1920–21 Port Vale F.C. season: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox |
{{Infobox football club season |
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| club = [[Port Vale F.C.|Port Vale]] |
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| season = 1920–21 |
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| manager = [[Joe Schofield]] |
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| chairman = Frank Huntbach |
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| stadium = [[The Old Recreation Ground]] |
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| league = [[1920–21 Football League|Football League {{nowrap|Second Division}}]] |
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| league result = 17th (36 Points) |
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| cup1 = [[1920–21 FA Cup|FA Cup]] |
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| cup1 result = Sixth Qualification Round<br />{{nowrap|(knocked out by [[Leyton Orient F.C.|Clapton Orient]])}} |
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| cup2 = {{nowrap|North Staffordshire}} Infirmary Cup |
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| cup2 result = Runners-up<br />(knocked out by [[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke]]) |
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| league topscorer = [[Bobby Blood]] (20) |
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| season topscorer = Bobby Blood (20) |
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| highest attendance = 20,000 vs [[Rotherham County F.C.|Rotherham County]], 11 September 1920<br>Stoke, 25 September 1920 |
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| lowest attendance = {{nowrap|10,000 vs [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolverhampton Wanderers]], 27 November 1920}}<br>[[Stockport County F.C.|Stockport County]], 11 December 1920<br>[[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]], 16 April 1921<br>[[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham]], 7 May 1921 |
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| average attendance = 14,143+ |
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| largest win = 6–1 vs. Stockport County, 11 December 1920 |
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| largest loss = 1–6 vs. [[Gateshead A.F.C.|South Shields]], 23 October 1920 |
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The [[1920–21 Football League|1920–21 season]] was [[Port Vale F.C.|Port Vale]]'s second consecutive season of football (15th overall) in [[ |
The [[1920–21 Football League|1920–21 season]] was [[Port Vale F.C.|Port Vale]]'s second consecutive season of football (15th overall) in the [[English Football League]].<ref name=Kent>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=Jeff|title=The Valiants' Years The Story Of Port Vale|publisher=Witan Books|year=1990|pages=98–123|chapter=Keeping in Good Company (1919-1929)|isbn=0-9508981-4-7}}</ref> The season peaked early with a double victory in the league over [[Potteries derby|rivals]] [[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke]], however, any sense of euphoria evaporated in February with the sale of star striker [[Bobby Blood]]. The club failed to find another reliable goalscorer until the arrival of [[Wilf Kirkham]] in 1923. The Vale finished at the bottom end of the table, though they did finish higher in the league than Stoke for the first time in [[History of Port Vale F.C.|their history]]. |
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[[File:1920–21 Port Vale F.C. squad photo.jpg|400px|thumb|Back row (players only): Tom Lyons, Walter Smith, Peter Pursell<br> |
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Middle row: Joe Schofield (manager), ''unknown'', Tom Page, Bob Blood, Billy Fitchford, ''unknown''<br> |
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Front row: Joe Brough, Bob Pursell, Billy Briscoe]] |
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[[File:Frank Huntbach.JPG|200px|thumb|right|Chairman Frank Huntbach.]] |
[[File:Frank Huntbach.JPG|200px|thumb|right|Chairman Frank Huntbach.]] |
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[[File:Tom Holford. |
[[File:Tom Holford.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Wing half [[Tom Holford]] was past 40 and still going strong.]] |
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[[File: |
[[File:Bobby Blood.jpg|200px|thumb|right|The sale of [[Bobby Blood]] brought in £4,000.]] |
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[[File:Joe Brough.JPG|200px|thumb|right|[[Joe Brough]], 34, was another veteran.]] |
[[File:Joe Brough.JPG|200px|thumb|right|[[Joe Brough]], 34, was another veteran.]] |
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[[File:Billy Briscoe.JPG|200px|thumb|right|[[Billy Briscoe]] was a key player.]] |
[[File:Billy Briscoe.JPG|200px|thumb|right|[[Billy Briscoe]] was a key player.]] |
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===Second Division=== |
===Second Division=== |
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During the pre-season, manager-secretary [[Joe Schofield]] stated that: "the future policy of Port Vale is to go ahead".<ref name="Kent" /> He duly signed experienced full-back [[Bob Pursell (footballer, born 1889)|Bob Pursell]], brother of [[Peter Pursell|Peter]], from [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]].<ref name="Kent" /> The capacity of [[The Old Recreation Ground]] was increased to 30,000; mainly due to the |
