1906–07 Burslem Port Vale F.C. season

March 2015 March 2015 Burslem Port Vale 1906–07 Sam Bennion Robert Audley Athletic Ground Football League Second Division 16th (31 points) FA Cup Second Round(eliminated by Notts County) Staffordshire Senior Cup Semi-finals(eliminated by Aston Villa Reserves) Billy Beats (13) Billy Beats (15) 10,000 vs Irthlingborough Town, 12 January 1906Notts County, 2 February 1906 1,500 vs Wolverhampton Wanderers, 16 March 1907 4,147+ 7–0 vs. Burton United, 1 April 1907 0–6 vs. Burnley, 13 October 1906 _blue_stripes _bluestripes _blue_stripes 800000 800000 800000 ffffff 800000 1905–06 The 1906–07 season was Burslem Port Vale's ninth consecutive season (13th overall) of football in the English Football League.Kent Jeff The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale Witan Books 1990 50–70 The Hopeless Struggle (1898-1907) 0-9508981-4-7 They played home fixtures at the Athletic Ground under manager‑secretary Sam Bennion and chairman Robert Audley. The club finished 16th of 20, narrowly avoiding the bottom three with 31 points from 38 matches (12 wins, 7 draws, 19 losses), but endured a leaky defence, conceding 83 goals — the highest total in the division — and scoring 60. Vale's cup campaigns included reaching the Second Round of the FA Cup, where they were eliminated by Notts County, and a semi-final exit in the Staffordshire Senior Cup, losing to Aston Villa Reserves. Forward Billy Beats led the scoring charts again, finishing as both league top scorer (13 goals) and season top scorer (15 goals in all competitions). Tom Coxon joined in summer 1906 and became a key contributor, scoring 12 goals in 41 appearances across league and cup before departing following the club's financial collapse. Vale also set club records: a 20‑game run from September to January without drawing (nine wins and eleven losses), and a record 7–1 FA Cup win over Irthlingborough Town in the First Round, their largest margin in the competition. Financial turmoil intensified, with mounting debts and dwindling local support. On 14 June 1907, chairman Audley formally declared the club insolvent, and Vale resigned from the Football League — bringing this era of Burslem Port Vale football to an abrupt end. 450px|thumb|Burslem Port Vale squad photo thumb|right|200px|Bert Eardley waited until a new Port Vale rose from the ashes of the old before he played league football again. thumb|right|Even the return of Billy Beats couldn't save the club. thumb|right|Joe Brough would play for Stoke, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, and Bristol City, yet still return to Vale in time for their return to the Football League. thumb|right|160px|George Price left the professional game when Port Vale ceased to exist. Overview Second Division Despite the club's ever-worsening financial situation, Vale managed to bring back former top scorer, and former England international, Billy Beats; he was appointed captain upon his return. Beats was made a tenant of the Bridge Inn in Hanley to supplement his wages. Gambling that big signings would attract big crowds, right-back Hughie Dunn was also brought in from Bristol Rovers; inside-right William Dodds signed from Southwick; with former player Tom Coxon returning from Middlesbrough. Sam Bennion took charge of team affairs after Tommy Clare's wages were too high to maintain. The team started the season well despite an opening day defeat to Leicester Fosse, with three wins in their opening six games; 6,000 turned up for that opening game. Some 5,000 returned to the Athletic Ground to Beats' "generalship" account for a 4–2 victory over Lincoln City. This was followed by four defeats on the bounce. Still, by winning five of their ten games in November and December the club put themselves in a decent position by Christmas. The club were two different sides at home and away, thumping Stockport County 5–0 at home and losing 6–0 at Burnley. Their first away win in ten months came at Blackpool on 22 December. At home they also managed to defeat second-placed Chelsea by two goals to nil on 3 November. There were 8,000 fans in attendance for the Boxing Day home defeat to Bradford City, which raised £155 in gate receipts. On 5 January, Vale beat eventual champions Nottingham Forest 4–2. This was followed by five straight home draws and seven consecutive