| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Albert Finch Valentine | ||
| Date of birth | June 3, 1907 | ||
| Place of birth | Higher Ince[1], England | ||
| Date of death | 1990 | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1928?-1929? | Southport | 21 | (17) |
| 1929?-1930 | Cardiff City | 16 | (3) |
| 1931? | Wigan Borough | 12 | (2) |
| 1932? | Chester | 2 | (1) |
| 1932? | Crewe Alexandra | 5 | (2) |
| 1933-1934 | Macclesfield Town | ? | (?) |
| 1934-1937 | Halifax Town | 114 | (89) |
| 1937 | Stockport County | 0 | (0) |
| 1938 | Accrington Stanley | 7 | (1) |
| 1938 | Doncaster Rovers | 4 | (3) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Albert Finch Valentine (3 June 1907-1990[1]) was a footballer who played as a forward in England and Wales during the 1920s and 1930s.[1]
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Valentine was a prolific striker who still holds the club record for scoring the most league goals in a single season at Halifax Town[2] and Macclesfield Town. His early professional career was unspectacular and in his mid twenties he had dropped into non-league football. His record breaking started off in the Cheshire County League with Macclesfield, where he scored an astonishing 83 goals in the 1933/1934 season. The following season he moved back into the Football League joining Halifax and during his first campaign he netted 34 goals in 37 games. His contribution helped the team to finish 2nd in Division Three North.
He joined Halifax for a fee of £500 from Macclesfield Town. During that first season, success on the field helped the club to make a rare profit totaling £1100. The much needed funds paid off a chunk of their £3500 debts.
He scored on his league debut at Halifax on 25 August 1934 in the 2-1 victory over Mansfield Town at The Shay. The highpoint of his first season was on 9 March 1936 when bagged 5 goals in the 6-2 home victory over New Brighton. Over the next two seasons he scored 4 goals in a game on 2 occasions, against Oldham Athletic and Rotherham United, and a hat-trick against Hartlepool United. In his time at The Shay he continued to prosper and his goals tally for 1935/1936 was 30 and 25 for 1936/1937.
In view of his achievements it was somewhat of a surprise when Valentine was released from the club in 1937. He played his last game for Halifax on 1 May 1937 in their 4-1 thrashing of Crewe Alexandra and in true fashion he signed of with 2 goals. He went on to play for Stockport County, Accrington Stanley and Doncaster Rovers - all within 12 months of leaving The Shay.