During the pre-season, [[Manager (association football)|manager]]-secretary [[Joe Schofield]] stated that: "the future policy of Port Vale is to go ahead".<ref name="Kent" /> He duly signed experienced full-back [[Bob Pursell (footballer, born 1889)|Bob Pursell]], brother of [[Peter Pursell|Peter]], from [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]].<ref name="Kent" /> The capacity of [[The Old Recreation Ground]] was increased to 30,000; mainly due to the fundraising activities of the Supporters' Club.<ref name="Kent" /> Of the 1919–20 squad, only [[William Aitken (footballer)|William Aitken]] was let go, for a fee of £2,500 to [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]].<ref name="Kent" /> That money helped to pay for £400 [[Tom Page (footballer)|Tom Page]] from [[St Mirren F.C.|St Mirren]], and right-half [[Freddy Price]] from [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolverhampton Wanderers]].<ref name="Kent" /> |
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The season started positively enough; a 2–0 win over new club [[Leeds United |
The season started positively enough; a 2–0 win over new club [[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds United]] helped to establish a start of six points from the opening six games.<ref name="Kent" /> On 25 September, the "Valiants" delighted their fans by recording their first league victory over [[Potteries derby|rivals]] [[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke]] in 'a stirring duel' which ended 2–1.<ref name="Kent" /> The following week they achieved the double over Stoke by recording a 1–0 victory at the [[Victoria Ground]].<ref name="Kent" /> This encouraged fans to travel in their numbers to see the team beat [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]] 4–1 at the [[City Ground]].<ref name="Kent" /> Injuries to Price and Brough then saw the team slump, and this continued when new signing, [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]] goalkeeper [[Walter Smith (footballer, born 1884)|Walter Smith]] was arrested for assault on the day of his debut.<ref name="Kent" /> The arrest is likely to account for a majority of the six goals he conceded that day at [[South Shields F.C. (1889)|South Shields]].<ref name="Kent" /> The side recovered to record heavy victories over [[Hull City A.F.C.|Hull City]] and [[Stockport County F.C.|Stockport County]], with [[Bobby Blood]] scoring six of Vale's ten goals in the two games.<ref name="Kent" /> Vale lost both their games to [[Bristol City F.C.|Bristol City]], though Blood demonstrated his fearsome [[Shooting (association football)|shooting]] power by blasting a [[Penalty kick (association football)|penalty kick]] at City's keeper – the keeper saved the penalty to keep a [[Shutout|clean sheet]] but [[Distal radius fracture|broke his wrist]] in the process of saving the [[Shooting (association football)|shot]].<ref name="Kent" /> Blood was sold to [[West Bromwich Albion F.C.|West Bromwich Albion]] for £4,000 in February – then a [[List of Port Vale F.C. records and statistics|club record]] for [[List of West Bromwich Albion F.C. records and statistics|both clubs]].<ref name="Kent" /> The effect on the [[Football pitch|pitch]] was telling, as Vale went on to record just two wins in their remaining sixteen games, with a meagre six goals scored.<ref name="Kent" /> One of the victories was a 'flash in the pan' win over FA Cup semi-finalists [[Cardiff City F.C.|Cardiff City]]. Cardiff fielded a weakened team and watched in bewilderment as Page scored the winning goal from the penalty spot, stubbing his foot in the process.<ref name="Kent" /> |
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At the end of the season, Vale finished six points ahead of relegated [[Stockport County F.C.|Stockport County]] |
At the end of the season, Vale finished six points ahead of [[promotion and relegation|relegated]] [[Stockport County F.C.|Stockport County]] but 22 points behind the [[Promotion and relegation|promotion]] places. Only a handful of teams had lost fewer away matches than Vale. However, Vale boasted fewer home wins than any other club in the league, and even with Blood in the side, the club struggled to find goals. |
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A core of six players formed the spine of the team: Peter and Bob Pursell, with [[Tom Lyons]] in defence; [[Joe Brough]] at half-back; with [[Billy Briscoe]] and Tom Page in forward positions. Page contributed to the goals tally, but Blood was the sole hope in front of goal, racking up 20 goals in 25 league games before his transfer. In |
A core of six players formed the spine of the team: Peter and Bob Pursell, with [[Tom Lyons]] in defence; [[Joe Brough]] at half-back; with [[Billy Briscoe]] and Tom Page in forward positions. Page contributed to the goals tally, but Blood was the sole hope in front of goal, racking up 20 goals in 25 league games before his [[Transfer (association football)|transfer]]. In addition to the Pursell brothers, [[Harry Johnstone|Harry]] and [[John Johnstone (English footballer)|John Johnstone]] also made sporadic appearances; in one match, both the Pursell brothers and the Johnstone brothers took to the field.<ref name="Kent" /> |
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===Finances=== |
===Finances=== |
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The issue of finance reared its head in September with an appeal for greater support from chairman Frank Huntbach.<ref name="Kent" /> The chairman emphasised the club's potential and pleaded for the remaining £4,500 worth of [[Share (finance)|shares]] to be snapped up.<ref name="Kent" /> The Pursell brothers were so affected by the speech that they |
The issue of finance reared its head in September with an appeal for greater support from chairman Frank Huntbach.<ref name="Kent" /> The chairman emphasised the club's potential and pleaded for the remaining £4,500 worth of [[Share (finance)|shares]] to be snapped up.<ref name="Kent" /> The Pursell brothers were so affected by the speech that they bought £5 worth of shares.<ref name="Kent" /> The club later received a £70 boost when supporters bought copies of "The Port Vale War-Cry", though more significant was the elevated noise level as supporters sang the cry throughout matches.<ref name="Kent" /> Vale's weather-conscious supporters would turn up in their number during sunshine but were somewhat unreliable during the winter.<ref name="Kent" /> The club were desperate to increase ground capacity but was already facing worrying financial times despite the club debt falling to £800.<ref name="Kent" /> Though the sale of Blood raised considerable funds, fans were outraged, especially as Schofield and the directors refused to comment. Blood was told by the club that either "[he] went or the club".<ref name="Kent" /> At the end of the season, a £1,187 profit was recorded.<ref name="Kent" /> |
