1897–98 Burslem Port Vale F.C. season

Burslem Port Vale
1897–98 season
Chairman	Edward Oliver
Manager	Sam Gleaves
Stadium	Athletic Ground
Midland League	5th (23 points)
FA Cup	Second Round; (knocked out by Burnley)
Birmingham Senior Cup	First Round; (knocked out by West Bromwich Albion)
Staffordshire Senior Cup	Runners-up; (knocked out by West Bromwich Albion)
Top goalscorer	League: Danny Simpson (9); All: Dick Evans, Danny Simpson (11 each)
Highest home attendance	15,000 vs. Sheffield United, 2 February 1898
Lowest home attendance	500 vs. Burton Wanderers, 11 October 1897
Average home league attendance	1,400
Biggest win	5–0 and 6–1
Biggest defeat	0–3 (twice) and 1–4 (twice)
	Home colours
	Home colours
	← 1896–97 1898–99 →

The 1897–98 season was Burslem Port Vale's second season of football (fourth overall) in the Midland League.^[1] Their league form proved streaky, as they lost seven of their opening nine fixtures but recovered to post nine wins in 12 games from November to March, ending the campaign in fifth-place. However, they proved their worth in the cup competitions, particularly so in the FA Cup, beating Small Heath and eventual Football League First Division champions Sheffield United en route to the second round. In the Birmingham Senior Cup they took First Division side West Bromwich Albion to a second replay, whilst they beat Stoke in the semi-finals of the Staffordshire Senior Cup, losing out to West Bromwich Albion in the final. Their success earned them re-election back into the Football League.

Overview

Midland League

Burslem Port Vale retained the entire first-team of the 1896–97 campaign and strengthened the squad by signing four Stoke players: former England international right-back Tommy Clare, right-half Lucien Boullemier, left-winger Billy Heames and left-half Ted McDonald.^[1] They unveiled a new kit of red and white striped tops with blue knickers.^[1] The season opened with an "exciting" 2–2 draw with Burton Wanderers; the attendance at the Athletic Ground was a healthy 2,000, though Clare had trouble with his boots and played most of the match wearing just one of them.^[1] Two away defeats followed, and young reserve Frank Mitchell was then installed at centre-forward and proved an instant success, scoring a hat-trick in a 4–0 home win over Kettering.^[1] However, four league defeats later the players and directors met to discuss what was going wrong; the 1–0 defeat by Barnsley St Peter's was a particular calamity as goalkeeper Tom Poole punched the ball into his own net from an indirect free kick.^[1]

Four league defeats were followed by four straight league wins, including a double over third-placed Rushden.^[1] They then slipped to a 4–1 boxing day defeat at Kettering but recovered to beat Doncaster Rovers 4–0 to head into second-place on 3 January.^[1] This started a run of five wins and two draws from seven games, with Clare being credited for inspiring the players "with a confidence never before approached".^[1] However, they finished the campaign with two away defeats, ending up in fifth-place with 23 points from 22 games.^[1] Danny Simpson finished with a tally of nine league goals, indicating that the club could benefit from a consistent goalscorer at centre-forward.^[1] Nevertheless, the club's exploits in the FA Cup saw them achieve 18 votes in their successful application to rejoin the Football League.^[1]

Cup competitions

Vale found great success in the FA Cup, beating Football League Second Division side Small Heath 2–1 in the third qualification round thanks to a brace from Clare; Small Heath had originally proposed to switch the venue to Muntz Street for a £100 payment, but were refused.^[1] After a walkover victory against Kidderminster, they were fired by a "special inducement" and played "with dash and skill" to eliminate Burton Wanderers 2–1 to reach the first round proper.^[1] Eventual Football League First Division champions Sheffield United were expecting to romp to victory at Bramall Lane, but the Vale team were in confident mood and held out for a 1–1 draw, the home side only staying in the tie due to a dubious penalty.^[1] Vale rejected an offer of £250 to play the replay at Bramall Lane, and went on to win the tie 2–1; Dick Evans gave Vale a two-minute lead before United equalised with a rush goal eight minutes from time.^[1] In extra time, United goalkeeper William Foulke "acted in an idiotic manner" and was caught out of position as Vale's Billy Heames broke away, running half the length of the pitch before pulling the ball back for Lucien Boullemier to score the winning goal.^[1]^[2] Vale claimed earnings of £350 for the fixture as a crowd of 15,000 witnessed the giantkilling; the Burslem school board gave schoolchildren a special holiday so they could attend the game.^[1] Second Division leaders Burnley awaited in the second round, but Vale were below par as they slipped to a 3–0 defeat at Turf Moor.^[1]^[3]