away defeats. They had league leaders Chelsea "completely tied up" at Stamford Bridge on 9 March, only losing because of a dubious late penalty and having a goal themselves disallowed. Vale recorded their first league win in close to three whole months on 30 March as they claimed victory over Gainsborough Trinity. Heavy defeats at Hull City and Stockport County followed, before Robert Carter scored a vital winning goal in the reverse fixture at home to Hull City. A 4–0 defeat at Glossop left them needing to beat Blackpool on the final day to avoid a re-election vote. In the event a draw would have been enough, though they made sure with a 3–0 win. Port Vale just evaded a place in the re-election zones, finishing in 16th, two points above the (potential) drop. For the second successive season, the "Valeites" had the weakest defence in the league, conceding 83 goals. They were poor on their travels, losing 16 of their 19 games away from home. Back at the Athletic Ground, they lost just three games. Billy Beats was top scorer with 15 goals in all competitions; he was ably assisted by William Dodds, Tom Coxon, Robert Carter, and Harry Mountford, who all hit double figures. Cup competitions The club had a good campaign in the FA Cup, showing they "meant business" with a 2–1 victory away at Swindon Town of the Southern League. They achieved their biggest ever win in the competition with a 7–1 trouncing of Northamptonshire League Irthlingborough Town, witnessed by 10,000 home fans. They took First Division Notts County to a replay in the second round, with 10,000 fans turning up when double that figure were expected. Vale lost the replay comprehensively 5–0 at Trent Bridge as they "never had a look in". Nevertheless, both rounds attracted 10,000 supporters at Vale, which greatly boosted the club's ailing finances. In the Staffordshire Senior Cup, the club almost exclusively used their reserve team players but managed to reach the semi-finals, where they were knocked out by Aston Villa Reserves. To reach they semi-final they had to overcome struggling league rivals Burton United. However, this took two replays – a 7–0 romp preceded by 3–3 and 1–1 draws. Financial collapse and closure On 18 May 1907, Robert Audley and Sam Gleaves appealed to the directors to pump more money into the club and appealed in The Sentinel for local supporters to donate. This appeal was met with resounding indifference, and so the club resigned from the Football League on 14 June 1907. The Football Association had already issued their fixture list (which had pitted Port Vale against relegated Stoke for the first time) and were furious with the club for quitting so suddenly at such a late stage. Robert Audley justified the decision to quit the league by pointing out that the season's £200 loss was as good a figure as could be expected in the future, with the past seven campaigns taking in an average of £1,500, supplemented by an average of £400 in transfer takings. He claimed "this total could not be expected to pay the expenses of a league club", especially with creditors closing in, the bank refusing an overdraft, and summer wages to be paid. That so few came forward to help the club in its time of need came to be the final straw for Audley. "To the few hundreds of loyal supporters, I tender my best thanks for their support, and I join in their regrets that sufficient financial support could not be found to continue the club." Robert Audley's final words in his letter to The Sentinel. Many of the players joined Stoke and newly elected Oldham Athletic, and Burslem Port Vale was finished. Cobridge Church Port Vale's history would have ended at this point had it not been for an unexpected twist. North Staffordshire Church League champions Cobridge Church were accepted into the North Staffordshire Federation League, which was still a very minor league.Kent Jeff The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale Witan Books 1990 50–70 The Hard Road Back (1907-1919) 0-9508981-4-7 Joint-secretaries Millward and E.C.Brundrett had very big ambitions however. They sought permission from the Football Association to change the club's name to Port Vale and bought the old club's ground. To signify their roots, they renamed their reserve side to Cobridge Church. Technically, the Port Vale of before 1907 was a separate