1893–94 Burslem Port Vale F.C. season
The 1893–94 season was Burslem Port Vale's second consecutive season of football in the Football League. Winning their opening seven league games, Vale seemed destined for First Division football, however they won just six of their final 22 games and ended up in mid-table.[1] Their remarkable start to the season has not been equalled by any Vale team to date, and counting the previous season's final game, which was a victory, their streak of eight league wins is still a club record. Vale had remedied their scoring trouble, with five players all besting the previous season's top scorer tally of five goals.
One of the club's most successful seasons, only in 1930–31 did Port Vale finish higher than than seventh in the second tier of the Football League. With 16 teams in the First Division, Vale finished in 23rd place overall, their highest ever ranking at the end of any season.
Overview
Second Division
September 1893 was a perfect month for the "Valeites", achieving as they did seven wins out of seven games, scoring 30 goals in the process.[1] Although two of these came against whipping boys Northwich Victoria, they did take apart eventual runners-up Small Heath 5–0. However this run came to an end with a 8–1 collapse at a highly physical Manchester City.[1] During this run, on 9 September 1893, Lewis Campbell became the first Vale player to score a hat-trick, and also four goals in one game, as his team brushed aside Walsall Town Swifts 5–0.[1]
They finished the season with a respectable 2–1 defeat to champions Liverpool at Anfield. Vale racked up 30 points, 10 points away from both the chance of promotion and the risk of relegation. Meshach Dean, Bob McCrindle, Billy Beats, and Alf Wood were all ever-presents, with Jimmy Scarratt and Lewis Campbell missing just one game each. At the end of the season McCrindle moved South, Campbell also left the area due to his wife not liking Burslem, though star striker Beats remained.[1]
Cup competitions
For the second successive season they exited the FA Cup at the first qualifying stage thanks to defeat at home to Burton Swifts. In the Staffordshire Senior Cup they exited in the Second Round to Wolverhampton Wanderers after a 6–4 loss – Billy Beats scored a hat-trick yet still finding himself on the losing side. In the Birmingham Senior Cup they left at the Second Round after a 3–1 defeat at West Bromwich Albion.
Final league table
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
Legend
| Date |
Opponent |
Venue |
Result |
Attendance |
Scorers |
| 2 September 1893 |
Manchester City |
H |
4–2 |
2,500 |
Beats (2), Scarratt, Sands |
| 9 September 1893 |
Walsall Town Swifts |
A |
5–0 |
2,000 |
Campbell (4), Beats |
| 16 September 1893 |
Crewe Alexandra |
H |
4–2 |
2,000 |
Wood (2), Beats, Campbell |
| 18 September 1893 |
Middlesbrough Ironopolis |
H |
4–0 |
3,000 |
Campbell, Beats, Dean, Wood |
| 23 September 1893 |
Northwich Victoria |
A |
5–1 |
|
Campbell (2), Dean, Scarratt, unknown |
| 25 September 1893 |
Small Heath |
H |
5–0 |
3,000 |
Beats (3), Wood, Scarratt |
| 30 September 1893 |
Northwich Victoria |
H |
3–2 |
2,500 |
Wood (2), Beats |
| 7 October 1893 |
Manchester City |
A |
1–8 |
6,000 |
Wood |
| 21 October 1893 |
Rotherham Town |
H |
2–3 |
1,000 |
Dean, Scarratt |
| 26 October 1893 |
Notts County |
A |
1–6 |
3,000 |
Dean |
| 28 October 1893 |
Rotherham Town |
A |
1–0 |
2,000 |
Beats |
| 25 November 1893 |
Notts County |
H |
1–0 |
1,000 |
Wood |
| 2 December 1893 |
Grimsby Town |
A |
0–4 |
2,000 |
|
| 4 December 1893 |
Grimsby Town |
H |
6–1 |
500 |
Beats (2), Scarratt (2), Elson, Corfield |
| 9 December 1893 |
Crewe Alexandra |
A |
1–1 |
|
own goal |
| 16 December 1893 |
Burton Swifts |
H |
3–1 |
|
Campbell (2), Dean |
| 25 December 1893 |
Woolwich Arsenal |
A |
1–4 |
8,000 |
Wood |
| 30 December 1893 |
Newcastle United |
A |
1–2 |
3,000 |
Beats |
| 1 January 1894 |
Middlesbrough Ironopolis |
A |
1–3 |
4,000 |
unknown |
| 6 January 1894 |
Woolwich Arsenal |
H |
2–1 |
900 |
Dean, Wood |
| 13 January 1894 |
Burton Swifts |
A |
3–5 |
2,000 |
Elson, Dean, Campbell |
| 3 February 1894 |
Newcastle United |
H |
1–1 |
2,000 |
Wood |
| 10 February 1894 |
Walsall Town Swifts |
H |
1–2 |
3,000 |
Beats |
| 24 February 1894 |
Lincoln City |
A |
2–2 |
2,000 |
Beats (2) |
| 10 March 1894 |
Lincoln City |
H |
5–3 |
2,000 |
Campbell (2), Edwards (2), Scarratt |
| 24 March 1894 |
Small Heath |
A |
0–6 |
4,000 |
|
| 7 April 1894 |
Liverpool |
H |
2–2 |
5,000 |
Dean, Wood |
| 14 April 1894 |
Liverpool |
A |
1–2 |
5,000 |
Edwards |
FA Cup
Main article:
1893–94 FA CupPlayer statistics
Appearances
|
Scorers
All competitions
League
|
References
- ^ a b c d e 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.
- Kent, Jeff (1993). The Port Vale Record 1879-1993. Witan Books. ISBN 0-9508981-9-8.
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