,500Sproston (2), Ditchfield, Reynolds, Randles, Danks
17 September 1888South ShoreH3–02,000rush, Ditchfield, Sproston
29 September 1888Walsall Town SwiftsA0–12,000
13 October 1888Notts RangersH1–2rush
20 October 1888Crewe AlexandraA1–43,000Reynolds
22 October 1888LeekA3–53,000
3 November 1888Birmingham St George'sA3–3200Danks, Ballham, Poulson
10 November 1888Newton HeathH1–11,500scrimmage
12 November 1888LeekH4–12,000Ditchfield (3), Poulson
17 November 1888Long Eaton RangersA1–3Ditchfield
24 November 1888Walsall Town SwiftsH1–22,000Poulson
1 December 1888Lincoln CityH2–11,500Ballham (2)
15 December 1888HalliwellA1–5smallscrimmage
22 December 1888Lincoln CityA0–11,500
24 December 1888Gainsborough TrinityA1–1fairBallham
25 December 1888Grimsby TownA2–61,500
29 December 1888Crewe AlexandraH1–32,500Randles
5 January 1889Notts RangersA1–4Reynolds
19 January 1889Newton HeathA0–32,500
26 January 1889Long Eaton RangersH1–1moderateMcHarg
2 February 1889Northwich VictoriaA1–2
11 March 1889Northwich VictoriaH1–0several hundred
16 March 1889South ShoreA0–3not very big
6 April 1889Grimsby TownH2–11,500Ballham (2)

FA Cup
Main article: 1888–89 FA Cup
RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
2Q27 October 1888Small Heath AllianceA2–3scrimmage, o.g.

Staffordshire Senior Cup
RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
49 March 1889Burton WanderersH4–21,500Sproston (2), Ballham (2)
Replay23 March 1889Burton WanderersH1–32,000Elson

North Staffordshire Challenge Cup
RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
SF4 May 1889LeekN2–3Danks, Stokes

Friendlies
DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
15 September 1888Derby St Luke'sH1–12,000rush
22 September 1888Blackburn Park RoadH3–41,500Randles (2), Sproston
24 September 1888Preston North EndH0–43,000
1 October 1888BurnleyH2–01,400Reynolds, Randles
6 October 1888WittonA0–4
15 October 1888Bolton WanderersH3–12,000o.g., Stokes, Ditchfield
29 October 1888Blackburn RoversH1–83,000Ballham
8 December 1888Rotherham TownA2–33,000Reynolds, other
10 December 1888EvertonH2–22,000Ballham, o.g.
12 January 1889Oswaldtwistle RoversH1–3smallDitchfield
16 February 1889StokeH1–55,000Vessey
2 March 1889StokeA2–4
30 March 1889LeekA1–1Ditchfield
15 April 1889HalliwellH1–2Ballham
20 April 1889EvertonA1–08,000Reynolds
22 April 1889WittonH1–22,500o.g.
29 April 1889Crewe AlexandraH0–0
14 May 1889BootleA1–71,500Ditchfield

Player statistics

Appearances
Pos. Name League Staffordshire Cup Challenge Cup Friendlies Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK Arthur Broomhall 50201090160
GKJoseph Mawdesley 90000030120
GKMeakin 1000000010
GKMillward 0000001010
GKW Morgan 60000040100
DF George Bateman 1802000140340
DFE Chadwick 110200010140
DFT Marriott 0000001010
DFG Martin 40201030100
DFMatthews 0000001010
DF W.E. Powell 60000050110
DF Albert Skinner 120000040160
DFUdall 2000001030
DFUnderwood 0000001010
DFG Wardle 0000001010
MF Billy Elson 1902110170391
MF Fred Farrington 1000000010
MFKirkham 0000001010
MFLocker 0000001010
MFG McHarg 3100000031
MF Billy Poulson 1932010170393
MF Jos Randles 182000093275
MFRobinson 1000001020
MFJack Shields 2002010170400
MF Charlie Simpson 1000000010
MFJ.H. Sproston 93221041166
MF John Surtees 0000101020
MFH Wardle 0000001010
FW Lewis Ballham 16622101233111
FW Dick Danks 152001z90253
FW Jimmy Ditchfield 18820101743812
FW Frank McGinnes 0000004040
FWOxley 0000001010
FW Ernie Payne 1000002030
FW Billy Reynolds 1440000143287
FWFred Stokes 40201171142
FWVessey 0000001111
FWF Wood 0000001010

Top scorers
Place Position Nation Name The Combination FA Cup Other Total
1FW EnglandJimmy Ditchfield80412
2FW EnglandLewis Ballham60511
3FW EnglandBilly Reynolds4037
4MFJ.H. Sproston3036
5MF EnglandJos Randles2035
6MF EnglandBilly Poulson3003
–FW EnglandDick Danks2003
8FWFred Stokes0022
9MFG McHarg1001
–FWVessey0011
–MF EnglandBilly Elson0011
–––Own goals0134
–––Scrimmage2103
TOTALS 31 2 25 58

Transfers

Transfers in
Date from Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref.
Summer 1888GKArthur BroomhallStokeFree transfer[2]
Summer 1888DFUdallFree transfer[2]
Summer 1888FWF WoodFree transfer[2]
Autumn 1888FWLewis BallhamStokeFree transfer[2]
Autumn 1888MFFred FarringtonFree transfer[2]
Autumn 1888DFE ChadwickFree transfer[2]
September 1888GKJoseph MawdesleyFree transfer[2]
December 1888MFG McHargFree transfer[2]
1889DFMatthewsFree transfer[2]
January 1889GKMeakinFree transfer[2]
April 1889MFFred FarringtonHalliwellFree transfer[2]

Transfers out
Date from Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref.
December 1888DFJack ShieldsQuit[2]
Summer 1889DFE ChadwickReleased[2]
Summer 1889GKJoseph MawdesleyReleased[2]
Summer 1889GKMeakinReleased[2]
Summer 1889MFG McHargBurslem Port ValeReleased[2]
Summer 1889GKW MorganReleased[2]
Summer 1889MFRobinsonReleased[2]
Summer 1889MFJ.H. SprostonReleased[2]
Summer 1889MFJohn SurteesReleased[2]
Summer 1889DFUdallReleased[2]
Summer 1889FWF WoodFree transfer[2]
gollark: Rust's good type systems means you can write stuff like `x.iter().map(|x| + 1).collect()`, which is way nicer than a for loop.
gollark: That's not safe.
gollark: C has, what, `void*`?
gollark: And traits?
gollark: And lifetimes?

References
Specific
  1. Kent, Jeff (1990). "Trying to make the Grade (1888-1898)". The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale. Witan Books. pp. 26–50. ISBN 0-9508981-4-7.
  2. Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
General
  • Kent, Jeff (1993). The Port Vale Record 1879-1993. Witan Books. ISBN 0-9508981-9-8.
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