1905–06 Burslem Port Vale F.C. season

Burslem Port Vale
1905–06 season
Chairman Robert Audley
Manager Tommy Clare
Stadium Athletic Ground
Football League Second Division 17th (28 Points)
FA Cup First Round
Birmingham Senior Cup Semi-final
Staffordshire Senior Cup Semi-final
Top goalscorer League: Harry Mountford (15)
All: Harry Mountford (15)
Highest home attendance 6,000 vs Chelsea (30 October 1905)
Lowest home attendance 1,000 vs Chesterfield Town (9 September 1905)
Average home league attendance 3,200
Home colours

The 1905–06 season was Burslem Port Vale's eighth consecutive season (12th overall) of football in the Football League.[1] It was another season spent struggling at the lower end of the league.

On the pitch the team allowed goals and narrowly avoided the re-election zone. A poor season on the pitch was more than matched by a hopeless financial season off the pitch, with low attendance figures suggesting that the club could not sustain league football for much longer.[1]

Bert Eardley, was in his seventh season with Vale.
Club legend George Price was, as ever, a vital member of the first team.
Forward Adrian Capes was getting on in years.
Ageing Lucien Boullemier made one comeback appearance.
Half-back Harry Croxton.
Albert Cook as usual made only sporadic appearances.

Overview

Second Division

An expanded league saw an extra four new clubs added to the division, in addition to the replacement for Doncaster Rovers, who failed to gain re-election the previous season. This put the Vale up against Chelsea, Hull City, Leeds City, and Clapton Orient for the first time.

The first five games of the season saw a tally of just three points collected, with fourteen goals conceded. This was followed by four wins in five as the club surged up the league, this run included a 3–2 win over high-flying Chelsea, where an impressive 6,000 fans turned up.[1] Another barren spell followed, with just one point gained in the following nine games – in six of these the "Valeites" failed to score.[1] A rare win came on 30 December, with Harry Mountford scoring a hat-trick past Lincoln City – the first hat-trick a Vale player had scored in close to three years.[1] However the side then proceeded to lose all their matches in January. The last three months saw a revival, and the club managed to win six of their last fifteen games.[1]

The Vale finished just outside the re-election zone on goal average, if the ranking was based on goal difference then they would have finished below Chesterfield. Vale lost seventeen of their nineteen away games, never drawing a match away from home, and conceded more on their travels than any other side in the league. Overall the defence was the leakiest in the division, conceding 82 goals in 38 games.[1]

Harry Mountford was the club's top scorer with 15 goals, with Robert Carter, Philip Smith, George Price also contributing significantly to the scoring tally. Carter and Arthur Box missed just three matches; Mountford, Price, James Hamilton, and William Cope also hardly missed a game.

Finances

The financial outlook was bleak, poor runs of results saw already low attendance figures plummet. The club's directors therefore took the decision to sell right-half Harry Croxton and inspirational striker Adrian Capes to Stoke in November 1905.[1] There were rumours of the club winding up at the end of the season, though the club would continue in its current form for one more season.[1] Despite selling players and spending frugally the club lost a whopping £450, with gate receipts falling by £280 on the previous campaign. Sam Gleaves warned that if supporters failed to turn up for matches then the club would "inevitably cease to exist".

Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, Vale defeated amateur club Oxford City after Oxford failed to make the most of their shooting chances; the Second Round saw Vale eliminated by Gainsborough Trinity at home, despite having organized special training sessions beforehand.[1] In the County cups, Vale knocked out local rivals Stoke (Reserves) at home by 5–0 and 3–0 scorelines, before receiving 7–0 and 5–1 thumpings at Birmingham and Burton United respectively at the semi-final stages.[1]

Final league table

Pos Team Pld W D L F A W D L F A F A GA GD Pts
1Bristol City3817114381351402083282.964+ 5566
2Manchester United38153155131333351590283.214+ 6262
3Chelsea3813425816955322190372.432+ 5353
4West Bromwich Albion3813425316946262079362.194+ 4352
5Hull City3810543821919293367541.241+ 1344
6Leeds City3811533819649212859471.255+ 1243
7Leicester Fosse3810363021595232753481.104+ 542
8Grimsby Town38117133134312133346461.000± 040
9Burnley389462623649163042530.792– 1138
10Stockport County 3811623616231484044560.786– 1235
11Bradford City387482122649253846600.767– 1434
12Barnsley38114445171513154560620.968– 233
13Lincoln City38101846292512234369720.958– 330
14Blackpool3883822212611154137620.597– 2529
15Gainsborough Trinity3810273522221593544570.772– 1328
16Glossop3894636281414134349710.690– 2228
17Burslem Port Vale38104534252017155749820.598– 3328
18Chesterfield3884726242413144840720.556– 3228
19Burton United389462620121684734670.507– 3326
20Clapton Orient3864919221315165635780.449– 4321

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against;
GA = Goal average; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points

Results

Burslem Port Vale's score comes first

Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738
GroundAHHHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHA
ResultLWLDLWWWLWLLLDLLLLLWLLLWDLWLWLWLDWLLWL
Position1313141317149612810141413151717171715161719161818161717171618171516161517