entity to the Port Vale of after 1907, however, spiritually the club continued its existence from its 1876 founding onwards. In December 1908, a group of ex-directors, led by Sam Bennion, bought into the club, meaning that the new club played at the same ground, had similar owners, a similar name, and played continuously from 1906–07 to 1907–08 and beyond.What If There Had Been No Port In The Vale?: Startling Port Vale Stories! (Witan Books, 2011, 978-0-9529152-8-7) Results Football League Second Division 1906–07 Football League League table Second Division y BPV Results by matchday table b Round Ground H/A/H/H/A/H/A/A/H/A/H/A/H/A/H/H/A/H/A/A/H/A/H/H/A/H/A/H/A/H/A/A/H/A/A/H/A/H Result L/D/W/W/L/W/L/L/L/L/W/L/W/L/W/W/W/L/L/L/W/L/D/D/L/D/L/D/L/D/L/D/W/L/L/W/L/W Position 16/13/8/5/8/6/9/15/15/15/14/16/13/14/11/11/11/11/11/12/12/13/13/14/14/13/14/14/15/14/14/15/15/15/17/16/18/16 Points 0p/1p/3p/5p/5p/7p/7p/7p/7p/7p/9p/9p/11p/11p/13p/15p/17p/17p/17p/17p/19p/19p/20p/21p/21p/22p/22p/23p/24p/24p/25p/25p/27p/27p/27p/29p/29p/31p Home Away green2 Win yellow2 Draw red2 Loss green1 red1 gold green1 red1 StattoPort Vale 1906–1907 : Results & Fixtures https://web.archive.org/web/20150906033714/http://www.statto.com/football/teams/port-vale/1906-1907/results 6 September 2015 . Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012. Matches 1 1 September 1906 Port Vale 1–2 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-leicester-city-01-september-1906-202707/ Leicester Fosse Dodds Middleton Wilcox Athletic Ground Cobridge 6,000 2 8 September 1906 15:00 BST Nottingham Forest 2–2 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/nottingham-forest-v-port-vale-08-september-1906-203427/ Port Vale Shearman West Coxon Beats City Ground West Bridgford D Hammond 4,500 3 10 September 1906 Port Vale 2–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-west-bromwich-albion-10-september-1906-203943/ West Bromwich Albion Beats Paddock Athletic Ground Cobridge 4,000 4 15 September 1906 Port Vale 4–2 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-lincoln-city-15-september-1906-202982/ Lincoln City Mountford Beats Coxon Carter Athletic Ground Cobridge 5,000 5 22 September 1906 Burton United 2–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/burton-united-v-port-vale-22-september-1906-203461/ Port Vale Peel Croft Burton upon Trent 3,000 6 29 September 1906 Port Vale 3–2 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-grimsby-town-29-september-1906-202423/ Grimsby Town Mountford Beats Holyhead Athletic Ground Cobridge 4,000 7 6 October 1906 Chesterfield 4–2 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/chesterfield-town-v-port-vale-06-october-1906-203411/ Port Vale Mountford Dodds Saltergate Chesterfield, Derbyshire 2,000 8 13 October 1906 Burnley 6–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/burnley-v-port-vale-13-october-1906-203417/ Port Vale Turf Moor Burnley 4,000 9 20 October 1906 Port Vale 1–2 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-leeds-city-20-october-1906-202619/ Leeds City Beats Athletic Ground Cobridge 4,000 10 27 October 1906 Barnsley 3–2 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/barnsley-v-port-vale-27-october-1906-203502/ Port Vale Paddock Coxon Oakwell Barnsley 1,000 11 3 November 1906 15:00 GMT Port Vale 2–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-chelsea-03-november-1906-201688/ Chelsea Dodds 10 70 Athletic Ground Cobridge Albert Briggs 5,000 12 10 November 1906 Wolverhampton Wanderers 6–2 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/wolverhampton-wanderers-v-port-vale-10-november-1906-203548/ Port Vale Hawkins 15 Pedley Hedley Roberts Dodds Price Molineux Stadium Wolverhampton W Whittaker 3,000 13 17 November 1906 Port Vale 3–2 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-leyton-orient-17-november-1906-202909/ Clapton Orient Beats Carter Eardley Athletic Ground Cobridge 14 24 November 1906 Gainsborough Trinity 2–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/gainsborough-trinity-v-port-vale-24-november-1906-203438/ Port Vale The Northolme Gainsborough, Lincolnshire 15 1 December 1906 Port Vale 5–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-stockport-county-01-december-1906-203651/ Stockport County Dodds Carter Holyhead Beats Mountford Athletic Ground Cobridge 6,000 16 15 