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===Cup competitions=== |
===Cup competitions=== |
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==League table== |
==League table== |
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{{:1920–21 Football League|transcludesection=Second Division|only_totals=y|showteam=PTV}} |
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |
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!width=20|Pos |
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!width=175|Team |
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!width=20|Pld |
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!width=20| |
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!width=20|W |
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!width=20|D |
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!width=20|L |
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!width=20|F |
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!width=20|A |
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!width=20| |
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!width=20|W |
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!width=20|D |
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!width=20|L |
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!width=20|F |
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!width=20|A |
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!width=20| |
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!width=20|F |
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!width=20|A |
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!width=20|GA |
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!width=30|GD |
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!width=20| |
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!width=20|Pts |
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|- style="background:#D0F0C0;" |
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|1||align=left|[[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham]]||42||||16||4||1||55||13||||8||6||7||24||25||||79||38||2.079||align=right|+ 41||||58 |
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|- style="background:#D0F0C0;" |
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|2||align=left|[[Cardiff City F.C.|Cardiff City]]||42||||13||5||3||27||9||||11||5||5||32||23||||59||32||1.844||align=right|+ 27||||58 |
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|- |
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|3||align=left|[[Bristol City F.C.|Bristol City]]||42||||14||3||4||35||12||||5||10||6||14||17||||49||29||1.690||align=right|+ 20||||51 |
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|- |
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|4||align=left|[[Blackpool F.C.|Blackpool]]||42||||12||3||6||32||19||||8||7||6||22||23||||54||42||1.286||align=right|+ 12||||50 |
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|- |
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|5||align=left|[[West Ham United F.C.|West Ham United]]||42||||13||5||3||38||11||||6||5||10||13||19||||51||30||1.700||align=right|+ 19||||48 |
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|- |
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|6||align=left|[[Notts County F.C.|Notts County]]||42||||12||5||4||36||17||||6||6||9||19||23||||55||40||1.375||align=right|+ 15||||47 |
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|- |
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|7||align=left|[[Leyton Orient F.C.|Clapton Orient]]||42||||13||6||2||31||9||||3||7||11||12||33||||43||42||1.024||align=right|+ 1||||45 |
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|- |
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|8||align=left|[[South Shields F.C. (1889)|South Shields]]||42||||13||4||4||41||16||||4||6||11||20||30||||61||46|||.326||align=right|+ 15||||44 |
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|- |
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|9||align=left|[[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]]||42||||14||4||3||33||12||||2||6||13||10||35||||43||47||0.915||align=right|– 4||||42 |
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|- |
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|10||align=left|[[Sheffield Wednesday F.C.|The Wednesday]]||42||||9||7||5||31||14||||6||4||11||17||34||||48||48||1.000||align=right|± 0||||41 |
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|- |
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|11||align=left|[[Bury F.C.|Bury]]||42||||10||8||3||29||13||||5||2||14||16||36||||45||49||0.918||align=right|– 4||||40 |
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|- |
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|12||align=left|[[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]]||42||||10||8||3||26||11||||2||8||11||13||35||||39||46||0.848||align=right|– 7||||40 |
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|- |
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|13||align=left|[[Hull City A.F.C.|Hull City]]||42||||7||10||4||24||18||||3||10||8||19||35||||43||53||0.811||align=right|– 10||||40 |
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|- |
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|14||align=left|[[Leeds United A.F.C.|Leeds United]]||42||||11||5||5||30||14||||3||5||13||10||31||||40||45||0.889||align=right|– 5||||38 |
