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 league attendance 1,518+
Home colours

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.

Not long after his debut, left-half Billy Leech established himself as an essential first teamer.
Key player Lucien Boullemier.
Billy Heames rarely missed a game.
Bert Eardley played one, scored one.
Striker Danny Simpson was nearing the end of his playing career.
Striker George Price would be a key player the next season.

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. The club lost £73 over the course of the campaign, despite having trimmed ten times that figure from the playing budget.[2]

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
1The Wednesday341700617845231584223.818+ 6254
2Bolton Wanderers341421477863321879253.160+ 5452
3Small Heath3415115812557202678382.053+ 3046
4Newton Heath3415114411539191663272.333+ 3644
5Leicester Fosse341151348647192853361.472+ 2743
6Grimsby Town3410344624737212267461.457+ 2140
7Chesterfield3410433524629303665601.083+ 538
8Woolwich Arsenal34131347123311143161431.419+ 1836
9Lincoln City3411513193311153446431.070+ 336
10New Brighton Tower349444422458223666581.138+ 835
11Burslem Port Vale34112426163410133339490.7961034
12Walsall34105235182312153750550.909– 532
13Gainsborough Trinity3484537241313105147750.627– 2825
14Middlesbrough3484528150413115439690.565– 3024
15Burton Swifts3485431241115126043840.512– 3424
16Barnsley3485436230215105646790.582– 3323
17Luton Town3453925250512155040750.533– 2518
18Loughborough34161012260017674181000.180– 828

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
Round12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334
GroundAHHAHAHHAAHHAAHHAAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHH
Result L W L L W L W W W W W W L D W D L D D L L L D L D W L W L W W L W L
Position 16 8 10 12 9 12 8 6 5 4 4 4 5 6 5 6 6 7 6 7 8 8 9 9 9 9 9 8 9 10 9 9 9 11

Sourced from Statto.[3]

Football League Second Division

DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
2 September 1899 New Brighton TowerA0–23,000
4 September 1899 MiddlesbroughH3–12,000Harvey, Bayley, Grassam
9 September 1899 Grimsby TownH2–33,000Heames, Grassam
16 September 1899 Woolwich ArsenalA0–15,000
23 September 1899 BarnsleyH3–12,000Heames, Grassam, Harvey
30 September 1899 Leicester FosseA0–24,000
7 October 1899 Luton TownH1–02,500Boullemier
14 October 1899 Burton SwiftsH2–11,500Boullemier, Heames
21 October 1899 WalsallA1–03,000Reid
4 November 1899 ChesterfieldA4–02,000Harvey (3), Leech
11 November 1899 Gainsborough TrinityH1–01,000Harvey
25 November 1899 LoughboroughH3–1800Harvey, Walters, Reid
2 December 1899 Newton HeathA0–35,000
16 December 1899 Lincoln CityA1–1200Harvey
23 December 1899 Small HeathH3–0500Heames, Harvey, Price
30 December 1899 New Brighton TowerH1–12,000Harvey
2 January 1900 Bolton WanderersA0–52,570
6 January 1900 Grimsby TownA1–13,000Simpson
13 January 1900 Woolwich ArsenalH1–12,000Grassam
20 January 1900 BarnsleyA0–32,000
27 January 1900 Small HeathA1–25,000Whitehouse
3 February 1900 Leicester FosseH0–2600
10 February 1900 Luton TownA1–1500Eardley
12 February 1900 The WednesdayH0–32,000
17 February 1900 Burton SwiftsA2–2Walters, Beech
24 February 1900 WalsallH1–0700Heames
3 March 1900 MiddlesbroughA0–16,000
10 March 1900 ChesterfieldH2–01,500Simpson, Grassam
17 March 1900 Gainsborough TrinityA0–41,000
31 March 1900 LoughboroughA2–1500Price, Simpson
7 April 1900 Newton HeathH1–03,000Boullemier
14 April 1900 The WednesdayA0–45,000
21 April 1900 Lincoln CityH2–1300Price, Heames
23 April 1900 Bolton WanderersH0–2400

FA Cup

Main article: 1899–1900 FA Cup
RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
3Q28 October 1899 NantwichH2–0600Reid, Heames
4Q18 November 1899 Crewe AlexandraA2–24,000Harvey (2 [1 pen])
4Q Replay22 November 1899 Crewe AlexandraH3–11,500Harvey (pen), Walters, Grassam
5Q9 December 1899 Stalybridge RoversH0–13,000

Player statistics

Appearances

Pos. Name League FA Cup Total (+Senior Cup)
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GKEngland Herbert Birchenough 18030240
GK William Saunders 100010
GK Tom Poole 15010190
DF S.E. Bayley 210021
DF Jim Beech 31140411
DFEngland Lucien Boullemier 32340413
DF Tom McFarlane 31040410
DF Thomas Spilsbury 100010
DFEngland Frank Stokes 32040420
DFEngland Tom Davies 300030
DF Joseph Bennett 100010
MFEngland Billy Heames 31631398
MFEngland Ted McDonald 9000101
MF Billy Leech 26140361
MFEngland Bert Eardley 110011
FWEngland Danny Simpson 17300193
FW George Price 21300264
FW Tommy Lander 8020120
FWEngland Howard Harvey 1710432417
FW Frank Whitehouse 19100234
FW Charles Walters 10231163
FWScotland James Reid 17241255
FWScotland Billy Grassam 315414110

Scorers

All competitions

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

League

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

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 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. What If There Had Been No Port In The Vale?: Startling Port Vale Stories! (Witan Books, 2011, ISBN 978-0-9529152-8-7)
  3. Port Vale 1899–1900 : Results & Fixtures. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
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