1930–31 Port Vale F.C. season

The 1930–31 season was Port Vale's 25th season of football in the English Football League, and their 34th in the Second Division following their promotion from the Third Division North the previous season.^[1] They finished fifth with 47 points, making it the most successful season in the club's history in terms of league position. They were seven points short of promotion to the top-flight, and seventeen points clear of relegation.

Port Vale

1930–31 season
Chairman	Frank Huntbach
Manager	Tom Morgan
Stadium	The Old Recreation Ground
Football League Second Division	5th (47 Points)
FA Cup	Fourth Round (knocked out by Birmingham)
Top goalscorer	League: Sam Jennings (16) All: Sam Jennings (17)
Highest home attendance	18,043 vs. West Bromwich Albion, 3 April 1931
Lowest home attendance	5,570 vs. Bradford City, 2 May 1931
Average home league attendance	10,445
Biggest win	8–2 vs. Bradford Park Avenue, 22 September 1930
Biggest defeat	0–5 vs. Tottenham Hotspur, 29 November 1930
Home colours
← 1929–30 1931–32 →

Long-serving Billy Briscoe was given a free transfer to Congleton Town at the end of the season.^[1]

Chairman Frank Huntbach.

Right-back Jack Maddock joined Crewe Alexandra at the end of the season.

Scottish midfielder Bob Connelly.

Inside-forward Albert Pynegar.

Midfielder Jack Round.

Overview

Second Division

The pre-season saw the arrival of goalscoring forward Harry Roberts from Lincoln City; big goalkeeper Arthur Slater from Clapton Orient; and young outside-left Clarence Spencer from Birmingham F.C.^[1]

The season started with a stylish 5–2 victory over Barnsley in front of a disappointingly low attendance of under 10,000.^[1] Two defeats followed, and Albert Pynegar put in a transfer request after being dropped from the first team. Bob Connelly picked up an injury and so Jack Round was signed from Bolton Wanderers.^[1] On 20 September they travelled to Goodison Park to triumph over previously undefeated league leaders Everton 3–2 in front of 27,142 spectators.^[1] Two days later they tore Bradford Park Avenue apart 8–2, with a four-goal haul from Sam Jennings.^[1][2] On 4 October they travelled to Home Park, where they lost 2–1 to Plymouth Argyle; later in the day a horrific tragedy almost killed many of the Vale players – they had hired a speedboat at Devon resort which burst into flames whilst at sea, fortunately the pilot managed to extinguish the flames and returned them safely to harbour.^[1]

Pynegar left the club in October following rumours of a rift with teammate Jennings, he signed with Chesterfield of the Third Division North.^[1] Bert Fishwick was a more than able deputy.^[1] The defensive duo of Jimmy Oakes and Shino Shenton also proved formidable at the back.^[1] On 29 November promotion dreams took a knock at White Hart Lane, Spurs picking up a 5–0 win.^[1] Despite competing at the top end of the table The Old Recreation Ground rarely saw much more than 10,000 spectators.^[1] In December, reserve half-back George Whitcombe was sold to Notts County for 'a substantial amount', the money went towards ground improvements.^[1] The following month £10,000 worth of mortgage debenture bonds were released to the same ends.^[1] The Football Association would reject the club's ground improvement scheme, without giving a reason.^[1]

As the season entered its final stretch top scorer Jennings was dropped from the squad, and no adequate replacement was found until Stewart Littlewood was re-signed from Oldham Athletic, with Fishwick sold to Tranmere Rovers in order to meet Oldham's demands.^[1] In early April the "Valiants" beat high-flying West Bromwich Albion and Tottenham Hotspur, thereby keeping hopes of promotion high.^[1] West Brom won the return leg at The Hawthorns to put daylight between the two clubs.^[1] In late April Vale travelled to the Netherlands for a short tour, beating Dutch Southern XI 5–1 and Zwaluwen 2–0.^[1]

