1934–35 Port Vale F.C. season

The 1934–35 season was Port Vale's 29th season of football in the English Football League, and their fifth successive season (28th overall) in the Second Division.^[1] A positive start to the season raised hope of promotion; however, from October onwards the club performed so poorly as to finish fifth-from-bottom. One event of note was a six-week discussion over a possible change of name; the names Stoke Central, Stoke United, Stoke North End, and Hanley Port Vale were considered – however none of these names attracted enough support to institute a change.

Port Vale

1934–35 season
Chairman	Frank Huntbach
Manager	Tom Holford
Stadium	The Old Recreation Ground
Football League Second Division	18th (34 Points)
FA Cup	Third Round (knocked out by West Bromwich Albion)
Top goalscorer	League: Tom Nolan (16) All: Tom Nolan (16)
Highest home attendance	18,989 vs. West Bromwich Albion, 12 January 1935
Lowest home attendance	3,860 vs. Fulham, 27 April 1935
Average home league attendance	8,463
Biggest win	4–0 vs. Barnsley, 5 January 1935
Biggest defeat	0–8 vs. Brentford, 20 April 1935
Home colours
← 1933–34 1935–36 →

Manager Tom Holford.

Chairman Frank Huntbach declared "the prospects of this club are very bright" at the start of the campaign.^[1]

Midfielder Jack Round.

Overview

Second Division

The pre-season saw the arrival of eight new signings, the most significant of these were: 'safe as houses' goalkeeper John Potts (Leeds United), 'outstanding' outside-right John Friar (Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic), inside-left David Galloway (Preston North End), and centre-half Joe Craven (Swansea Town).^[1]

The season started with just one defeat in the opening eight games, leaving the club in fourth place by the end of September – mostly down to the goalscoring partnership of Friar and Nolan.^[1] Home victories over Sheffield United, Southampton, Manchester United, and Burnley nevertheless saw attendances of only 7,311 to 11,975.^[1] Following this they went on a run of twelve games without a win, with an over-reliance on Friar and Nolan in attack, whilst the defence lacked understanding.^[1] The team was changed around but to no avail, as they slipped down the league towards a relegation battle.^[1] In the middle of December Friar was sold on to Preston North End, having scored ten goals in eighteen games, with the 'more steady' Ted Critchley heading in the other direction.^[1] Their poor form was halted with a Christmas day victory over Bradford City.^[1] The team were then inconsistent until the end of the season.

The 2 February match programme (for a 2–1 victory over Swansea) recorded a discussion on whether or not the club should change its name.^[1] Coming to the conclusion that many people didn't know where Port Vale was, Stoke Central and Stoke United were put forward as possible new names.^[1] A discussion with the fans resulted, in which Stoke United was decided as the best alternative, despite calls from some for the name Hanley to be included.^[1] On 2 March (a 1–1 draw with Norwich City) each supporter was given a ballot slip upon entering The Old Recreation Ground, with the result of the poll being that 3,737 were in favour of a change of name, and 3,633 opposed a change.^[1] A shareholders' meeting on 18 March at the Grand Hotel (Hanley) saw the directors suggest the name of Stoke North End to the 100 members present.^[1] Finding little support, a resolution was instead passed for the new name of Hanley Port Vale.^[1] The Football League forced them to wait until the end of the season to implement a name change, having already printed countless papers with the original name.^[1] However the new name proved to be unpopular with the public, who criticized the club for being too parochial and 'lacking civic pride'.^[1] The change of name never took place.^[1]

Back on the pitch, the team were bobbing along, picking up enough points to avoid concerns over relegation – whereas Oldham Athletic and Notts County were rapidly drifting away from safety.^[1] On 9 March at St James' Park the Vale picked up a shock result by beating promotion hopefuls Newcastle United 2–1 – their first away win in 24 attempts, ending a run going back to January 1934.^[1] Nolan's stand-in James Baker bagged both of the goals.^[1] On 19 April a 5–3 beating of Notts County proved enough to all but guarantee safety, yet Vale still earned just two points from their final four games.^[1] On 20 April they lost a massive 8–0 to champions Brentford – the biggest defeat in the division that season.^[1]

They finished eighteenth with 34 points, eight points clear of relegation, and 22 points short of promotion.^[1] Away from home they recorded just the one win, whilst in front of goal their 55 goals scored was their lowest total since 1925 (after which the offside rule had been changed to make scoring easier).^[1] Tom Nolan's sixteen goals and the departed John Friar's ten goals were the only significant contributions.^[1]

Finances

On the financial side, a mere £11,120 was made on the gates, though a £3,775 credit on transfers ensured a profit of £2,415.^[1] Only fourteen players were retained, with those leaving including: James Baker (Barrow), Bob Morton (Throckley Welfare), Jack Blackwell (Boston United), Joe Craven (Newport County), David Galloway (Carlisle United), Ted Critchley (South Liverpool), and 128 game veteran Jack Round (also Carlisle).^[1]

Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, Vale were defeated 2–1 by eventual runners-up West Bromwich Albion of the First Division at The Hawthorns.^[1] The 18,989 crowd saw £1,000 raised in gate receipts, and a comeback from the "Throstles" just six minutes from time.^[1] This meant they exited at the Third Round for the third consecutive season.