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|- |
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|15||align=left|[[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolverhampton Wanderers]]||42||||11||4||6||34||24||||5||2||14||15||42||||49||66||0.742||align=right|– 17||||38 |
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|- |
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|16||align=left|[[Barnsley F.C.|Barnsley]]||42||||9||10||2||31||17||||1||6||14||17||33||||48||50||0.960||align=right|– 12||||36 |
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|- |
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|'''17'''||align=left|'''[[Port Vale F.C.|Port Vale]]'''||'''42'''||||'''7'''||'''6'''||'''8'''||'''28'''||'''19'''||||'''4'''||'''8'''||'''9'''||'''15'''||'''30'''||||'''43'''||'''49'''||'''0.878'''||align=right|'''– 6'''||||'''36''' |
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|- |
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|18||align=left|[[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]]||42||||9||6||6||37||26||||3||6||12||11||29||||48||55||0.873||align=right|– 7||||36 |
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|- |
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|19||align=left|[[Rotherham County F.C.|Rotherham County]]||42||||8||9||4||23||21||||4||3||14||14||32||||37||53||0.698||align=right|– 16||||36 |
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|- |
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|20||align=left|[[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke]]||42||||9||5||7||26||16||||3||6||12||20||40||||46||56||0.821||align=right|– 10||||35 |
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|- |
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|21||align=left|[[Coventry City F.C.|Coventry City]]||42||||8||6||7||24||25||||4||5||12||15||45||||39||70||0.557||align=right|– 31||||35 |
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|- style="background:#FFCCCC;" |
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|22||align=left|[[Stockport County F.C.|Stockport County]]||42||||8||6||7||30||24||||1||6||14||12||51||||42||75||0.560||align=right|– 33||||30 |
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|} |
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<small>Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against;<br>GA = Goal average; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points</small> |
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==Results== |
==Results== |
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{{Main|1920–21 Football League}} |
{{Main|1920–21 Football League}} |
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====Results by matchday==== |
====Results by matchday==== |
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{{#invoke:sports rbr table|table|legendpos=b |
{{#invoke:sports rbr table|table|legendpos=b |
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|header=Round |
|header=Round |
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|label1= Ground |
|label1= Ground |
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| |
|res1=H/A/A/H/H/A/H/A/A/H/A/H/A/H/A/H/A/H/H/A/H/H/A/A/H/H/A/H/A/H/A/H/A/A/H/A/H/A/A/H/A/H |
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|label2= Result |
|label2= Result |
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|res2=W/D/L/D/D/D/enwiki/w/W/enwiki/w/L/L/L/D/enwiki/w/D/L/D/enwiki/w/L/L/enwiki/w/W/L/L/enwiki/w/L/enwiki/w/L/L/D/D/D/enwiki/w/L/D/L/D/D/D/L/L/L |
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|label3= Position |
|label3= Position |
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| |
|res3=1/3/10/10/8/11/10/5/4/5/10/13/15/11/10/10/12/9/12/15/14/11/13/13/12/15/12/14/15/15/15/16/11/13/12/13/17/15/14/15/15/17 |
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<!-- --> |
<!-- --> |
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|text_H=Home|text_A=Away |
|text_H=Home|text_A=Away |
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| Line 150: | Line 93: | ||
!Date!!Opponent!!Venue!!Result!!Attendance!!Scorers |
!Date!!Opponent!!Venue!!Result!!Attendance!!Scorers |
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|-style="background-color: #d0ffe3;" |
|-style="background-color: #d0ffe3;" |
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| 28 August 1920 ||[[Leeds United |
| 28 August 1920 ||[[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds United]]||H||2–0||15,000||[[Tom Page (footballer)|Page]], [[Bobby Blood|Blood]] |
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|-style="background-color: #ffffdd;" |
|-style="background-color: #ffffdd;" |
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| 30 August 1920 ||[[Coventry City F.C.|Coventry City]]||A||0–0||20,000|| |
| 30 August 1920 ||[[Coventry City F.C.|Coventry City]]||A||0–0||20,000|| |
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|-style="background-color: #ffd0e3;" |
|-style="background-color: #ffd0e3;" |
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| 4 September 1920 ||[[Leeds United |
| 4 September 1920 ||[[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds United]]||A||1–3||16,000||[[Bobby Blood|Blood]] |
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|-style="background-color: #ffffdd;" |
|-style="background-color: #ffffdd;" |
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| 6 September 1920 ||[[Coventry City F.C.|Coventry City]]||H||0–0||12,000|| |
| 6 September 1920 ||[[Coventry City F.C.|Coventry City]]||H||0–0||12,000|| |
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| 30 October 1920 ||[[South Shields F.C. (1889)|South Shields]]||H||0–2||15,000|| |
| 30 October 1920 ||[[South Shields F.C. (1889)|South Shields]]||H||0–2||15,000|| |
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|-style="background-color: #ffffdd;" |
|-style="background-color: #ffffdd;" |
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| 6 November 1920 ||[[Hull City A.F.C.|Hull City]]||A||1–1||12,000||[[James Wootton|Wootton]] |
