1918–19 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1918–19 season was Port Vale's third season of football after going into abeyance during World War I.[1] They finished 12th in the Football League Lancashire Section, going on to finish bottom of their group in the Subsidiary Tournament. The club applied to join the Football League in March, but were unsuccessful.
1918–19 season | |
---|---|
Chairman | Frank Huntbach |
Manager | Jock Cameron (until January) Joe Schofield (January onwards) |
Stadium | Old Recreation Ground |
Football League Lancashire Section | 12th (24 points) |
Lancashire Section Subsidiary Tournament | 4th (3 points) |
Top goalscorer | League: Harry Howell (6) All: Harry Howell (9) |
Highest home attendance | 16,000 vs. Stoke, 28 April 1919 |
Lowest home attendance | 2,000 vs. Blackpool, 28 September 1918 |
Average home league attendance | 5,772 |
Biggest win | 4–1 vs. Stoke, 28 April 1919 |
Biggest defeat | 1–8 vs. Stoke, 12 October 1918 |
Overview
With Tom Holford largely unavailable, Jock Cameron was promoted to captain and team manager.[1] The squad had to be made up largely of players available and willing to play, with only the Pearson brothers (Harry and Albert) offering much in the way of continuity from the previous campaign.[1] The team started with a four-game unbeaten run, only to pick up one point from their next six games.[1] The poor run included an embarrassing 8–1 defeat by Stoke at the Old Recreation Ground.[1] The war was drawing to a close, ending on 11 November, but not before claiming the lives of Bob Suart and Jack Shelton.[1] Vale beat bottom-club Burnley 4–2 five days later, and began to be strengthened by first-team players who returned from their wartime duties – as were every other club however.[1] From this point Vale began winning their home games but losing their away matches, ending this run with a 2–0 win over Preston North End at Deepdale on 18 January – the first away win of the campaign.[1] A sign of things returning to normal was the sale of Albert Pearson to Liverpool in January.[1]
As players again started to be paid their regular wage, the Football League began a tax on rich clubs to support poorer clubs, which benefited Vale to the tune of £71.[1] Eager to win a place in the expanding Football League the following season, Vale appointed former England international Joe Schofield as team secretary in January.[1] Four straight wins around new year was followed by four straight defeats in February, though attendances began to rise again back to regular peacetime levels.[1] On 10 March the Football League held a vote on which clubs to admit for the 1919–20 season and Vale were disappointed to only tally 27 votes, leaving Stoke, West Ham United, South Shields, Rotherham County and Coventry City as the successful applicants.[1] Vale also ended the league programme with eight defeats in their last ten matches, losing heavily to Oldham Athletic, Manchester City and Blackburn Rovers.[1] They ended the season 12th out of 16 teams, scoring 39 goals whilst conceding 77.[1] The club set up a Supporters' club in April with 220 members each contributing a shilling subscription.[1] Vale again fared poorly in the six game Subsidiary Tournament, losing four and winning only once.[1] They did end in positive fashion though, beating Potteries derby rivals Stoke 4–1 in front of a season-high crowd of 16,000.[1]
Results
Port Vale's score comes first
Legend
Win | Draw | Loss |
Football League Lancashire Section
League table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
11 | Blackpool | 30 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 45 | 61 | 0.738 | 25 |
12 | Port Vale | 30 | 10 | 4 | 16 | 39 | 77 | 0.506 | 24 |
13 | Burnley | 30 | 10 | 3 | 17 | 54 | 76 | 0.711 | 23 |
Matches
Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
7 September 1918 | Bury | A | 1–1 | Rogers | |
14 September 1918 | Bury | H | 2–1 | McCarthy, Lyons | |
21 September 1918 | Blackpool | A | 1–1 | Davies | |
28 September 1918 | Blackpool | H | 1–1 | 2,000 | A.Pearson |
5 October 1918 | Stoke | A | 2–3 | Foster (2) | |
12 October 1918 | Stoke | H | 1–8 | Davies | |
19 October 1918 | Stockport County | A | 0–3 | 3,000 | |
26 October 1918 | Stockport County | H | 2–2 | Blood, H.Pearson | |
2 November 1918 | Liverpool | H | 0–2 | 5,000 | |
9 November 1918 | Liverpool | A | 0–4 | 14,000 | |
16 November 1918 | Burnley | H | 4–2 | 4,000 | H.Pearson, Salt, Cope, o.g. |
23 November 1918 | Burnley | A | 1–4 | 4,000 | Fitchford |
30 November 1918 | Southport Vulcan | H | 2–0 | Kelly, A.Pearson | |
7 December 1918 | Southport Vulcan | A | 0–4 | ||
14 December 1918 | Manchester United | H | 3–1 | 4,000 | Burgess, Garner, Brennan |
21 December 1918 | Manchester United | A | 1–5 | 5,000 | H.Pearson (pen) |
28 December 1918 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 3–1 | 5,000 | o.g., Fitchford, Asbury |
11 January 1919 | Preston North End | H | 1–0 | 4,000 | Burgess |
18 January 1919 | Preston North End | A | 2–0 | Cameron, Burgess | |
25 January 1919 | Rochdale | H | 2–0 | 3,000 | Howell, Burgess |
1 February 1919 | Rochdale | A | 0–2 | 3,500 | |
8 February 1919 | Everton | H | 0–1 | 10,000 | |
15 February 1919 | Everton | A | 1–3 | 20,000 | Howell |
22 February 1919 | Oldham Athletic | A | 0–6 | 5,875 | |
1 March 1919 | Oldham Athletic | H | 3–1 | 5,301 | Brennan, Howell, Hill |
8 March 1919 | Manchester City | A | 1–6 | 14,000 | Howell |
15 March 1919 | Manchester City | H | 1–5 | 8,500 | Fitchford |
22 March 1919 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 3–2 | 5,000 | Howell (2), Fitchford |
29 March 1919 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 0–6 | 5,000 | |
18 April 1919 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 1–2 | 20,000 | Hill (pen) |
Lancashire Section Subsidiary Tournament
League table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | Stoke | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 10 | 0.900 | 6 |
3 | Manchester United | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 14 | 0.643 | 4 |
4 | Port Vale | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 0.692 | 3 |
Matches
Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
5 April 1919 | Manchester United | H | 1–3 | 6,000 | J.Parker |
12 April 1919 | Manchester United | A | 1–2 | 8,000 | J.Parker |
19 April 1919 | Manchester City | H | 0–1 | 8,000 | |
21 April 1919 | Stoke | A | 2–2 | Briscoe, Brennan | |
26 April 1919 | Manchester City | A | 1–4 | 20,000 | Howell |
28 April 1919 | Stoke | H | 4–1 | 16,000 | Howell (2), o.g., Joe Smith |
Player statistics
Appearances
Pos. | Name | League | Subsidiary | Total | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
GK | 28 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 34 | 0 | |
GK | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