League table

Main article: 1934–35 Football League

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GAv	Pts
16	Barnsley	42	13	12	17	60	83	0.723	38
17	Swansea Town	42	14	8	20	56	67	0.836	36
18	Port Vale	42	11	12	19	55	74	0.743	34
19	Southampton	42	11	12	19	46	75	0.613	34
20	Bradford City	42	12	8	22	50	68	0.735	32

Source:^{[citation needed]}

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	H	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A
Result	W	D	L	W	D	W	D	W	L	L	D	L	L	D	L	L	L	D	L	D	W	L	L	W	L	W	L	D	W	L	D	W	D	L	L	L	W	W	L	L	D	D
Position	1	4	11	4	5	4	4	4	5	10	9	12	13	14	15	18	18	18	19	20	16	18	19	19	19	18	18	18	17	18	17	17	16	17	19	19	18	17	17	18	19	18

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

Matches

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
25 August 1934	Sheffield United	H	2–0	11,975	Nolan, Friar
27 August 1934	Southampton	A	0–0	6,977
1 September 1934	Barnsley	A	0–2	9,370
3 September 1934	Southampton	H	4–1	7,746	Friar (2), Nolan, Morton
8 September 1934	Plymouth Argyle	H	2–2	10,133	Nolan (2)
15 September 1934	Manchester United	H	3–2	9,037	Friar (2 [1 pen]), Nolan
22 September 1934	Swansea Town	A	1–1	5,698	Nolan
29 September 1934	Burnley	H	3–1	7,311	Friar (2), Nolan
6 October 1934	Oldham Athletic	A	0–2	6,069
13 October 1934	Bolton Wanderers	H	1–3	16,839	Nolan
20 October 1934	Norwich City	A	0–0	14,195
27 October 1934	Newcastle United	H	1–3	11,036	Rhodes
3 November 1934	West Ham United	A	1–3	19,391	Rhodes
10 November 1934	Blackpool	H	2–2	7,656	Gunn, Rhodes
17 November 1934	Bury	A	1–3	8,278	Friar
24 November 1934	Hull City	H	1–2	6,086	Friar
1 December 1934	Nottingham Forest	A	0–2	13,576
8 December 1934	Brentford	H	2–2	8,054	Friar, Nolan
15 December 1934	Fulham	A	0–2	8,138
22 December 1934	Bradford Park Avenue	H	1–1	6,251	Morton
25 December 1934	Bradford City	H	1–0	8,436	Nolan
26 December 1934	Bradford City	A	0–3	13,727
29 December 1934	Sheffield United	A	0–3	16,520
5 January 1935	Barnsley	H	4–0	6,074	Rhodes, Morton, Mitcheson, Blackwell
19 January 1935	Plymouth Argyle	A	1–2	14,051	Rhodes
2 February 1935	Swansea Town	H	2–1	7,081	Nolan (2)
6 February 1935	Manchester United	A	1–2	7,372	Rhodes
9 February 1935	Burnley	A	2–2	9,830	Dean (2)
16 February 1935	Oldham Athletic	H	2–0	5,473	Dean, Critchley
23 February 1935	Bolton Wanderers	A	0–2	18,897
2 March 1935	Norwich City	H	1–1	8,284	Morton
9 March 1935	Newcastle United	A	2–1	23,934	Baker (2)
16 March 1935	West Ham United	H	2–2	12,853	Baker, Mitcheson
23 March 1935	Blackpool	A	1–3	7,268	Baker
30 March 1935	Bury	H	0–1	7,869
6 April 1935	Hull City	A	0–1	3,569
13 April 1935	Nottingham Forest	H	2–0	6,389	Nolan (2)
19 April 1935	Notts County	H	5–3	9,010	Birks (2), Mitcheson (2), Nolan
20 April 1935	Brentford	A	0–8	18,194
22 April 1935	Notts County	A	2–3	6,765	Blackwell, Nolan
27 April 1935	Fulham	H	1–1	3,860	Birks
4 May 1935	Bradford Park Avenue	A	1–1	3,634	Birks