| 6 November 1920 ||[[Hull City A.F.C.|Hull City]]||A||1–1||12,000||[[James Wootton (footballer)|Wootton]] |
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|-style="background-color: #d0ffe3;" |
|-style="background-color: #d0ffe3;" |
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| 13 November 1920 ||[[Hull City A.F.C.|Hull City]]||H||4–0||15,000||[[Bobby Blood|Blood]] (2 [1 pen]), [[Tom Page (footballer)|Page]], [[Freddy Price|Price]] |
| 13 November 1920 ||[[Hull City A.F.C.|Hull City]]||H||4–0||15,000||[[Bobby Blood|Blood]] (2 [1 pen]), [[Tom Page (footballer)|Page]], [[Freddy Price|Price]] |
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| 27 December 1920 ||[[Bristol City F.C.|Bristol City]]||A||0–3||34,710|| |
| 27 December 1920 ||[[Bristol City F.C.|Bristol City]]||A||0–3||34,710|| |
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|-style="background-color: #d0ffe3;" |
|-style="background-color: #d0ffe3;" |
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| 1 January 1921 ||[[Leyton Orient F.C.|Clapton Orient]]||H||4–0||12,000||[[Bobby Blood|Blood]] (2), [[James Wootton|Wootton]], [[Tom Page (footballer)|Page]] |
| 1 January 1921 ||[[Leyton Orient F.C.|Clapton Orient]]||H||4–0||12,000||[[Bobby Blood|Blood]] (2), [[James Wootton (footballer)|Wootton]], [[Tom Page (footballer)|Page]] |
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|-style="background-color: #d0ffe3;" |
|-style="background-color: #d0ffe3;" |
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| 15 January 1921 ||[[Sheffield Wednesday F.C.|The Wednesday]]||H||1–0||12,000||[[Bobby Blood|Blood]] (pen) |
| 15 January 1921 ||[[Sheffield Wednesday F.C.|The Wednesday]]||H||1–0||12,000||[[Bobby Blood|Blood]] (pen) |
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==Player statistics== |
==Player statistics== |
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===Appearances=== |
===Appearances and goals=== |
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |
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|- |
|- |
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| Line 280: | Line 223: | ||
|28||0||1||0||0||0||29||0 |
|28||0||1||0||0||0||29||0 |
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|- |
|- |
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|align="left"|GK||align="left"|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Alfred Bourne]] |
|align="left"|GK||align="left"|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Alfred Bourne (footballer)|Alfred Bourne]] |
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|10||0||0||0||1||0||11||0 |
|10||0||0||0||1||0||11||0 |
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|- |
|- |
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| Line 295: | Line 238: | ||
|1||0||0||0||1||0||2||0 |
|1||0||0||0||1||0||2||0 |
||
|- |
|- |
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|align="left"|MF||align="left"|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[James Wootton]] |
|align="left"|MF||align="left"|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[James Wootton (footballer)|James Wootton]] |
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|24||2||1||0||0||0||25||2 |
|24||2||1||0||0||0||25||2 |
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|- |
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|39||9||1||0||1||0||41||9 |
|39||9||1||0||1||0||41||9 |
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|- |
|- |
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|align="left"|FW||align="left"|{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Andrew |
|align="left"|FW||align="left"|{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Andrew Livingston (footballer)|Andrew Livingston]] |
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|1||0||0||0||0||0||1||0 |
|1||0||0||0||0||0||1||0 |
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|- |
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!width=80|FA Cup |
!width=80|FA Cup |
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!width=80|Infirmary Cup |
!width=80|Infirmary Cup |
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!width=80| |
!width=80|Total |
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|- |
|- |
||
|1||FW||{{ |
|1||FW||{{flagu|England}}||[[Bobby Blood]]||20||0||0||20 |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|2||FW||{{ |
|2||FW||{{flagu|England}}||[[Tom Page (footballer)|Tom Page]]||9||0||0||9 |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|3||FW||{{ |
|3||FW||{{flagu|England}}||[[Billy Briscoe]]||3||0||2||5 |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|4||MF||{{ |
|4||MF||{{flagu|England}}||[[Billy Fitchford]]||3||0||0||3 |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|5||MF||{{ |
|5||MF||{{flagu|England}}||[[James Wootton (footballer)|James Wootton]]||2||0||0||2 |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|6||MF||{{ |
|6||MF||{{flagu|England}}||[[Ernest Perry (footballer)|Ernest Perry]]||1||0||0||1 |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|–||MF||{{ |
|–||MF||{{flagu|England}}||[[Tom Holford]]||1||0||0||1 |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|–||MF||{{ |
|–||MF||{{flagu|England}}||[[Joe Brough]]||1||0||0||1 |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|–||MF||{{ |
|–||MF||{{flagu|England}}||[[Freddy Price]]||1||0||0||1 |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|–||MF||{{ |
|–||MF||{{flagu|England}}||[[Harry Johnstone]]||1||0||0||1 |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|–||FW||{{ |
|–||FW||{{flagu|England}}||[[Albert Hayes]]||0||0||1||1 |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|–||FW||{{ |
|–||FW||{{flagu|England}}||[[Frank Cartledge]]||1||0||0||1 |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|–||–||–||Own goals||0||0||0||0 |
|–||–||–||Own goals||0||0||0||0 |
||
| Line 459: | Line 402: | ||