They finished fifth with 47 points, making it the most successful season in the club's history in terms of league position.^[1] They were seven points short of second placed West Bromwich Albion. Only 61 goals were conceded, a record bettered only by West Brom and Spurs. A 67 goals scored tally however was almost half that of champions Everton. Sam Jennings finished with 17 goals, and Phil Griffiths and Harry Roberts were the only other major contributors. The ground improvements paid for were 3,500 seats on the Bryan Street stand, with a covered terrace.^[1]

Finances

On the financial side, an £800 loss was made, with the weather blamed for an average gate figure of 10,537. Numerous players were released, including Billy Briscoe, Frank Watkin, and Jack Maddock.^[1] Harry Roberts was also sold to Millwall.^[1] Meanwhile, Stewart Littlewood was also selected by the FA for a summer tour of Canada.^[1]

Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, Vale overcame amateur side Corinthians 3–1 in the Third Round, but then found themselves eliminated by First Division Birmingham at St Andrew's in the Fourth Round. The 44,119 attendance raised £2,763 for the club.^[1]

League table

Main article: 1930–31 Football League

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GAv	Pts	Relegation
1	Everton (C, P)	42	28	5	9	121	66	1.833	61	Promotion to the First Division
2	West Bromwich Albion (P)	42	22	10	10	83	49	1.694	54
3	Tottenham Hotspur	42	22	7	13	88	55	1.600	51
4	Wolverhampton Wanderers	42	21	5	16	84	67	1.254	47
5	Port Vale	42	21	5	16	67	61	1.098	47
6	Bradford Park Avenue	42	18	10	14	97	66	1.470	46
7	Preston North End	42	17	11	14	83	64	1.297	45
8	Burnley	42	17	11	14	81	77	1.052	45
9	Southampton	42	19	6	17	74	62	1.194	44
10	Bradford City	42	17	10	15	61	63	0.968	44
11	Stoke City	42	17	10	15	64	71	0.901	44
12	Oldham Athletic	42	16	10	16	61	72	0.847	42
13	Bury	42	19	3	20	75	82	0.915	41
14	Millwall	42	16	7	19	71	80	0.888	39
15	Charlton Athletic	42	15	9	18	59	86	0.686	39
16	Bristol City	42	15	8	19	54	82	0.659	38
17	Nottingham Forest	42	14	9	19	80	85	0.941	37
18	Plymouth Argyle	42	14	8	20	76	84	0.905	36
19	Barnsley	42	13	9	20	59	79	0.747	35
20	Swansea Town	42	12	10	20	51	74	0.689	34
21	Reading (R)	42	12	6	24	72	96	0.750	30	Relegation to the Third Division South
22	Cardiff City (R)	42	8	9	25	47	87	0.540	25

Source:^{[citation needed]}
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

Results

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	35	36	37	38	39	40	41	42
Ground	H	A	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H
Result	W	L	D	L	W	W	W	L	L	W	W	L	D	W	W	W	L	W	L	W	D	L	L	W	L	L	W	W	L	W	W	L	L	D	W	W	W	L	L	D	W	W
Position	7	10	11	12	10	10	7	9	10	9	6	9	9	7	6	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	10	8	9	10	7	6	6	6	5	6	8	8	7	4	4	4	8	7	6	5