Source: Statto[2]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Football League Second Division

DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
2 September 1905Lincoln CityA1–33,000o.g.
9 September 1905ChesterfieldH4–31,000Capes (2), Smith, Crombie
11 September 1905BlackpoolH1–2Carter
16 September 1905Grimsby TownH2–22,000Smith (2)
23 September 1905BarnsleyA0–43,000
30 September 1905Clapton OrientH2–1Mountford, Cook (pen)
7 October 1905BurnleyA3–13,000Mountford (2), Price
14 October 1905Leeds CityH2–01,500Mountford, Carter
21 October 1905Burton UnitedA0–13,000
30 October 1905ChelseaH3–26,000Price, Croxton, Carter
4 November 1905Gainsborough TrinityA0–4
11 November 1905Bristol CityH0–13,000
18 November 1905Manchester UnitedA0–38,000
25 November 1905GlossopH3–3Mountford, Cook, Holyhead
2 December 1905Stockport CountyA0–3
16 December 1905Bradford CityA0–29,000
23 December 1905West Bromwich AlbionH0–13,500
25 December 1905Hull CityH1–34,000Cook
26 December 1905Leicester FosseA1–210,000Mountford
30 December 1905Lincoln CityH3–13,000Mountford (3)
6 January 1906ChesterfieldA0–210,000
20 January 1906Grimsby TownA0–53,000
27 January 1906BarnsleyH1–2Smith
3 February 1906Clapton OrientA3–1Smith (2), Carter
10 February 1906BurnleyH2–2Mountford, Smith
17 February 1906Leeds CityA1–39,000Mountford
24 February 1906Burton UnitedH4–1Carter, Mountford, Price, Grant
3 March 1906ChelseaA0–710,000
10 March 1906Gainsborough TrinityH1–0Eardley
17 March 1906Bristol CityA0–410,000
24 March 1906Manchester UnitedH1–03,000Box (pen)
31 March 1906GlossopA2–33,000o.g., Mountford
7 April 1906Stockport CountyH0–0
13 April 1906Leicester FosseH2–05,000Carter, Mountford
14 April 1906BlackpoolA1–22,000Carter
16 April 1906Hull CityA2–37,000Mountford, Carter
21 April 1906Bradford CityH2–1Walley, Smith
28 April 1906West Bromwich AlbionA1–45,000Holyhead

FA Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
IR9 December 1905Oxford CityA1–03,000Price
1R13 January 1906Gainsborough TrinityH0–31,500

Birmingham Senior Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
118 September 1905StokeH3–02,500Croxton, unknown
SF1 November 1905BirminghamA0–7100

Staffordshire Senior Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
125 September 1905StokeH5–0Price (2), Crombie, Smith, Carter
SF13 April 1906Burton UnitedA1–5

Player statistics

Transfers

Transfers in

Date from Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref.
July 1905DFGeorge AytounScotland ClydebankFree transfer[3]
July 1905MFEnglandAlex CrombieReadingFree transfer[3]
July 1905DFArthur ShelleyChestertonFree transfer[3]
August 1905FWPhilip SmithKnuttonFree transfer[3]
October 1905DFEnglandSamuel AshworthEvertonFree transfer[3]
October 1905DFEnglandSam BaddeleyNortonFree transfer[3]
November 1905GKEnglandGeorge BooteSilverdale TownFree transfer[3]
November 1905DFEnglandLucien BoullemierNorthampton TownFree transfer[3]
January 1906MFEnglandEbenezer GrantTunstall ParkFree transfer[3]

Transfers out

Date from Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref.
November 1905DFEnglandLucien BoullemierNorthern NomadsFree transfer[3]
November 1905FWEnglandAdrian CapesStokeFree transfer[3]
November 1905DFEnglandHarry CroxtonStokeunknown[3]
February 1906MFEnglandAlbert CookStokeFree transfer[3]
Summer 1906DFEnglandSamuel AshworthNorth Staffs NomadsReleased[3]
Summer 1906DFGeorge AytounReleased[3]
Summer 1906GKEnglandGeorge BooteKnutton RoversReleased[3]
Summer 1906MFEnglandAlex CrombieReleased[3]
Summer 1906FWW. EdwardsCrewe AlexandraReleased[3]
Summer 1906FWEnglandAlfred HallReleased[3]
Summer 1906MFEnglandBen JonesAlsagers Bank ChurchFree transfer[3]
Summer 1906DFWilliam JonesReleased[3]
Summer 1906FWPhilip SmithCrewe AlexandraReleased[3]
Summer 1906FWEnglandWilliam ThomasEvertonFree transfer[3]
Summer 1906MFEnglandSam WhittinghamCrewe AlexandraFree transfer[3]

References

Specific
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Kent, Jeff (1990). "The Hopeless Struggle (1898-1907)". The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale. Witan Books. pp. 50–70. ISBN 0-9508981-4-7.
  2. ↑ Port Vale 1905–1906 : Results & Fixtures. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 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.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.