| February 1921 || FW || {{flagicon|ENG}} || [[William Wilson (footballer, born 1902)|William Wilson]] || [[Portsmouth F.C.|Portsmouth]] || Free transfer || <ref name="transfers"/> |
| February 1921 || FW || {{flagicon|ENG}} || [[William Wilson (footballer, born 1902)|William Wilson]] || [[Portsmouth F.C.|Portsmouth]] || Free transfer || <ref name="transfers"/> |
||
|- |
|- |
||
| March 1921 || FW || {{flagicon|SCO}} || [[Andrew |
| March 1921 || FW || {{flagicon|SCO}} || [[Andrew Livingston (footballer)|Andrew Livingston]] || {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Bathgate F.C.|Bathgate]] || Free transfer || <ref name="transfers"/> |
||
|} |
|} |
||
| Line 481: | Line 424: | ||
| Summer 1921 || MF || {{flagicon|ENG}} || [[James Hill (1910s footballer)|James Hill]] || [[Shrewsbury Town F.C.|Shrewsbury Town]] || Released || <ref name="transfers"/> |
| Summer 1921 || MF || {{flagicon|ENG}} || [[James Hill (1910s footballer)|James Hill]] || [[Shrewsbury Town F.C.|Shrewsbury Town]] || Released || <ref name="transfers"/> |
||
|- |
|- |
||
| Summer 1921 || FW || {{flagicon|SCO}} || [[Andrew |
| Summer 1921 || FW || {{flagicon|SCO}} || [[Andrew Livingston (footballer)|Andrew Livingston]] || {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Vale of Leven F.C.|Vale of Leven]] || Released || <ref name="transfers"/> |
||
|- |
|- |
||
| Summer 1921 || MF || {{flagicon|ENG}} || [[Arthur McGarry]] || [[Reading F.C.|Reading]] || Released || <ref name="transfers"/> |
| Summer 1921 || MF || {{flagicon|ENG}} || [[Arthur McGarry]] || [[Reading F.C.|Reading]] || Released || <ref name="transfers"/> |
||
| Line 504: | Line 447: | ||
{{Port Vale F.C. seasons}} |
{{Port Vale F.C. seasons}} |
||
{{Port Vale F.C.}} |
|||
{{1920–21 in English football}} |
{{1920–21 in English football}} |
||
Latest revision as of 10:29, 30 August 2024
| 1920–21 season | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Frank Huntbach | |
| Manager | Joe Schofield | |
| Stadium | The Old Recreation Ground | |
| Football League Second Division | 17th (36 Points) | |
| FA Cup | Sixth Qualification Round (knocked out by Clapton Orient) | |
| North Staffordshire Infirmary Cup | Runners-up (knocked out by Stoke) | |
| Top goalscorer | League: Bobby Blood (20) All: Bobby Blood (20) | |
| Highest home attendance | 20,000 vs Rotherham County, 11 September 1920 Stoke, 25 September 1920 | |
| Lowest home attendance | 10,000 vs Wolverhampton Wanderers, 27 November 1920 Stockport County, 11 December 1920 Fulham, 16 April 1921 Birmingham, 7 May 1921 | |
| Average home league attendance | 14,143+ | |
| Biggest win | 6–1 vs. Stockport County, 11 December 1920 | |
| Biggest defeat | 1–6 vs. South Shields, 23 October 1920 | |
|
| ||
The 1920–21 season was Port Vale's second consecutive season of football (15th overall) in the English Football League.[1] The season peaked early with a double victory in the league over rivals Stoke, however, any sense of euphoria evaporated in February with the sale of star striker Bobby Blood. The club failed to find another reliable goalscorer until the arrival of Wilf Kirkham in 1923. The Vale finished at the bottom end of the table, though they did finish higher in the league than Stoke for the first time in their history.
Middle row: Joe Schofield (manager), unknown, Tom Page, Bob Blood, Billy Fitchford, unknown
Front row: Joe Brough, Bob Pursell, Billy Briscoe
Overview
[edit]Second Division
[edit]During the pre-season, manager-secretary Joe Schofield stated that: "the future policy of Port Vale is to go ahead".[1] He duly signed experienced full-back Bob Pursell, brother of Peter, from Liverpool.[1] The capacity of The Old Recreation Ground was increased to 30,000; mainly due to the fundraising activities of the Supporters' Club.[1] Of the 1919–20 squad, only William Aitken was let go, for a fee of £2,500 to Newcastle United.[1] That money helped to pay for £400 Tom Page from St Mirren, and right-half Freddy Price from Wolverhampton Wanderers.[1]
The season started positively enough; a 2–0 win over new club Leeds United helped to establish a start of six points from the opening six games.[1] On 25 September, the "Valiants" delighted their fans by recording their first league victory over rivals Stoke in 'a stirring duel' which ended 2–1.[1] The following week they achieved the double over Stoke by recording a 1–0 victory at the Victoria Ground.[1] This encouraged fans to travel in their numbers to see the team beat Nottingham Forest 4–1 at the City Ground.[1] Injuries to Price and Brough then saw the team slump, and this continued when new signing, Manchester City goalkeeper Walter Smith was arrested for assault on the day of his debut.[1] The arrest is likely to account for a majority of the six goals he conceded that day at South Shields.[1] The side recovered to record heavy victories over Hull City and Stockport County, with Bobby Blood scoring six of Vale's ten goals in the two games.[1] Vale lost both their games to Bristol City, though Blood demonstrated his fearsome shooting power by blasting a penalty kick at City's keeper – the keeper saved the penalty to keep a clean sheet but broke his wrist in the process of saving the shot.[1] Blood was sold to West Bromwich Albion for £4,000 in February – then a club record for both clubs.[1] The effect on the pitch was telling, as Vale went on to record just two wins in their remaining sixteen games, with a meagre six goals scored.[1] One of the victories was a 'flash in the pan' win over FA Cup semi-finalists Cardiff City. Cardiff fielded a weakened team and watched in bewilderment as Page scored the winning goal from the penalty spot, stubbing his foot in the process.[1]
At the end of the season, Vale finished six points ahead of relegated Stockport County but 22 points behind the promotion places. Only a handful of teams had lost fewer away matches than Vale. However, Vale boasted fewer home wins than any other club in the league, and even with Blood in the side, the club struggled to find goals.
