1899–1900 Burslem Port Vale F.C. season

Burslem Port Vale
1899–1900 season
Chairman Robert Audley
Manager Sam Gleaves
Stadium Athletic Ground
Football League Second Division 11th (34 Points)
FA Cup Fifth Qualifying Round
Staffordshire Senior Cup Runners-up
Birmingham Senior Cup Runners-up
Top goalscorer League: Howard Harvey (10)
All: Howard Harvey (17)
Highest home attendance 3,000 vs Newton Heath (7 April 1900) & vs Grimsby Town (9 September 1899)
Lowest home attendance 300 vs Lincoln City (21 April 1900)
Average home attendance 1,518+
Home colours
← 1898–99 1900–01 →

The 1899–1900 season was Burslem Port Vale's second consecutive season (sixth overall) of football in the Football League.[1] Another season of charging to the summit of the Second Division table, only to fall into mid-table obscurity, this time the club suffered from low support and subsequently poor finances. Once again the team maintained a decent defensive record, only to fail miserably in front of goal – the second lowest total in the league.

Contents

Overview

Second Division

During the pre-season, the Athletic Ground had its capacity increased to 25,000. Last season's top scorers Dick Evans and James Peake departed for Reading and Millwall Athletic respectively; also star player Tommy Clare retired.[1] Four new forwards were signed, namely Scots Billy Grassam (Maryhill) and James Reid (Hibernian), and local lads Charles Walters (Gainsborough Trinity) and Billy Leech (Tottenham Hotspur).

The season started with four defeats in the first six games in a dismal September. They turned their form around with a six game win streak that gave them a 100% win record in October and November. However one win in the next thirteen games followed, as the club slipped back down the league. Their decline was helped by the regular selling of key players in order to balance the books.

Finances

Attendance figures made grim reading, and left-half Ted McDonald had to be sold to Notts County in November in order to raise cash.[1] Goalkeeper Herbert Birchenough was sold to Glossop in January, with top scorer Howard Harvey also sold to Manchester City that same month.[1] Their second to last match saw a mere 300 supporters turn up to watch. At the end of the season there were drastic budget cuts, even so much as to stop paying players wages over the summer period – the only club in the league to do so.[1] Cheaper, local talent was recruited to fill the void left by departing stars.

Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, the club vanquished nearby Nantwich and Crewe Alexandra, but failed to make it to the First Round Proper. They reached the final of the Staffordshire Senior Cup and the Birmingham Senior Cup, losing to West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers respectively.[1] West Brom defeated Vale 5–0 in the final at Villa Park, taking revenge for the "Valeites" dumping West Brom out of the Birmingham Cup by the same scoreline.[1]

Final league table

Pos Team Pld W D L F A W D L F A F A GA GD Pts
1 The Wednesday 34 17 0 0 61 7 8 4 5 23 15 84 22 3.818 + 62 54
2 Bolton Wanderers 34 14 2 1 47 7 8 6 3 32 18 79 25 3.160 + 54 52
3 Small Heath 34 15 1 1 58 12 5 5 7 20 26 78 38 2.053 + 30 46
4 Newton Heath 34 15 1 1 44 11 5 3 9 19 16 63 27 2.333 + 36 44
5 Leicester Fosse 34 11 5 1 34 8 6 4 7 19 28 53 36 1.472 + 27 43
6 Grimsby Town 34 10 3 4 46 24 7 3 7 21 22 67 46 1.457 + 21 40
7 Chesterfield 34 10 4 3 35 24 6 2 9 30 36 65 60 1.083 + 5 38
8 Woolwich Arsenal 34 13 1 3 47 12 3 3 11 14 31 61 43 1.419 + 18 36
9 Lincoln City 34 11 5 1 31 9 3 3 11 15 34 46 43 1.070 + 3 36
10 New Brighton Tower 34 9 4 4 44 22 4 5 8 22 36 66 58 1.138 + 8 35
11 Burslem Port Vale 34 11 2 4 26 16 3 4 10 13 33 39 49 0.796 – 10 34
12 Walsall 34 10 5 2 35 18 2 3 12 15 37 50 55 0.909 – 5 32
13 Gainsborough Trinity 34 8 4 5 37 24 1 3 13 10 51 47 75 0.627 – 28 25
14 Middlesbrough 34 8 4 5 28 15 0 4 13 11 54 39 69 0.565 – 30 24
15 Burton Swifts 34 8 5 4 31 24 1 1 15 12 60 43 84 0.512 – 34 24
16 Barnsley 34 8 5 4 36 23 0 2 15 10 56 46 79 0.582 – 33 23
17 Luton Town 34 5 3 9 25 25 0 5 12 15 50 40 75 0.533 – 25 18
18 Loughborough 34 1 6 10 12 26 0 0 17 6 74 18 100 0.180 – 82 8