Source: Statto^[3]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
30 August 1930	Barnsley	H	5–2	9,853	Pynegar (2), Jennings (2), Griffiths
3 September 1930	Bradford City	A	1–2	16,000	Jennings
6 September 1930	Bristol City	A	1–1	13,206	Jennings
8 September 1930	Bradford Park Avenue	A	1–5	10,296	Anstiss
13 September 1930	Cardiff City	H	2–0	9,693	Griffiths, Baxter
20 September 1930	Everton	A	3–2	27,142	Baxter, Pynegar, Anstiss
22 September 1930	Bradford Park Avenue	H	8–2	8,621	Jennings (4), Anstiss (2), Griffiths, o.g.
27 September 1930	Bury	H	0–1	12,906
4 October 1930	Plymouth Argyle	A	1–2	20,243	Griffiths
11 October 1930	Swansea Town	H	2–0	10,970	Jennings, Griffiths
18 October 1930	Reading	A	3–0	10,927	Anstiss, Spencer, Jones
25 October 1930	Wolverhampton Wanderers	H	0–1	9,578
1 November 1930	Oldham Athletic	A	3–3	11,625	Fishwick, Marshall, Griffiths
8 November 1930	Nottingham Forest	H	3–2	9,753	Jennings, Fishwick, Griffiths
15 November 1930	Burnley	A	2–1	12,277	Fishwick (2)
22 November 1930	Preston North End	H	1–0	10,086	Jennings
29 November 1930	Tottenham Hotspur	A	0–5	23,609
6 December 1930	Southampton	H	1–0	8,828	Jennings
13 December 1930	Stoke City	A	0–1	26,609
20 December 1930	Millwall	H	3–2	8,448	Roberts, Jennings, Round (pen)
25 December 1930	Charlton Athletic	H	1–1	15,827	Roberts
26 December 1930	Charlton Athletic	A	1–3	4,768	Anstiss
27 December 1930	Barnsley	A	2–5	6,469	Jennings, Roberts
3 January 1931	Bristol City	H	1–0	7,411	Griffiths
17 January 1931	Cardiff City	A	1–2	10,455	Roberts
26 January 1931	Everton	H	1–3	9,028	Roberts
31 January 1931	Bury	A	3–0	3,430	Jennings, Roberts, Henshall
7 February 1931	Plymouth Argyle	H	2–1	10,236	Jennings, Roberts
14 February 1931	Swansea Town	A	1–2	8,602	Henshall
21 February 1931	Reading	H	2–1	8,474	Roberts, Chell
7 March 1931	Oldham Athletic	H	2–0	7,720	Marshall, Oakes
11 March 1931	Wolverhampton Wanderers	A	0–3	4,243
14 March 1931	Nottingham Forest	A	0–1	9,281
21 March 1931	Burnley	H	0–0	9,185
28 March 1931	Preston North End	A	3–1	7,696	Griffiths (2), Littlewood
3 April 1931	West Bromwich Albion	H	1–0	18,043	Littlewood
4 April 1931	Tottenham Hotspur	H	3–0	14,290	Griffiths (2), Round (pen)
6 April 1931	West Bromwich Albion	A	1–4	23,879	Griffiths
11 April 1931	Southampton	A	0–2	9,452
18 April 1931	Stoke City	H	0–0	13,403
25 April 1931	Millwall	A	1–0	8,188	Roberts
2 May 1931	Bradford City	H	1–0	5,570	Rowbotham

FA Cup

Main article: 1930–31 FA Cup

Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
R1	10 January 1931	Corinthians	A	3–1	12,832	Roberts (2), Jennings
R2	24 January 1931	Birmingham	A	0–2	44,119

Player statistics

Appearances

Pos.	Name	Football League		FA Cup		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
GK	Ben Davies	28	0	2	0	30	0
GK	Arthur Slater	14	0	0	0	14	0
DF	Jimmy Oakes	39	1	2	0	41	1
DF	Jack Maddock	3	0	0	0	3	0
DF	Billy Wootton	4	0	0	0	4	0
DF	George Shenton	40	0	2	0	42	0
DF	William Cope	35	0	2	0	37	0
MF	Bob Connelly	1	0	0	0	1	0
MF	Roger Jones	40	1	2	0	42	1
MF	Jack Simms	1	0	0	0	1	0
MF	Phil Griffiths	37	13	2	0	39	13
MF	Bert Fishwick	11	4	1	0	12	4
MF	Tom Baxter	15	2	1	0	16	2
MF	Dennis Izon	1	0	0	0	1	0
MF	Clarence Spencer	11	1	1	0	12	1
MF	Jack Round	38	2	2	0	40	2
MF	James Henshall	18	2	0	0	18	2
MF	George Whitcombe	3	0	0	0	3	0
MF	Jack Sherlock	7	0	0	0	7	0
FW	Harry Anstiss	15	6	2	0	17	6
FW	Albert Pynegar	9	3	0	0	9	3
FW	Harry Marshall	24	2	0	0	24	2
FW	Sam Jennings	31	16	1	1	32	17
FW	Harry Roberts	24	9	2	2	26	11
FW	Harry Rowbotham	1	1	0	0	1	1
FW	Joseph Chell	2	1	0	0	2	1
FW	Stewart Littlewood	10	2	0	0	10	2