A core of six players formed the spine of the team: Peter and Bob Pursell, with Tom Lyons in defence; Joe Brough at half-back; with Billy Briscoe and Tom Page in forward positions. Page contributed to the goals tally, but Blood was the sole hope in front of goal, racking up 20 goals in 25 league games before his transfer. In addition to the Pursell brothers, Harry and John Johnstone also made sporadic appearances; in one match, both the Pursell brothers and the Johnstone brothers took to the field.[1]
Finances
[edit]The issue of finance reared its head in September with an appeal for greater support from chairman Frank Huntbach.[1] The chairman emphasised the club's potential and pleaded for the remaining £4,500 worth of shares to be snapped up.[1] The Pursell brothers were so affected by the speech that they bought £5 worth of shares.[1] The club later received a £70 boost when supporters bought copies of "The Port Vale War-Cry", though more significant was the elevated noise level as supporters sang the cry throughout matches.[1] Vale's weather-conscious supporters would turn up in their number during sunshine but were somewhat unreliable during the winter.[1] The club were desperate to increase ground capacity but was already facing worrying financial times despite the club debt falling to £800.[1] Though the sale of Blood raised considerable funds, fans were outraged, especially as Schofield and the directors refused to comment. Blood was told by the club that either "[he] went or the club".[1] At the end of the season, a £1,187 profit was recorded.[1]
Cup competitions
[edit]The club failed to qualify for the FA Cup, losing their qualification match with league rivals Clapton Orient.[1] The North Staffordshire Infirmary Cup went to Stoke, who claimed victory with a 5–3 win at The Old Recreation Ground.[1]
League table
[edit]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 16 | 6 | 20 | 49 | 66 | 0.742 | 38 |
| 16 | Barnsley | 42 | 10 | 16 | 16 | 48 | 50 | 0.960 | 36 |
| 17 | Port Vale | 42 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 43 | 49 | 0.878 | 36 |
| 18 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 48 | 55 | 0.873 | 36 |
| 19 | Rotherham County | 42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 37 | 53 | 0.698 | 36 |
Source: [2]
Results
[edit]Port Vale's score comes first
Football League Second Division
[edit]Results by matchday
[edit]Matches
[edit]| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 August 1920 | Leeds United | H | 2–0 | 15,000 | Page, Blood |
| 30 August 1920 | Coventry City | A | 0–0 | 20,000 | |
| 4 September 1920 | Leeds United | A | 1–3 | 16,000 | Blood |
| 6 September 1920 | Coventry City | H | 0–0 | 12,000 | |
| 11 September 1920 | Rotherham County | H | 1–1 | 20,000 | Blood |
| 18 September 1920 | Rotherham County | A | 1–1 | 12,000 | Brough |
| 25 September 1920 | Stoke | H | 2–1 | 20,000 | Page, Briscoe |
| 2 October 1920 | Stoke | A | 1–0 | 26,500 | Blood |
| 9 October 1920 | Nottingham Forest | A | 4–1 | 15,000 | Blood (2), Page, Briscoe |
| 16 October 1920 | Nottingham Forest | H | 0–1 | 17,000 | |
| 23 October 1920 | South Shields | A | 1–6 | 18,000 | Blood |
| 30 October 1920 | South Shields | H | 0–2 | 15,000 | |
| 6 November 1920 | Hull City | A | 1–1 | 12,000 | Wootton |
| 13 November 1920 | Hull City | H | 4–0 | 15,000 | Blood (2 [1 pen]), Page, Price |
| 20 November 1920 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 2–2 | 16,000 | Blood (pen), Briscoe |
| 27 November 1920 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 2–3 | 10,000 | Fitchford, Blood (pen) |
| 4 December 1920 | Stockport County | A | 0–0 | 8,000 | |
| 11 December 1920 | Stockport County | H | 6–1 | 10,000 | Blood (4 [1 pen]), Holford, Page |
| 25 December 1920 | Bristol City | H | 0–2 | 16,000 | |
| 27 December 1920 | Bristol City | A | 0–3 | 34,710 | |
| 1 January 1921 | Clapton Orient | H | 4–0 | 12,000 | Blood (2), Wootton, Page |
| 15 January 1921 | The Wednesday | H | 1–0 | 12,000 | Blood (pen) |
| 22 January 1921 | The Wednesday | A | 0–1 | 20,000 | |
| 29 January 1921 | Bury | A | 0–1 | 10,000 | |
| 5 February 1921 | Bury | H | 3–0 | 12,000 | Blood (2), Fitchford |
| 12 February 1921 | Notts County | H | 1–2 | 16,000 | Page |
| 19 February 1921 | Notts County | A | 1–0 | 14,000 | Page |
| 26 February 1921 | Blackpool | H | 0–1 | 18,000 | |
| 5 March 1921 | Blackpool | A | 0–1 | 7,000 | |
| 12 March 1921 | Leicester City | H | 0–0 | 15,000 | |
| 19 March 1921 | Leicester City | A | 0–0 | 15,000 | |
| 25 March 1921 | Barnsley | H | 1–1 | 13,000 | Fitchford |
| 26 March 1921 | Cardiff City | A | 2–1 | 30,000 | Cartledge, Page |
| 28 March 1921 | Barnsley | A | 0–3 | 12,000 | |
| 2 April 1921 | Cardiff City | H | 0–0 | 17,000 | |
| 9 April 1921 | Fulham | A | 0–1 | 18,000 | |
| 16 April 1921 | Fulham | H | 0–0 | 10,000 | |
| 23 April 1921 | West Ham United | A | 1–1 | 20,000 | Johnstone |
| 25 April 1921 | Clapton Orient | A | 0–0 | 15,000 | |
| 30 April 1921 | West Ham United | H | 1–2 | 12,000 | Perry |
| 2 May 1921 | Birmingham | A | 0–4 | 35,000 | |
| 7 May 1921 | Birmingham | H | 0–2 | 10,000 |
FA Cup
[edit]| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6Q | 18 December 1920 | Clapton Orient | A | 0–1 | 16,000 |
North Staffordshire Infirmary Cup
[edit]| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final | 9 May 1921 | Stoke | H | 3–5 | 3,500 | Briscoe (2), Hayes |
Player statistics
[edit]Appearances and goals
[edit]| Pos. | Name | Football League | FA Cup | Other | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| GK |  Jonathan Hammond
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| GK | Walter Smith
|
28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
| GK | Alfred Bourne
|
10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| DF |  Peter Pursell
|
34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 0 |
| DF | Bob Pursell
|
38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 0 |
