The 1898–99 season was Burslem Port Vale's fifth season of football in the English Football League; it followed a two-season absence, which the club spent in the Midland Football League.[1] A solid return to the Football League, they finished in mid-table. They had the strongest defence in the division as they conceded fewer goals than any other team. Instead, a lack of firepower in front of the goal prevented a push for promotion.
1898–99 season | ||
---|---|---|
Chairman | Robert Audley | |
Manager | Sam Gleaves | |
Stadium | Athletic Ground | |
Football League Second Division | 9th (39 Points) | |
FA Cup | Fifth Qualifying Round (knocked out by Small Heath) | |
Birmingham Senior Cup | Runners-up (knocked out by Aston Villa) | |
Staffordshire Senior Cup | Semi-final (knocked out by Walsall) | |
Top goalscorer | League: James Peake (11) All: James Peake (17) | |
Highest home attendance | 12,000 vs Manchester City, 1 April 1899 | |
Lowest home attendance | 1,000 vs Gainsborough Trinity, 26 November 1898 | |
Average home league attendance | 4,500+ | |
Biggest win | 5–0 (twice) and 6–1 | |
Biggest defeat | 0–7 vs. Small Heath, 10 December 1898 | |
| ||
Winning their opening six league games, just two points gained from their final five games ensured a top-two position was out of their reach. Safety from the re-election lottery was never in doubt, though, as they finished nineteen points above the re-election places. Over the next eight seasons, they never bettered their league finish of 1898–99, though they twice equalled it.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/1898%E2%80%9399_Burslem_Port_Vale_F.C._squad_photo.jpg/400px-1898%E2%80%9399_Burslem_Port_Vale_F.C._squad_photo.jpg)
Overview
editSecond Division
editTheir FA Cup win over First Division champions Sheffield United in 1897–98 won Vale the respect (and votes) they needed to win re-election to the Football League for 1898–99.[1][2] To ensure a competitive campaign they signed striker Howard Harvey from Aston Villa for £50.[1] Winning their opening six league games, the semi-professional side conceded just one goal in this run. However, Tommy Clare broke a leg at their final win of the streak of six, and their run ended at Newton Heath the following week – the team badly missed Clare.[1] Their fading hopes of promotion were bolstered by four wins in January, including a 6–1 win over Blackpool aided by a four-goal haul from James Peake.[1] Yet they finished the season with two points from five games, dropping into ninth place – their lowest position all season.[1]
Of the two clubs that failed to gain re-election, Darwen, who picked up a League record eighteen consecutive defeats, played regional football for the rest of their existence; whereas Blackpool gained re-election at the end of the following season, and never lost their League status again.
Right-half Lucien Boullemier was an ever-present throughout the campaign, with goalkeeper Herbert Birchenough missing just one game.[1] Winger Billy Heames and forward Howard Harvey rarely missed a game between them.[1]
Finances
editFinancially, the club lost £300 over the season.[1]
Cup competitions
editDefending champions of the Staffordshire Senior Cup, Vale reached the semi-final, where they lost 4–0 to Walsall in a replay.[1] In the Birmingham Senior Cup, they defeated Walsall in the semi-final, in a replay, going on to lose 4–0 to Aston Villa in the final.[1] In the FA Cup they were turned over 7–0 at Small Heath in the qualification rounds.[1]
League table
edit
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
7 | Woolwich Arsenal | 34 | 18 | 5 | 11 | 72 | 41 | 1.756 | 41 |
8 | Small Heath | 34 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 85 | 50 | 1.700 | 41 |
9 | Burslem Port Vale | 34 | 17 | 5 | 12 | 56 | 34 | 1.647 | 39 |
10 | Grimsby Town | 34 | 15 | 5 | 14 | 71 | 60 | 1.183 | 35 |
11 | Barnsley | 34 | 12 | 7 | 15 | 52 | 56 | 0.929 | 31 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
Results
editBurslem Port Vale's score comes first
Football League Second Division
editResults by matchday
editMatches