Top scorers

Place	Position	Nation	Name	Second Division	FA Cup	Total
1	FW	England	Sam Jennings	16	1	17
2	MF	Wales	Phil Griffiths	13	0	13
3	FW	England	Harry Roberts	9	2	11
4	FW	England	Harry Anstiss	6	0	6
5	MF	England	Bert Fishwick	4	0	4
6	FW	England	Albert Pynegar	3	0	3
7	MF	England	Tom Baxter	2	0	2
–	FW	England	Harry Marshall	2	0	2
–	MF	England	Jack Round	2	0	2
–	FW	England	Stewart Littlewood	2	0	2
–	MF	England	James Henshall	2	0	2
12	DF	England	Jimmy Oakes	1	0	1
–	MF	England	Roger Jones	1	0	1
–	MF	England	Clarence Spencer	1	0	1
–	FW	England	Harry Rowbotham	1	0	1
–	FW	England	Joseph Chell	1	0	1
–	–	–	Own goals	1	0	1
			TOTALS	67	3	70

Transfers

Transfers in

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
June 1930	FW		Harry Roberts	Lincoln City	£100	^[4]
June 1930	GK		Arthur Slater	Clapton Orient	Free transfer	^[4]
March 1931	FW		Stewart Littlewood	Oldham Athletic	Undisclosed club record	^[4]
April 1931	FW		Harry Rowbotham	Cheddleton Mental Hospital	Free transfer	^[4]

Transfers out

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
October 1930	FW		Albert Pynegar	Chesterfield	£200	^[5]
December 1930	MF		George Whitcombe	Notts County	'Substantial'	^[4]
March 1931	FW		Bert Fishwick	Tranmere Rovers	Undisclosed	^[4]
April 1931	FW		Harry Roberts	Millwall	Undisclosed	^[4]
April 1931	DF		Frank Watkin	Congleton Town	Free transfer	^[4]
May 1931	FW		Harry Anstiss	Swansea Town	Free transfer	^[4]
May 1931	FW		Billy Briscoe	Congleton Town	Free transfer	^[4]
May 1931	MF		Phil Griffiths	Everton	£6,000	^[4]
May 1931	MF		Jack Simms	Swansea Town	Free transfer	^[4]
July 1931	DF		Jack Maddock	Crewe Alexandra	Free transfer	^[4]
August 1931	FW		Henry O'Grady	Southampton	Free transfer	^[4]

References

Specific

1. Kent, Jeff (1990). "From Glory to Despair (1929–1939)". The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale. Witan Books. pp. 124–150. ISBN 0-9508981-4-7.
2. Fielding, Rob (7 June 2021). "Photo Essay: Port Vale hit eight in 1930 with Sam Jennings scoring four". onevalefan.co.uk. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
3. Port Vale 1930–1931 : Results & Fixtures 6 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
4. Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
5. "Misc. Transfer fees from the Chesterfield FC minute books". Google Docs. Retrieved 13 February 2023.

General

• Kent, Jeff (1993). The Port Vale Record 1879-1993. Witan Books. ISBN 0-9508981-9-8.