| DF | Tom Lyons
|
31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 0 |
| DF | Len Birks
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| MF | James Wootton
|
24 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 2 |
| MF | Arthur McGarry
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| MF | Ernest Perry
|
18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 1 |
| MF | Tom Holford
|
23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 1 |
| MF | Joe Brough
|
31 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 1 |
| MF | Billy Fitchford
|
25 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 3 |
| MF | James Hill
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| MF | Frank Simon
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| MF | Freddy Price
|
19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 1 |
| MF | Arthur Poole | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| MF | Frank Newman
|
20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| MF | Jack Mellor
|
9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| MF | Harry Johnstone
|
8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| MF | Ernest Collinge
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| MF | F. Crook | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| MF | A.G.Evans | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | Billy Briscoe
|
35 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 37 | 5 |
| FW | Bobby Blood
|
25 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 20 |
| FW | William Wilson
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| FW | Tom Page
|
39 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 9 |
| FW | Andrew Livingston
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | John Johnstone
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| FW | Albert Hayes
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| FW | John Davis | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | Frank Cartledge
|
14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
| FW | Henry Johnston
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FW | Alfred Jones
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FW | Willie Page
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Top scorers
[edit]| Place | Position | Nation | Name | Second Division | FA Cup | Infirmary Cup | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FW | England |
Bobby Blood | 20 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| 2 | FW | England |
Tom Page | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 3 | FW | England |
Billy Briscoe | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| 4 | MF | England |
Billy Fitchford | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 5 | MF | England |
James Wootton | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | MF | England |
Ernest Perry | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | MF | England |
Tom Holford | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | MF | England |
Joe Brough | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | MF | England |
Freddy Price | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | MF | England |
Harry Johnstone | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | FW | England |
Albert Hayes | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| – | FW | England |
Frank Cartledge | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | – | – | Own goals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 43 | 0 | 3 | 46 | |||
Transfers
[edit]Transfers in
[edit]| Date from | Position | Nationality | Name | From | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1920 | DF | |
Len Birks | Butt Lane Star | Free transfer | [4] |
| June 1920 | FW | |
Albert Hayes | Liverpool Badgers | Free transfer | [4] |
| June 1920 | FW | |
Tom Page | St Mirren |
£400 | [4] |
| July 1920 | DF | |
Frank Simon | Crewe Alexandra | Free transfer | [4] |
| August 1920 | MF | |
Freddy Price | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Free transfer | [4] |
| September 1920 | MF | |
Arthur Poole | Mossley | Free transfer | [4] |
| October 1920 | GK | |
Walter Smith | Manchester City | 'modest' | [4] |
| November 1920 | FW | |
Frank Cartledge | Ravensdale Mission | Free transfer | [4] |
| December 1920 | MF | |
Frank Newman | Aston Villa | Free transfer | [4] |
| February 1921 | FW | |
William Wilson | Portsmouth | Free transfer | [4] |
| March 1921 | FW | |
Andrew Livingston | Bathgate |
Free transfer | [4] |
Transfers out
[edit]| Date from | Position | Nationality | Name | To | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 1921 | FW | |
Bobby Blood | West Bromwich Albion | £4,000 | [4] |
| May 1921 | DF | |
Percy Ellis | Walsall | Released | [4] |
| Summer 1921 | GK | |
Jonathan Hammond | Released | [4] | |
| Summer 1921 | MF | |
James Hill | Shrewsbury Town | Released | [4] |
| Summer 1921 | FW | |
Andrew Livingston | Vale of Leven |
Released | [4] |
| Summer 1921 | MF | |
Arthur McGarry | Reading | Released | [4] |
| Summer 1921 | MF | |
Frank Newman | Exeter City | Released | [4] |
| Summer 1921 | MF | |
Ernest Perry | Bradford City | Free transfer | [4] |
| Summer 1921 | MF | |
Arthur Poole | Released | [4] | |
| Summer 1921 | MF | |
Freddy Price | Newport County | Released | [4] |
| Summer 1921 | FW | |
William Wilson | Walsall | Released | [4] |
References
[edit]- Specific
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab Kent, Jeff (1990). "Keeping in Good Company (1919-1929)". The Valiants' Years The Story Of Port Vale. Witan Books. pp. 98–123. ISBN 0-9508981-4-7.
- ^ "Season 1920–21". English Football League Tables. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
- ^ Port Vale 1920–1921 : Results & Fixtures. Statto Organisation.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v 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 0-9508981-9-8.