1928–29 Port Vale F.C. season

Overview

Second Division

The pre-season saw only the addition of one major player – goalkeeper Jack Prince from Oldham Athletic. Otherwise, the club felt confident that they had a nice blend of youth and experience.

The season started with a 4–1 home defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers, yet two days later, the Vale travelled to The Dell, where they beat Southampton with two Stewart Littlewood goals – this would prove to be their only away victory of the season. Picking up just two wins in September (a 5–2 win over Millwall thanks to a Littlewood hat-trick, and a 2–1 win over Tottenham Hotspur), the club soon found themselves struggling. They also lost 2–1 at Stoke's Victoria Ground in front of 35,288 supporters. Wilf Kirkham found himself demoted to the reserves. A 2–1 defeat at bottom club Reading on 6 October was the hosts' first win of the season. Though the Vale followed this up with a 3–2 win over third-placed Preston North End. Heading into December, they won six successive home games to take them into mid-table, including a four-goal haul from Jack Simms to see off Nottingham Forest. The run of away losses was ended with an impressive 3–3 draw at Chelsea on 24 November. However, the next eight away games ended in defeat.

December would prove to be the month that killed the Vale. Oakes had a cartilage operation, Gillespie tore an elbow joint, and the team lost six of their seven festive games. This run included defeats by a four-goal margin at both Middlesbrough and Wolverhampton Wanderers. In January, the popular high-scoring Littlewood was traded to Oldham Athletic for veteran striker Albert Pynegar and £1,300. On 26 January, Stoke City inflicted a 2–1 defeat on the Vale in front of 18,869 supporters. Only a third of the supporters returned for the following week's 4–1 win over Hull City. The team then conceded four goals at White Hart Lane as they fell to a 4–2 loss to Tottenham Hotspur.

Falling down the table fast, in late February they were slaughtered 7–1 at Preston North End's Deepdale. Back at the Old Recreation Ground they managed to regularly pick up victories, most notably demolishing West Bromwich Albion 8–1 on 9 March – the biggest victory in the division that season, Pynegar scoring a hat-trick. Further good work picking up three points from Oldham Athletic and beating Chelsea was undone by a horrifying 6–0 defeat at fellow strugglers Barnsley. They failed to score a goal in the three penultimate matches of the campaign, including a goalless home draw with Swansea Town; had the Vale scored then they would have ultimately secured safety at Swansea's expense. The "Valiants" beat Bristol City 5–0 in front of a miserable home turnout thanks to a four-goal effort from Pynegar, yet it was too little too late as the club were relegated.

They finished in 21st place with 34 points from 42 games, two points from safety, and suffered relegation for the first time in their history (they had previously failed re-elections). Scoring 71 goals was respectable. However, 86 goals conceded were the joint-worst in the league. Their awful away form was not unique; Vale was one of four teams with only one away win, though they conceded more on their travels than any other side.

Finances

On the financial side, plans of a new stadium were shelved as the directors channelled money into rebuilding their team. Vic Rouse, Alf Bennett, and David Rollo were let go, Rouse joining Crewe Alexandra. Club legend Tom Page also left the club after racking up 286 Football League appearances. With a £1,223 drop in gate receipts there were fears that the club might close, these fears were heightened when fellow legend Wilf Kirkham was sold to Stoke City for £2,800 (the second-highest transfer the club had ever received).

FA Cup

In the FA Cup, it was a repeat of the 1925–26 season as the club were drawn against Manchester United at home. The First Division club returned to Old Trafford with a 3–0 victory. The end-of-season North Staffordshire Royal Infirmary Cup was cancelled, with Vale seemingly too despondent to field a team.

Results

Football League Second Division

Main article: 1928–29 Football League

League table

Results by matchday

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Matches

FA Cup

Main article: 1928–29 FA Cup

Player statistics

Appearances and goals

:Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; FB – Full back; HB – Half back; FW – Forward

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Top scorers

Transfers

Transfers in

Transfers out

References

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References

1. Kent, Jeff. (1990). "The Valiants' Years The Story Of Port Vale". Witan Books.
2. [http://www.statto.com/football/teams/port-vale/1928-1929/results Port Vale 1928–1929 : Results & Fixtures] {{Webarchive. link. (4 March 2016 . Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.)
3. Kent, Jeff. (1996). "Port Vale Personalities". Witan Books.