December 1906 Port Vale 4–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-glossop-north-end-15-december-1906-202208/ Glossop Beats Dodds Mountford Carter Athletic Ground Cobridge 5,000 17 22 December 1906 Blackpool 0–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/blackpool-v-port-vale-22-december-1906-203533/ Port Vale Dodds Bloomfield Road Blackpool 2,000 18 25 December 1906 Port Vale 2–3 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-bradford-city-25-december-1906-201239/ Bradford City Beats Carter Athletic Ground Cobridge 8,000 19 26 December 1906 West Bromwich Albion 3–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/west-bromwich-albion-v-port-vale-26-december-1906-203459/ Port Vale The Hawthorns West Bromwich 12,000 20 29 December 1906 Leicester Fosse 4–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/leicester-city-v-port-vale-29-december-1906-203501/ Port Vale Bannister Durrant Herbert Moody Beats Filbert Street Leicester 8,000 21 5 January 1907 15:00 GMT Port Vale 4–2 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-nottingham-forest-05-january-1907-203355/ Nottingham Forest Coxon Mountford Beats West Morris Athletic Ground Cobridge Thomas Kirkham 4,000 22 19 January 1907 Lincoln City 4–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/lincoln-city-v-port-vale-19-january-1907-203433/ Port Vale Sincil Bank Lincoln 3,000 23 26 January 1907 Port Vale 0–0 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-burton-united-26-january-1907-201671/ Burton United Athletic Ground Cobridge 3,000 24 9 February 1907 Port Vale 2–2 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-chesterfield-town-09-february-1907-201866/ Chesterfield Carter Mountford Athletic Ground Cobridge 25 12 February 1907 Bradford City 3–2 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/bradford-city-v-port-vale-12-february-1907-203507/ Port Vale Beats Coxon Valley Parade Bradford 3,000 26 16 February 1907 Port Vale 4–4 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-burnley-16-february-1907-201418/ Burnley Coxon Carter Dodds Beats Athletic Ground Cobridge 3,000 27 23 February 1907 Leeds City 2–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/leeds-city-v-port-vale-23-february-1907-203546/ Port Vale Elland Road Beeston, Leeds 7,000 28 2 March 1907 Port Vale 2–2 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-barnsley-02-march-1907-200861/ Barnsley Price Dodds Athletic Ground Cobridge 3,000 29 9 March 1907 15:30 GMT Chelsea 2–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/chelsea-v-port-vale-09-march-1907-203519/ Port Vale Frost 12 Hilsdon 20 pen. Carter 46 Stamford Bridge Fulham, West London Albert Briggs 8,000 30 16 March 1907 Port Vale 0–0 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-wolverhampton-wanderers-16-march-1907-203978/ Wolverhampton Wanderers Athletic Ground Cobridge S Peers 1,500 31 21 March 1907 Grimsby Town 2–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/grimsby-town-v-port-vale-21-march-1907-203447/ Port Vale Blundell Park Cleethorpes 2,000 32 23 March 1907 Clapton Orient 1–1 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/leyton-orient-v-port-vale-23-march-1907-203527/ Port Vale Carter Clapton Stadium Clapton, London 33 30 March 1907 Port Vale 1–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-gainsborough-trinity-30-march-1907-202102/ Gainsborough Trinity Mountford Athletic Ground Cobridge 4,000 34 1 April 1907 15:30 BST Hull City 4–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/hull-city-v-port-vale-01-april-1907-203532/ Port Vale Smith 12 Browell 43 65 Howe 87 Paddock Anlaby Road Kingston upon Hull 8,000 35 6 April 1907 Stockport County 3–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/stockport-county-v-port-vale-06-april-1907-203550/ Port Vale Porter Mitchell Edgeley Park Stockport 1,000 36 13 April 1907 15:30 BST Port Vale 2–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-hull-city-13-april-1907-202581/ Hull City Brough Carter Neve 45 Athletic Ground Cobridge 2,000 37 20 April 1907 Glossop 4–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/glossop-north-end-v-port-vale-20-april-1907-203441/ Port Vale North Road Glossop 2,000 38 27 April 1907 Port Vale 3–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-blackpool-27-april-1907-200951/ Blackpool Coxon Dodds Athletic