GK | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
DF | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | |
DF | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | |
DF | 25 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 30 | 1 | |
DF | 29 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 35 | 3 | |
DF | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |
DF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
DF | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
DF | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
DF | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
DF | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
DF | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
DF | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
DF | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
MF | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
MF | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
MF | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
MF | 12 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 16 | 2 | |
MF | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
MF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
MF | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
MF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
MF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
MF | 13 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 4 | |
MF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
MF | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
MF | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
MF | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
MF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
MF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
MF | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
MF | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
MF | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
FW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
FW | 11 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 3 | |
FW | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | |
FW | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 2 | |
FW | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 2 | |
FW | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | |
FW | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
FW | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | |
FW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
FW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
FW | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 4 | |
FW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
FW | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
FW | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | |
FW | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
FW | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
FW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
FW | 9 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 9 | |
FW | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | |
FW | 4 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 2 | |
FW | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
FW | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
FW | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Top scorers
Place | Position | Nation | Name | League | Subsidiary | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | FW | Harry Howell | 6 | 3 | 9 | |
2 | FW | Dick Burgess | 4 | 0 | 4 | |
– | MF | Billy Fitchford | 4 | 0 | 4 | |
4 | FW | Harry Pearson | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
– | FW | Tom Brennan | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
6 | FW | Tom Davies | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
– | FW | Jack Foster | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
– | MF | James Hill | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
– | DF | Albert Pearson | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
– | FW | J Parker | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
11 | FW | A Cope | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
– | FW | A Salt | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
– | DF | Tom Lyons | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
– | DF | Jock Cameron | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
– | FW | Bobby Blood | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
– | FW | Arthur Rogers | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
– | MF | J Kelly | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
– | DF | W Garner | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
– | FW | F McCarthy | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
– | FW | Joe Smith | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
– | FW | Billy Briscoe | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
– | FW | J Asbury | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
– | – | – | Own goals | 2 | 1 | 2 |
TOTALS | 39 | 9 | 48 |
Transfers
Transfers in
Date from | Position | Nationality | Name | From | Fee | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1918 | DF | Ben Marsden | Free transfer | [2] | ||
Summer 1918 | FW | F McCarthy | Free transfer | [2] | ||
Autumn 1918 | MF | Arthur McGarry | Free transfer | [2] | ||
Autumn 1918 | DF | J Taylor | Free transfer | [2] | ||
November 1918 | FW | J Parker | Longton | Free transfer | [2] | |
December 1918 | FW | Dick Burgess | Free transfer | [2] | ||
April 1919 | MF | Andie Newton | Manchester City | Free transfer | [2] |
Transfers out
Date from | Position | Nationality | Name | To | Fee | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Autumn 1918 | MF | Joe Daley | Released | [2] | ||
October 1918 | FW | F McCarthy | Stafford Rangers | Free transfer | [2] | |
November 1918 | MF | Alf Smith | Released | [2] | ||
1919 | FW | Tom Davies | Released | [2] | ||
1919 | FW | Arthur Rogers | Released | [2] | ||
January 1919 | FW | Albert Pearson | Liverpool | Transfer | [2] | |
February 1919 | FW | Dick Burgess | Arsenal | Free transfer | [2] | |
Summer 1919 | MF | G Arrowsmith | Released | [2] | ||
Summer 1919 | GK | John Dennis | Released | [2] | ||
Summer 1919 | FW | A Floyd | Released | [2] | ||
Summer 1919 | FW | Jack Foster | Released | [2] | ||
Summer 1919 | DF | George Holmes | Released | [2] | ||
Summer 1919 | DF | Harry Leese | Crewe Alexandra | Released | [2] | |
Summer 1919 | FW | J Parker | Released | [2] | ||
Summer 1919 | MF | Jack Smith | Released | [2] | ||
Summer 1919 | DF | J Taylor | Released | [2] |
References
- Specific
- Kent, Jeff (1990). "The Hard Road Back (1907–1919)". The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale. Witan Books. pp. 71–97. ISBN 0-9508981-4-7.
- 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.