editDate | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
3 September 1898 | Barnsley | H | 2–0 | 4,000 | Peake, Evans |
5 September 1898 | Woolwich Arsenal | H | 3–0 | 5,000 | Evans (2), unknown |
10 September 1898 | Small Heath | A | 2–1 | 5,500 | Evans, Peake |
17 September 1898 | Loughborough | H | 3–0 | 5,000 | Peake (2), Simpson |
24 September 1898 | Blackpool | A | 4–0 | 1,000 | Peake (2), Harvey, Beech |
1 October 1898 | Grimsby Town | H | 2–0 | 6,000 | Simpson, Evans |
8 October 1898 | Newton Heath | A | 1–2 | 10,000 | Simpson |
15 October 1898 | New Brighton Tower | H | 0–0 | 5,000 | |
22 October 1898 | Lincoln City | A | 0–1 | 4,000 | |
5 November 1898 | Luton Town | A | 1–0 | 2,000 | Evans |
12 November 1898 | Leicester Fosse | H | 0–2 | 4,000 | |
26 November 1898 | Gainsborough Trinity | H | 2–1 | 1,000 | Evans, Harvey |
3 December 1898 | Manchester City | A | 1–3 | 6,000 | Peake |
17 December 1898 | Walsall | A | 1–1 | 3,000 | Evans |
24 December 1898 | Burton Swifts | H | 4–1 | 2,000 | Beckett (2), Harvey, Beech |
31 December 1898 | Barnsley | A | 1–2 | 1,000 | Evans |
2 January 1899 | Darwen | A | 3–1 | 400 | Harvey (2), Mitchell |
7 January 1899 | Small Heath | H | 1–0 | 5,000 | Beckett |
14 January 1899 | Loughborough | A | 3–0 | 2,000 | Evans, Harvey, Beckett |
21 January 1899 | Blackpool | H | 6–1 | Peake (4), Beech, Beckett | |
28 January 1899 | Burton Swifts | A | 0–2 | 500 | |
4 February 1899 | Newton Heath | H | 1–0 | 6,000 | Belfield |
11 February 1899 | New Brighton Tower | A | 0–1 | 2,000 | |
18 February 1899 | Lincoln City | H | 2–1 | 3,000 | Harvey, Beech |
21 February 1899 | Grimsby Town | A | 1–3 | 2,500 | Beckett |
25 February 1899 | Woolwich Arsenal | A | 0–1 | 6,000 | |
4 March 1899 | Luton Town | H | 4–1 | 4,000 | McDonald (3), Simpson |
11 March 1899 | Leicester Fosse | A | 1–1 | 9,000 | Harvey |
18 March 1899 | Darwen | H | 3–1 | Harvey, Beckett, McDonald | |
25 March 1899 | Gainsborough Trinity | A | 2–3 | Simpson, Beckett | |
1 April 1899 | Manchester City | H | 1–1 | 12,000 | Heames |
3 April 1899 | Glossop North End | H | 1–2 | 4,000 | Beckett |
8 April 1899 | Glossop North End | A | 0–0 | 3,500 | |
15 April 1899 | Walsall | H | 0–1 | 1,500 |
FA Cup
editRound | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3Q | 29 October 1898 | Wellington Town | H | 5–0 | 1,000 | Peake (2), Evans (2), Price |
4Q | 19 November 1898 | Burton Wanderers | H | 3–0 | 1,500 | Peake, Simpson, Harvey |
5Q | 10 December 1898 | Small Heath | A | 0–7 | 7,000 |
Birmingham Senior Cup
editRound | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 19 December 1898 | Leicester Fosse | H | 5–0 | 800 | Harvey (2), McDonald (2), rush |
BYE | ||||||
BYE | ||||||
SF | 13 March 1899 | Walsall | N | 1–1 | 4,000 | McDonald |
Replay | 20 March 1899 | Walsall | N | 2–0 | 1,000 | Harvey, Mitchell |
Final | 27 March 1899 | Aston Villa | A | 0–4 | 3,634 |
Staffordshire Senior Cup
editRound | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 19 September 1898 | Burton Wanderers | H | 1–1 | 3,000+ | Peake |
Replay | 26 September 1898 | Burton Wanderers | A | 4–0 | 4,000 | Peake, Evans, Spilsbury, Simpson |
SF | 21 November 1898 | Walsall | H | 1–1 | 2,000 | Peake |
Replay | 26 December 1898 | Walsall | A | 0–4 | 7,000 |
Player statistics
editAppearances
editPos. | Name | League | FA Cup | Other | Total | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
GK | Herbert Birchenough | 33 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 44 | 0 |
DF | S. E. Bayley | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
DF | Jim Beech | 31 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 40 | 4 |
DF | Lucien Boullemier | 34 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 45 | 0 |
DF | John Bowman | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
DF | Tommy Clare | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
DF | George Hulme | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
DF | Tom McFarlane | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
DF | Henry Platt | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
DF | Thomas Spilsbury | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 21 | 1 |
