1900–01 Burslem Port Vale F.C. season

Burslem Port Vale
1900–01 season
Chairman	Robert Audley
Secretary	Sam Gleaves
Stadium	Athletic Ground
Football League Second Division	9th (33 Points)
FA Cup	Intermediate Round; (knocked out by New Brighton Tower)
Birmingham Senior Cup	First Round; (knocked out by Stoke)
Staffordshire Senior Cup	Quarter-finals; (knocked out by Stoke)
Top goalscorer	League: Adrian Capes (10); All: Adrian Capes (11)
Highest home attendance	5,000 vs Walsall, 25 December 1900
Lowest home attendance	300 vs Burton Swifts, 30 March 1901
Average home league attendance	2,087+
Biggest win	4–0 and 5–1
Biggest defeat	1–6 vs. Grimsby Town, 8 September 1900
Home colours	Away colours

The 1900–01 season was Burslem Port Vale's third consecutive season (seventh overall) of football in the English Football League.^[1] Finishing in ninth place for the second time in three years, the club would have to wait over two decades before they would better such a finish. Vale was a typical mid-table team in 1900–01, with their home form slightly disappointing compared to teams around them. The team was settled; however, once again, poor attendance was an issue.

Overview

Second Division

The pre-season saw the return of Stoke legend Tommy Clare, now aged 35, and inside-left James Peake, following a season with Millwall Athletic.^[1] Otherwise local lads filled the void left by the stars that were sold off in the previous season.^[1] Only one point was gained in the opening three games, which included a 1–0 defeat to newly-elected Stockport County and a 6–1 thrashing at Grimsby Town. The team achieved a 2–0 victory over Lincoln City on 15 September, though only 2,000 turned out to the Athletic Ground to witness it. Heavy defeats on the road followed, however, as 4–0 losses came at Newton Heath and Middlesbrough. Vale achieved a surprise 1–0 win over league leaders Burnley on 13 October, though only 1,000 spectators were in attendance. A point away at Chesterfield followed despite the team playing with a man down for the first half as Danny Simpson had missed his train.^[1]

Five games without victory ended with a 2–0 triumph at Burton Swifts after Vale had signed forward Adrian Capes from them. The victory heralded an upturn in results, and Vale rose to eighth place heading into Christmas. The team were winning at Small Heath on 29 December when Billy Heames had to be carried from the field following a foul; Small Heath used the man advantage to equalise and went on to win the game amid protestation from the Vale players that the hosts were wearing boots with sharp studs, as evidenced by circled cuts in James Peake's knees. The team remain in good form, however, losing just one of their next seven games to leave themselves in sixth position by 9 March. The sole defeat came at league leaders Burnley, who were accused of employing "shady tactics". New player Bert Eardley was described as "one of the best outside-rights Port Vale have ever had" following a 1–1 draw at fourth-placed New Brighton Tower. The side fell to a 2–0 defeat to Middlesbrough on 11 March, however, which was the first home loss in the league since 17 November. The league campaign came to a close with three victories in four games, including a 4–0 home win over Burton Swifts in front of a crowd of just 300.^[1]

They ended the season in ninth place, having achieved just one point fewer than the previous season despite a greatly reduced playing budget. Capes finished as the top scorer, with Peake, Eardley, and Price contributing seven goals each. Goalkeeper Alfred Maybury made his debut on 8 September and never missed a match after that, though he was still released at the season's end (later joining Chesterfield).^[1] Eight other players managed at least 30 appearances (out of a possible 37), with George Price an ever-present. The defence was described as "consistent and sturdy", and Peake, Eardley, and Capes were praised for the turnaround in results.^[1] The policy of local youth continued, having been successful throughout the campaign.^[1] James Peake and Alfred Maybury departed, and full-back Frank Stokes was sold to Reading; but otherwise the original team was retained.^[1]

Finances

Financially, the club lost £73, which added to their £1,000 debt.^[1] Taking note from the previous campaign, the playing budget was reduced by over £750, though gate receipts dropped a further £235.^[1] Poor weather was blamed for the miserable support.^[1] The Shilling Fund raised only £47.^[1]

Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, a 3–1 home defeat was recorded to Second Division rivals New Brighton Tower in the opening round. The club also exited both the Birmingham Senior Cup and the Staffordshire Senior Cup at the first round stage with defeats to Potteries derby rivals Stoke.^[1]

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GAv	Pts
7	Woolwich Arsenal	34	15	6	13	39	35	1.114	36
8	Lincoln City	34	13	7	14	43	39	1.103	33
9	Burslem Port Vale	34	11	11	12	45	47	0.957	33
10	Newton Heath	34	14	4	16	42	38	1.105	32
11	Leicester Fosse	34	11	10	13	39	37	1.054	32

Source:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored

Results

Burslem Port Vale's score comes first

Football League Second Division

Results by matchday

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34
Ground	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H
Result	D	L	L	W	L	D	L	W	D	D	D	L	L	W	W	L	W	D	D	L	D	W	W	L	W	D	D	L	D	L	W	L	W	W
Position	9	12	17	12	16	16	16	16	14	15	14	15	15	12	11	11	9	8	9	11	11	9	7	8	7	7	6	7	8	8	8	9	9	9

Source: Statto^[2]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
1 September 1900	Small Heath	H	2–2	3,000	Price, Beech
3 September 1900	Stockport County	H	0–1	2,000
8 September 1900	Grimsby Town	A	1–6	4,000	Price
15 September 1900	Lincoln City	H	2–0	2,000	Price, Aston
22 September 1900	Newton Heath	A	0–4	5,000
29 September 1900	Glossop	H	0–0	2,000
6 October 1900	Middlesbrough	A	0–4	8,000
13 October 1900	Burnley	H	1–0	1,000	Peake
20 October 1900	Chesterfield	A	1–1	2,000	Price
27 October 1900	Leicester Fosse	A	0–0	9,000
3 November 1900	Grimsby Town	H	0–0	3,000
10 November 1900	Gainsborough Trinity	A	1–2		Peake
17 November 1900	New Brighton Tower	H	1–3	2,000	Capes
24 November 1900	Burton Swifts	A	2–0	600	Peake, Steadman
1 December 1900	Barnsley	H	3–2		Capes, Lander, Heames
8 December 1900	Woolwich Arsenal	A	0–3	7,000
15 December 1900	Blackpool	H	4–0	2,000	Price, Capes, Boullemier, Eardley
22 December 1900	Stockport County	A	1–1		Peake
25 December 1900	Walsall	H	2–2	5,000	Eardley, Heames
29 December 1900	Small Heath	A	1–2	6,000	Lander
12 January 1901	Lincoln City	A	2–2	2,000	Simpson, Capes
19 January 1901	Newton Heath	H	2–0	1,000	Capes (2)
9 February 1901	Glossop	A	2–1	4,000	Eardley, Beech
16 February 1901	Burnley	A	0–1	4,000
23 February 1901	Chesterfield	H	5–1	1,000	Peake (2), Boullemier, Heames, Eardley
2 March 1901	Leicester Fosse	H	0–0	2,000
9 March 1901	New Brighton Tower	A	1–1	3,000	Peake
11 March 1901	Middlesbrough	H	0–2	4,000
16 March 1901	Gainsborough Trinity	H	1–1		Simpson
23 March 1901	Walsall	A	1–2	2,000	Capes
30 March 1901	Burton Swifts	H	4–0	300	Price (2), Capes, Simpson
5 April 1901	Blackpool	A	1–2	800	Capes
6 April 1901	Barnsley	A	3–1		Eardley (2), Capes
13 April 1901	Woolwich Arsenal	H	1–0	1,000	Eardley

FA Cup


Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
IR	1 January 1901	New Brighton Tower	H	1–3	3,000	Capes

Birmingham Senior Cup


Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
1	24 September 1900	Stoke	A	0–1	1,500

Staffordshire Senior Cup


Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
QF	22 October 1900	Stoke	N	0–2