FA Cup

Main article: 1934–35 FA Cup

Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
R3	12 January 1935	West Bromwich Albion	A	1–2	18,989	Morton

Player statistics

Appearances

Pos.	Name	Football League		FA Cup		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
GK	John Potts	42	0	1	0	43	0
DF	George Shenton	15	0	0	0	15	0
DF	Jack Vickers	26	0	1	0	27	0
DF	Trevor Rhodes	35	6	1	0	36	6
DF	Ernest Breeze	25	0	1	0	26	0
DF	Percy Thorpe	1	0	0	0	1	0
DF	Jim Kelso	15	0	0	0	15	0
DF	Eric Hayward	4	0	0	0	4	0
MF	Roger Jones	29	0	1	0	30	0
MF	Jack Round	26	0	1	0	27	0
MF	Bob Morton	35	4	1	1	36	5
MF	Cliff Birks	11	4	0	0	11	4
MF	Albert Purcell	2	0	0	0	2	0
MF	Ken Gunn	31	1	0	0	31	1
MF	Albert Titley	4	0	0	0	4	0
MF	John Friar	18	10	0	0	18	10
MF	Arthur Caldwell	1	0	0	0	1	0
MF	Joe Craven	11	0	0	0	11	0
MF	Sam Briddon	0	0	0	0	0	0
FW	Tom Nolan	39	16	1	0	40	16
FW	Fred Mitcheson	31	4	1	0	32	4
FW	Jack Blackwell	12	2	0	0	12	2
FW	David Galloway	12	0	0	0	12	0
FW	Ted Critchley	18	1	1	0	19	1
FW	Luke Dean	10	3	0	0	10	3
FW	James Baker	9	4	0	0	9	4

Top scorers

Place	Position	Nation	Name	Second Division	FA Cup	Total
1	FW	England	Tom Nolan	16	0	16
2	MF	Scotland	John Friar	10	0	10
3	DF	England	Trevor Rhodes	6	0	6
4	MF	England	Bob Morton	4	1	5
5	MF	England	Cliff Birks	4	0	4
–	FW	England	Fred Mitcheson	4	0	4
–	FW	England	James Baker	4	0	4
8	FW	England	Luke Dean	3	0	3
9	FW	England	Jack Blackwell	2	0	2
10	MF	Scotland	Ken Gunn	1	0	1
–	FW	England	Ted Critchley	1	0	1
–	–	–	Own goals	0	0	0
			TOTALS	55	1	56

Transfers

Transfers in

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
May 1934	GK		John Potts	Leeds United	Free transfer	^[3]
May 1934	MF		Albert Titley	West Bromwich Albion	Free transfer	^[3]
June 1934	FW		James Baker	Charlton Athletic	Free transfer	^[3]
June 1934	DF		Joe Craven	Swansea Town	Free transfer	^[3]
June 1934	FW		David Galloway	Preston North End	Free transfer	^[3]
June 1934	DF		Jim Kelso	Bradford Park Avenue	Free transfer	^[3]
July 1934	MF		John Friar	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	Free transfer	^[3]
July 1934	DF		Eric Hayward	Hanley and Wardle's	Free transfer	^[3]
August 1934	FW		Luke Dean	Downing's Tileries	Free transfer	^[3]
November 1934	DF		Percy Thorpe	Accrington Stanley	Free transfer	^[3]
December 1934	FW		Ted Critchley	Preston North End	Exchange	^[3]
May 1935	MF		Arthur Caldwell	Winsford United	Free transfer	^[3]

Transfers out

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
December 1934	MF		John Friar	Preston North End	Exchange	^[3]
May 1935	FW		Jack Blackwell	Boston United	Released	^[3]
May 1935	DF		Jim Kelso	Newport County	Free transfer	^[3]
May 1935	MF		Albert Titley	Macclesfield Town	Free transfer	^[3]
July 1935	FW		Tom Nolan	Bradford Park Avenue	Free transfer	^[3]
Summer 1935	DF		Joe Craven	Newport County	Free transfer	^[3]
Summer 1935	FW		Ted Critchley	South Liverpool	Released	^[3]
Summer 1935	FW		David Galloway	Carlisle United	Free transfer	^[3]
Summer 1935	MF		Bob Morton	Throckley Welfare	Free transfer	^[3]
Summer 1935	MF		Albert Purcell		Released	^[3]
Summer 1935	DF		Percy Thorpe		Released	^[3]

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 978-0-9508981-4-8.
2. Port Vale 1934–1935 : Results & Fixtures 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
3. 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 978-0-9508981-9-3.