Vale were pitted against high-flying First Division club West Bromwich Albion in the first round of the Birmingham Senior Cup and after two 0–0 draws were finally beaten 2–1 in the second replay.^[1] Vale confidently dispatched Burton Wanderers 5–0 in the first round of the Staffordshire Senior Cup.^[1] A 3–1 win over Potteries derby rivals Stoke in front of a home crowd of 7,000 took them into the final for the first time, where they again faced West Bromwich Albion, this time at the neutral venue of the Victoria Ground.^[1] A 8,500 crowd turned up, but West Brom denied Vale any silverware as they claimed a 2–1 victory.^[1]

Results

Burslem Port Vale's score comes first

Legend

Win	Draw	Loss

Midland League

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
6 September 1897	Burton Wanderers	H	2–2	2,000	T.Evans, Belfield
11 September 1897	Barnsley St Peter's	A	2–4	2,000	D.Evans, Belfield
18 September 1897	Long Eaton Rangers	A	0–3	1,000
25 September 1897	Kettering	H	4–0		Mitchell (3), Belfield
2 October 1897	Mexborough	A	0–2	splendid
9 October 1897	Barnsley St Peter's	H	0–1	1,200
16 October 1897	Burton Wanderers	A	1–4		Peake
23 October 1897	Chesterfield	H	1–2	1,000	McDonald
6 November 1897	Ilkeston Town	H	4–0	1,500	McDonald (2), Bayley, D.Evans
13 November 1897	Rushden	H	2–0	1,000	T.Evans, Simpson
4 December 1897	Mexborough	H	5–1		Heames (2), Simpson (2), Price
18 December 1897	Rushden	A	4–1		Price (2), Heames, T.Evans
26 December 1897	Kettering	A	1–4
3 January 1898	Doncaster Rovers	H	4–0	2,000	D.Evans (2), Simpson, Price
8 January 1898	Doncaster Rovers	A	0–0	1,500
15 January 1898	Glossop North End	A	1–0	2,000	Simpson
5 February 1898	Wellingborough Town	H	6–1	1,000	Simpson (2), D.Evans (2), T.Evans, Bayley (pen)
19 February 1898	Long Eaton Rangers	H	3–0	disgraceful	Mitchell (3)
26 February 1898	Chesterfield	A	1–1	4,000	Peake
12 March 1898	Glossop North End	H	4–2	1,500	Simpson (2), Hodgkinson, o.g.
9 April 1898	Ilkeston Town	A	1–2	1,500	Heames
16 April 1898	Wellingborough Town	A	0–2	600

FA Cup


Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
3Q	30 October 1897	Small Heath	H	2–1	2,000	D.Evans (2)
4Q	20 November 1897	Kidderminster	H	walkover
5Q	11 December 1897	Burton Wanderers	H	2–1	1,500	Beech, D.Evans
1R	29 January 1898	Sheffield United	A	1–1	14,000	McDonald
Replay	2 February 1898	Sheffield United	H	2–1	15,000	D.Evans, Boullemier
2R	12 February 1898	Burnley	A	0–3	11,000

Birmingham Senior Cup


Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
1R	13 December 1897	West Bromwich Albion	H	0–0	6,000
Replay	17 January 1898	West Bromwich Albion	A	0–0	3,000
Replay	7 February 1898	West Bromwich Albion	A	1–2	3,000	Simpson

Staffordshire Senior Cup


Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
1R	11 October 1897	Burton Wanderers	H	5–0	500	Belfield (2), T.Evans, D.Evans, Peake
SF	10 January 1898	Stoke	H	3–1	7,000	T.Evans, others
F	5 March 1898	West Bromwich Albion	N	1–2	8,500	Simpson (pen)