Player statistics

Appearances and goals

Pos.	Name	League		FA Cup		Other		Total
Pos.	Name	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
GK	Tom Poole	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
GK	Alfred Maybury	32	0	1	0	2	0	35	0
DF	Jim Beech	31	2	1	0	2	0	34	2
DF	Lucien Boullemier	29	2	1	0	2	0	32	2
DF	Frank Stokes	32	0	1	0	2	0	35	0
DF	Tommy Clare	5	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
DF	Tom Davies	29	0	1	0	2	0	32	0
DF	Ernest Mullineux	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
MF	Billy Heames	33	3	1	0	2	0	36	3
MF	Bert Eardley	27	7	1	0	2	0	30	7
MF	Tommy Aston	4	1	0	0	0	0	4	1
MF	Patrick Gallagher	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
MF	John Henshall	5	0	0	0	1	0	6	0
MF	W. H. Machin	4	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
MF	Robert Seaton	12	0	0	0	2	0	14	0
MF	Joseph Steadman	3	1	0	0	0	0	3	1
MF	Thomas Wainwright	14	0	0	0	0	0	14	0
FW	Danny Simpson	6	3	0	0	1	0	7	3
FW	George Price	34	7	1	0	2	0	37	7
FW	Tommy Lander	12	2	1	0	0	0	13	2
FW	Adrian Capes	24	10	1	1	0	0	25	11
FW	Alfred Pankhurst	5	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
FW	James Peake	28	7	1	0	2	0	31	7
FW	Howard Round	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0

Top scorers

Place	Position	Nation	Name	Second Division	FA Cup	Total
1	FW	England	Adrian Capes	10	1	11
2	MF	England	Bert Eardley	7	0	7
–	FW		James Peake	7	0	7
–	FW	England	George Price	7	0	7
5	FW	England	Danny Simpson	3	0	3
–	MF	England	Billy Heames	3	0	3
7	FW	England	Tommy Lander	2	0	2
–	DF		Jim Beech	2	0	2
–	DF	England	Lucien Boullemier	2	0	2
10	MF		Tommy Aston	1	0	1
–	MF	England	Joseph Steadman	1	0	1
			TOTALS	45	1	46

Transfers

Transfers in

Date from	Position	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
Summer 1900	FW	James Peake	Millwall Athletic	Free transfer	^[3]
May 1900	MF	Tommy Aston	Ironbridge	Free transfer	^[3]
May 1900	MF	Patrick Gallagher	Smallthorne United	Free transfer	^[3]
May 1900	FW	John Henshall	Hanley Swifts	Free transfer	^[3]
May 1900	GK	Alfred Maybury	Nantwich	Free transfer	^[3]
May 1900	DF	Ernest Mullineux	Burslem Park	Free transfer	^[3]
May 1900	FW	Alfred Pankhurst	Smallthorne	Free transfer	^[3]
July 1900	FW	Howard Round	Tunstall Casuals	Free transfer	^[3]
August 1900	MF	Albert Cook	North Staffs Nomads	Free transfer	^[3]
November 1900	FW	Adrian Capes	Burton Swifts	Free transfer	^[3]
March 1901	DF	Harry Croxton	Burslem Park	Free transfer	^[3]
April 1901	FW	Leonard Jones	Eastwood	Free transfer	^[3]

Transfers out

Date from	Position	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
September 1900	MF	Tommy Aston		Released	^[3]
Summer 1901	MF	S. E. Bayley		Released	^[3]
Summer 1901	DF	Tommy Clare	Retired		^[3]
Summer 1901	MF	Patrick Gallagher		Released	^[3]
Summer 1901	FW	John Henshall		Released	^[3]
Summer 1901	GK	Alfred Maybury	Chesterfield	Released	^[3]
Summer 1901	FW	Alfred Pankhurst	Smallthorne	Released	^[3]
Summer 1901	FW	James Peake		Released	^[3]
Summer 1901	GK	Tom Poole		Released	^[3]
Summer 1901	FW	Howard Round		Released	^[3]
Summer 1901	GK	William Saunders		Released	^[3]
Summer 1901	MF	Robert Seaton		Released	^[3]
Summer 1901	DF	Thomas Spilsbury	Retired		^[3]
Summer 1901	MF	Joseph Steadman		Released	^[3]
Summer 1901	DF	Frank Stokes	Reading	Free transfer	^[3]

References

Specific

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ 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.
^ Port Vale 1900–1901 : Results & Fixtures Archived 20 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa 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 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] Port Vale 1900–1901 : Results & Fixtures Archived 20 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.

[transfers-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.

[1]

[2]

[3]

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
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