1933–34 Port Vale F.C. season

Overview

Second Division

The pre-season saw the arrival of ten new professionals, six of whom were forwards. The most significant newcomers were Trevor Rhodes (Bradford Park Avenue), Jack Vickers (Charlton Athletic), as well as Ken Gunn and Billy Tabram (both from Swansea Town).

The season started with two home wins and two losses on the road. The wins kept coming, including an impressive 2–1 win at third-placed Grimsby Town that put Vale top of the table on 23 September. They slipped to a 3–2 loss at Notts County seven days later in "a thrilling struggle". This was followed by a run of five wins and two draws in seven games, with only one goal conceded. They regained top spot with a 3–1 win over Bradford Park Avenue on 21 October, whilst Vale signed Sydney Dickinson was brought in from the opposition for a "significant fee". However, the Vale then went on to lose five of their next six matches, conceding 16 goals and scoring just three. Only an excellent performance from goalkeeper Allan Todd prevented more than a three-goal defeat at Bolton Wanderers. Manchester United ended the Vale's 100% record at the Old Recreation Ground when they sneaked a 3–2 win on 2 December. Vale lost 6–1 at Nottingham Forest on 23 December. The slide was halted with a 1–0 Boxing day victory over Lincoln City in which top-scorer Tom Nolan became one of only two Vale players sent off in the period between 1918 and 1947. The result nevertheless kept the club within a point of the promotion places. This was supplemented by seven of a possible eight points in their next four games, including victories at The Dell and Valley Parade.

Their run ended on 5 February at the Old Recreation Ground with a 1–0 defeat to eventual champions Grimsby Town. From this point, the promotion campaign completely collapsed, with a 4–0 loss soon coming to Welsh strugglers Swansea. New signing Jack Blackwell from Charlton couldn't reverse the trend despite helping the side to their biggest win of the season with a 5–1 thrashing of Millwall the following week. A fortnight later and a 2–0 win over promotion-chasing Preston North End meant promotion was back on the cards for the "Valiants". ''The Sentinel'''s "Placer" commented that Vale had the easiest remaining fixtures of the chasing pack and thus had a "great chance of ascending to the First Division for the first time in their career".

Their remaining eleven games yielded a return of merely seven points, lacking a reserve team, and fatigue had set into the first team. One significant defeat came at Old Trafford, which helped Manchester United avoid relegation to the third tier for what would have been the only time in their history. Billy Tabram dislocated his collarbone in the defeat to Manchester United. Young Fred Mitcheson did make a name for himself, however, scoring a hat-trick in his debut in a 4–0 win over Plymouth Argyle. All three of his goals came within the space of three minutes, a club record for the quickest hat-trick that would remain unlikely to ever be beaten.

They finished in eighth position, gaining 45 points from 42 games. Seven more points were required to match promoted Preston North End, though they finished twelve points clear of relegated Millwall. Billy Tabram had helped secure the Vale's defence, their 55 goals conceded the lowest in the division behind Preston. Attacking-wise, their 60 goals were a poor return for a top-of-the-table club, with 33 of these coming from Tom Nolan (22) and Trevor Rhodes (11).

Finances

On the financial side, a loss of £2,771 was announced despite strict economic budgeting. Gate receipts had risen slowly to £11,868, though a rare transfer deficit was made, and expenses had risen sharply. The club announced that it would consider offers for any of its players, blaming the fans for a lack of enthusiasm, exemplified by an attendance of 2,990 (raising just £136) for the end-of-season clash with Nottingham Forest, despite having recently built a stand with cover for 15,000 spectators. The upshot of this was the release of a massive 15 players, a list which included: Bill Cope, Sydney Dickinson, Len Armitage, and Jimmy McGrath. Billy Tabram was also sold to Hull City for a large fee, whilst Fred Mills' transfer to Leeds United and George Poyser's move to Brentford also brought in some much-needed cash. In the boardroom, Adrian Capes announced his retirement. It was, according to historian Jeff Kent, "the end of an era".

Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, defeat came in the third round to Third Division South side Charlton Athletic at The Valley despite 'special training' measures beforehand. Former Valiant Jimmy Oakes was "brilliant" for Charlton.

For the first and only time the club also entered the Welsh Cup. Vale lost out to Bristol City at the semi-final stage.

Results

Football League Second Division

Main article: 1933–34 Football League

League table

Results by matchday

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Matches

FA Cup

Main article: 1933–34 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. (2 October 2025). "Ready for battle of the form teams". Valiant's Substack.
3. Sherwin, Phil. (2010). "The Port Vale Miscellany". The History Press.
4. [http://www.statto.com/football/teams/port-vale/1933-1934/results Port Vale 1933–1934 : Results & Fixtures] {{Webarchive. link. (4 March 2016 . Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.)
5. Kent, Jeff. (1996). "Port Vale Personalities". Witan Books.