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

Win Draw Loss

Football League Second Division

Main article: 1899–1900 Football League
Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
2 September 1899 New Brighton Tower A 0–2 3,000
4 September 1899 Middlesbrough H 3–1 2,000 Harvey, Bayley, Grassam
9 September 1899 Grimsby Town H 2–3 3,000 Heames, Grassam
16 September 1899 Woolwich Arsenal A 0–1 5,000
23 September 1899 Barnsley H 3–1 2,000 Heames, Grassam, Harvey
30 September 1899 Leicester Fosse A 0–2 4,000
7 October 1899 Luton Town H 1–0 2,500 Boullemier
14 October 1899 Burton Swifts H 2–1 1,500 Boullemier, Heames
21 October 1899 Walsall A 1–0 3,000 Reid
4 November 1899 Chesterfield A 4–0 2,000 Harvey (3), Leech
11 November 1899 Gainsborough Trinity H 1–0 1,000 Harvey
25 November 1899 Loughborough H 3–1 800 Harvey, Walters, Reid
2 December 1899 Newton Heath A 0–3 5,000
16 December 1899 Lincoln City A 1–1 200 Harvey
23 December 1899 Small Heath H 3–0 500 Heames, Harvey, Price
30 December 1899 New Brighton Tower H 1–1 2,000 Harvey
2 January 1900 Bolton Wanderers A 0–5 2,570
6 January 1900 Grimsby Town A 1–1 3,000 Simpson
13 January 1900 Woolwich Arsenal H 1–1 2,000 Grassam
20 January 1900 Barnsley A 0–3 2,000
27 January 1900 Small Heath A 1–2 5,000 Whitehouse
3 February 1900 Leicester Fosse H 0–2 600
10 February 1900 Luton Town A 1–1 500 Eardley
12 February 1900 The Wednesday H 0–3 2,000
17 February 1900 Burton Swifts A 2–2 Walters, Beech
24 February 1900 Walsall H 1–0 700 Heames
3 March 1900 Middlesbrough A 0–1 6,000
10 March 1900 Chesterfield H 2–0 1,500 Simpson, Grassam
17 March 1900 Gainsborough Trinity A 0–4 1,000
31 March 1900 Loughborough A 2–1 500 Price, Simpson
7 April 1900 Newton Heath H 1–0 3,000 Boullemier
14 April 1900 The Wednesday A 0–4 5,000
21 April 1900 Lincoln City H 2–1 300 Price, Heames
23 April 1900 Bolton Wanderers H 0–2 400

FA Cup

Main article: 1899–1900 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
3Q 28 October 1899 Nantwich H 2–0 600 Reid, Heames
4Q 18 November 1899 Crewe Alexandra A 2–2 4,000 Harvey (2 [1 pen])
4Q Replay 22 November 1899 Crewe Alexandra H 3–1 1,500 Harvey (pen), Walters, Grassam
5Q 9 December 1899 Stalybridge Rovers H 0–1 3,000

Player statistics

Appearances

Pos. Name League FA Cup Total (+Senior Cup)
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK Herbert Birchenough 18 0 3 0 24 0
GK William Saunders 1 0 0 0 1 0
GK Tom Poole 15 0 1 0 19 0
DF S.E. Bayley 2 1 0 0 2 1
DF Jim Beech 31 1 4 0 41 1
DF Lucien Boullemier 32 3 4 0 41 3
DF Tom McFarlane 31 0 4 0 41 0
DF Thomas Spilsbury 1 0 0 0 1 0
DF Frank Stokes 32 0 4 0 42 0
DF Tom Davies 3 0 0 0 3 0
DF Joseph Bennett 1 0 0 0 1 0
MF Billy Heames 31 6 3 1 39 8
MF Ted McDonald 9 0 0 0 10 1
MF Billy Leech 26 1 4 0 36 1
MF Bert Eardley 1 1 0 0 1 1
FW Danny Simpson 17 3 0 0 19 3
FW George Price 21 3 0 0 26 4
FW Johnny Lander 8 0 2 0 12 0
FW Howard Harvey 17 10 4 3 24 17
FW Frank Whitehouse 19 1 0 0 23 4
FW Charles Walters 10 2 3 1 16 3
FW James Reid 17 2 4 1 25 5
FW Billy Grassam 31 5 4 1 41 10

Scorers

All competitions

Scorer Goals
Howard Harvey 17
Billy Grassam 10
Billy Heames 8
James Reid 5
Frank Whitehouse 4
George Price
Danny Simpson 3
Charles Walters
Lucien Boullemier
S.E. Bayley 1
Jim Beech
Billy Leech
Bert Eardley
Ted McDonald

League

Scorer Goals
Howard Harvey 10
Billy Heames 6
Billy Grassam 5
Lucien Boullemier 3
Danny Simpson
George Price
Charles Walters 2
James Reid
S.E. Bayley 1
Jim Beech
Billy Leech
Bert Eardley
Frank Whitehouse

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g 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. 
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