Ground Cobridge 3,000 FA Cup 1906–07 FA Cup 5Q 8 December 1906 Swindon Town 1–2 W https://townenders.com/match.php?match_id=19070601 Port Vale Wardrope pen. Coxon Dodds County Ground Swindon A.E. Farrant 6,000 1R 12 January 1907 Port Vale 7–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/irthlingborough-town-v-burslem-port-vale-12-january-1907-205959/ Irthlingborough Town Coxon Dodds Beats Carter Mountford Athletic Ground Cobridge 10,000 2R 2 February 1907 Port Vale 2–2 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/burslem-port-vale-v-notts-county-02-february-1907-206007/ Notts County Beats Mountford Athletic Ground Cobridge 10,000 Replay 6 February 1907 Notts County 5–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/notts-county-v-burslem-port-vale-06-february-1907-206013/ Port Vale Meadow Lane Nottingham 10,000 Staffordshire Senior Cup 1R 5 November 1906 Port Vale 3–3 D Burton United Mountford unknown Athletic Ground Cobridge Replay 25 December 1906 Burton United 1–1 D Port Vale unknown Peel Croft Burton upon Trent Replay 1 April 1907 Port Vale 7–0 W Burton United unknown Athletic Ground Cobridge Semi-final 15 April 1907 Aston Villa Reserves 3–0 L Port Vale thumb|right|160px|Manager Sam Bennion Squad statistics Appearances and goals Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; FB – Full back; HB – Half back; FW – Forward Second Division FA Cup Other GK ENG Arthur Box 12 0 0 0 0 0 GK ENG Howard Matthews 26 0 4 0 0 0 GK Philip Sampher 0 0 0 0 1 0 FB Ernest Chappell 0 0 0 0 1 0 FB ENG William Cope 17 0 0 0 0 0 FB SCO Hughie Dunn 27 0 4 0 0 0 FB ENG James Hamilton 33 0 4 0 1 0 HB ENG Sam Baddeley 30 0 4 0 1 0 HB ENG William Bradbury 1 0 0 0 1 0 HB ENG Joseph Holyhead 35 2 4 0 0 0 HB ENG Vic Horrocks 10 0 0 0 0 0 HB ENG Walter Rogers 0 0 0 0 0 0 FW ENG Billy Beats 33 13 4 2 1 0 FW ENG Joe Brough 11 1 0 0 1 0 FW ENG Robert Carter 34 10 4 1 1 0 FW ENG Tom Coxon 37 9 4 3 1 0 FW ENG William Dodds 38 11 3 3 1 0 FW ENG Bert Eardley 26 1 4 0 0 0 FW SCO Andy McGuigan 0 0 0 0 0 0 FW ENG Harry Mountford 32 8 4 2 1 1 FW ENG John Paddock 8 3 1 0 0 0 FW ENG George Price 7 2 0 0 0 0 FW Hugh Walley 1 0 0 0 0 0 |} Top scorers PlacePositionNationNameSecond DivisionFA CupStaffs CupTotal1FWEnglandBilly Beats1320152FWEnglandWilliam Dodds1130143FWEnglandTom Coxon930124FWEnglandRobert Carter101011–FWEnglandHarry Mountford821116FWEnglandJohn Paddock30037HBEnglandJoseph Holyhead2002–FWEnglandGeorge Price20029FWEnglandJoe Brough1001–FWEnglandBert Eardley1001–––Unknown0044TOTALS6011576 Transfers Transfers in Date from Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref. Summer 1906 FW ENG Joe Brough Smallthorne Free transfer Kent Jeff Port Vale Personalities Witan Books 1996 0-9529152-0-0 May 1906 FW ENG Tom Coxon Middlesbrough Free transfer May 1906 GK ENG Howard Matthews Langley St. Michael's Free transfer June 1906 FW ENG William Dodds Southwick Free transfer August 1906 FW ENG Billy Beats Bristol Rovers Free transfer August 1906 FB SCO Hughie Dunn Bristol Rovers Free transfer August 1906 FW ENG John Paddock Wellington Town Free transfer Transfers out Date from Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref. June 1907 HB ENG Sam Baddeley Stoke Released June 1907 FW ENG Billy Beats Reading Released June 1907 GK ENG Arthur Box Stoke Released June 1907 HB ENG William Bradbury Fegg Hayes Released June 1907 FW ENG Joe Brough Stoke Released June 1907 FW ENG Robert Carter Stockport County Released June 1907 FB ENG William Cope Stoke Released June 1907 FW ENG Tom Coxon Stoke Released June 1907 FW ENG William Dodds Oldham Athletic Released June 1907 FB SCO Hughie Dunn Released June 1907 FW ENG Bert Eardley Released June 1907 FW ENG Ebenezer Grant Released June 1907 FB ENG James Hamilton Burslem Town Released June 1907 HB ENG Joseph Holyhead Wednesbury Old Athletic Released June 1907 HB Vic Horrocks Goldenhill United Released June 1907 GK ENG Howard Matthews Burton United Released June 1907 FW ENG Harry Mountford Hanley Swifts Released June 1907 FW ENG John Paddock Wellington Town Released June 1907 FW ENG George Price Released June 1907 HB Arthur Shelley Released June 1907 FW Hugh Walley Burton Swifts Released References Specific General Kent, Jeff Jeff Kent (author) The Port Vale Record 1879-1993 Witan Books 1993 0-9508981-9-8 Category:Port Vale F.C. seasons Burslem Port Vale