Player statistics

Appearances and goals

Pos.	Name	League		FA Cup		Birmingham Cup		Staffordshire Cup		Total
Pos.	Name	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
GK	George Lawton	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	0
GK	Herbert Birchenough	10	0	4	0	2	0	2	0	18	0
GK	Lowe	2	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	4	0
GK	Tom Poole	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
DF	Jim Beech	18	0	5	1	2	0	3	0	28	1
DF	George Hulme	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
DF	Thomas Spilsbury	16	0	5	0	2	0	3	0	26	0
DF	Tommy Clare	21	0	5	0	2	0	3	0	32	0
DF	McVicker	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
MF	Fred Belfield	9	3	1	0	0	0	1	2	11	5
MF	James Peake	17	2	4	0	1	0	3	1	25	3
MF	Smith	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	3	0
MF	S. E. Bayley	6	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	7	2
MF	Lucien Boullemier	16	0	5	1	2	0	2	0	25	1
MF	Thomas Goodall	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
MF	Billy Heames	17	4	4	0	2	0	2	0	25	4
MF	Charles Hodgkinson	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	1
MF	Ted McDonald	21	3	4	0	1	0	3	1	29	4
FW	Jim Mason	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
FW	Dick Evans	16	6	5	4	2	0	3	1	26	11
FW	Danny Simpson	15	9	5	0	3	1	2	1	25	11
FW	Ted Evans	17	4	5	0	1	0	3	2	26	6
FW	George Hewitt	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
FW	Frank Mitchell	6	6	0	0	0	0	1	0	7	6
FW	George Price	3	4	1	0	1	0	0	0	5	4

Top scorers

Place	Position	Nation	Name	Midland League	FA Cup	Other	Total
1	FW		Danny Simpson	9	0	2	11
–	FW	England	Dick Evans	6	4	1	11
3	FW		Frank Mitchell	6	0	0	6
–	FW	England	Ted Evans	4	0	2	6
5	MF	England	Fred Belfield	3	0	2	5
6	FW	England	George Price	4	0	0	4
–	MF	England	Billy Heames	4	0	0	4
–	MF	England	Ted McDonald	3	1	0	4
9	MF	England	James Peake	2	0	1	3
10	MF		S. E. Bayley	2	0	0	2
11	MF	England	Charles Hodgkinson	1	0	0	1
–	MF	England	Lucien Boullemier	0	1	0	1
–	DF		Jim Beech	0	1	0	1
–	–	–	Unknown	0	0	2	2
–	–	–	Own goals	1	0	0	1
			TOTALS	45	7	10	62

Transfers

Transfers in

Date from	Position	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
1897	GK	Lowe		Free transfer	^[4]
Summer 1897	MF	Lucien Boullemier	Stoke	Free transfer	^[4]
Summer 1897	DF	Tommy Clare	Stoke	Free transfer	^[4]
Summer 1897	MF	Thomas Goodall	Audley	Free transfer	^[4]
Summer 1897	DF	Billy Heames	Stoke	Free transfer	^[4]
Summer 1897	MF	Ted McDonald	Stoke	Free transfer	^[4]
Summer 1897	FW	Frank Mitchell		Free transfer	^[4]
Autumn 1897	MF	S. E. Bayley		Free transfer	^[4]
October 1897	GK	Herbert Birchenough	Audley	Free transfer	^[4]
October 1897	GK	Tom Poole	Crewe Carriage Works	Free transfer	^[4]
1898	MF	Charles Hodgkinson		Free transfer	^[4]

Transfers out

Date from	Position	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
1898	GK	George Lawton	Porthill	Released	^[4]
1898	GK	Lowe		Released	^[4]
1898	MF	Smith		Released	^[4]
1898	FW	Jim Mason		Released	^[4]
Summer 1898	FW	George Hewitt		Released	^[4]

References

Specific

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w 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.
^ "The Giant Killers". The Giant Killers. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
^ Fielding, Rob (18 June 2020). "The most important giantkilling in Port Vale's history took place in 1898". onevalefan.co.uk. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p 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.

[Kent-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w 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.

[2] "The Giant Killers". The Giant Killers. Retrieved 18 June 2020.

[3] Fielding, Rob (18 June 2020). "The most important giantkilling in Port Vale's history took place in 1898". onevalefan.co.uk. Retrieved 18 June 2020.

[transfers-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e Port Vale F.C. seasons
1880–81 1881–82 1882–83 1883–84 1884–85 1885–86 1886–87 1887–88 1888–89 1889–90
1890–91 1891–92 1892–93 1893–94 1894–95 1895–96 1896–97 1897–98 1898–99 1899–00
1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10
1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20
1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30
1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40
1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50
1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60
1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70
1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80
1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90
1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00
2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10
2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20
2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26 2026–27 2027–28 2028–29 2029–30