DF | Frank Stokes | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
MF | Billy Heames | 33 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 43 | 1 |
MF | Charles Hodgkinson | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
MF | Ted McDonald | 30 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 39 | 7 |
FW | Danny Simpson | 17 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 22 | 7 |
FW | George Price | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
FW | James Peake | 22 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 28 | 17 |
FW | Frank Mitchell | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 2 |
FW | Tommy Lander | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
FW | Howard Harvey | 32 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 41 | 13 |
FW | Dick Evans | 23 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 30 | 13 |
FW | R. H. Capener | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
FW | Fred Belfield | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
FW | Ernest Beckett | 21 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 26 | 9 |
Top scorers
editPlace | Position | Nation | Name | Second Division | FA Cup | Other | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | FW | James Peake | 11 | 3 | 3 | 17 | |
2 | FW | England | Howard Harvey | 9 | 1 | 3 | 13 |
– | FW | England | Dick Evans | 10 | 2 | 1 | 13 |
4 | FW | Ernest Beckett | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |
5 | MF | England | Ted McDonald | 4 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
– | FW | England | Danny Simpson | 5 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
7 | DF | Jim Beech | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
8 | FW | Frank Mitchell | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
9 | MF | England | Billy Heames | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
– | FW | England | Fred Belfield | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
– | FW | England | George Price | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
– | DF | England | Thomas Spilsbury | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
– | – | – | Rush | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
– | – | – | Unknown | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
TOTALS | 56 | 8 | 14 | 78 |
Transfers
editTransfers in
editDate from | Position | Nationality | Name | From | Fee | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
June 1898 | FW | Howard Harvey | Aston Villa | £50 | [4] | |
Summer 1898 | DF | Tommy Clare | Manchester City | Free transfer | [4] | |
August 1898 | FW | Ernest Beckett | Newcastle Swifts | Free transfer | [4] | |
August 1898 | DF | Tom McFarlane | Hibernian | Free transfer | [4] | |
October 1898 | DF | Frank Stokes) | Burslem Park | Free transfer | [4] | |
February 1899 | DF | John Bowman | Burslem Park | Free transfer | [4] |
Transfers out
editDate from | Position | Nationality | Name | To | Fee | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Summer 1899 | FW | James Peake | Millwall Athletic | Free transfer | [4] | |
Summer 1899 | FW | Ernest Beckett | Released | [4] | ||
Summer 1899 | MF | Fred Belfield | Released | [4] | ||
Summer 1899 | DF | John Bowman | Stoke | Free transfer | [4] | |
Summer 1899 | FW | R. H. Capener | Released | [4] | ||
Summer 1899 | FW | Dick Evans | Reading | Free transfer | [4] | |
Summer 1899 | MF | Charles Hodgkinson | Released | [4] | ||
Summer 1899 | DF | George Hulme | Released | [4] | ||
Summer 1899 | FW | Frank Mitchell | Released | [4] | ||
Summer 1899 | DF | Henry Platt | Released | [4] | ||
Summer 1899 | MF | Jos Randles | Retired | [4] |
References
edit- Specific
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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.
- ^ "Vale revel in FA Cup glory". The Sentinel. 29 November 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
- ^ Port Vale 1898–1899 : Results & Fixtures Archived 19 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q 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.