1929–30 Port Vale F.C. season

Port Vale
1929–30 season
Chairman	Frank Huntbach
Manager	Joe Schofield; (until 29 September); Tom Morgan; (from October)
Stadium	The Old Recreation Ground
Football League Third Division North	1st (67 Points)
FA Cup	Second Round; (knocked out by Chesterfield)
North Staffordshire Royal Infirmary Cup	Runners-up; (knocked out by Stoke)
Top goalscorer	League: Sam Jennings (24); All: Sam Jennings (27)
Highest home attendance	15,346 vs. York City, 18 April 1930
Lowest home attendance	4,519 vs. Halifax Town, 28 December 1929
Average home league attendance	9,176
Biggest win	7–1 vs. Rotherham United, 22 February 1930
Biggest defeat	0–2 (three games) and 2–4
	Home colours
	Home colours
	← 1928–29 1930–31 →

The 1929–30 season was Port Vale's 11th consecutive season of football (24th overall) in the English Football League, and their first in the Third Division North.^[1] They finished as champions and were thus promoted back to the Second Division. With 67 points, they broke a division record.^[1] After winning the North Staffordshire & District League in 1909–10, it was their first league title, as well as their first ever promotion in the Football League. They also racked up a still-standing club record Football League wins in a season, winning 30 of their 42 games. They were the most southerly team in the North Division.

Despite all the joys of the season, there was some considerable solemnity at the season's start, with manager Joe Schofield dying following an illness, his team top of the table.^[1]

Overview

Third Division North

The pre-season saw the directors spend some of the £2,600 they received in the sale of Wilf Kirkham.^[1] In came Tom Baxter (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Frank Watkin (Stoke City), Sam Jennings (Nottingham Forest), Arthur Brown (Reading), and Bill Cope (Bolton Wanderers).^[1] Jennings was a proven goalscorer, whilst Brown had kept goal for Wales.^[1] The run included a 5–0 win over Barrow and 5–1 victory over New Brighton, with Albert Pynegar scoring a hat-trick in the latter game.^[2]

The season started well, continued at a high tempo, and finished in style.^[1] Winning ten of their opening eleven games, Vale marked themselves as promotion favourites early on.^[1] However, during this sequence, tragedy struck on 29 September with the death of manager Joe Schofield, aged 58, following a short illness.^[1] The Sentinel described him as a man adept at developing young players, who remained close to his players to help them realize their full potential.^[1] His funeral took place on 3 October, with Stoke City fans also mourning his death, as he had managed both clubs – the only man ever to do so.^[1] Tom Morgan moved out of the backroom staff to take charge for the remainder of the season.^[1]

In mid-October, the side suffered a mini-slump, drawing three games in a row.^[1] To rectify things Bill Rawlings was signed from Manchester United for a four-figure fee, Ben Davies also arrived from Crewe Alexandra in a straight swap for Arthur Brown.^[1] Five wins on the bounce followed.^[1] Two defeats to Stockport County within two days (Christmas and Boxing Day) left the race for the title open despite the "Valiants" excellent start.^[1] Despite having nine players out injured, the Vale marched on, winning nine and drawing two of their following eleven games.^[1] This included a 4–0 win over Carlisle United and a 7–1 mauling over Rotherham United – Frank Watkin scoring five in the latter match.^[1]

Just as Vale were looking unbeatable, Jack Mandley was sold to Aston Villa for £5,000.^[1] Protestations from the supporters were quelled slightly by the arrival of Harry Marshall from Wolves.^[1] They slumped in March, winning two, losing two and drawing one.^[1] Despite being top of the league, a small minority of fans protested against the directors.^[1] The final four games were away, and Stockport were still breathing down the Vale's necks.^[1] all four games were won, with sixteen goals scored in the season's final five games.^[1] They took the title at Crewe Alexandra's Gresty Road, with 1,000 supporters cheering them on.^[1]

They finished as champions with 67 points from 42 matches, then a division record.^[1] This put them seventeen points clear of third-placed Darlington, and four points clear of Stockport.^[1] The previous season County had finished one point off champions Bradford City. Vale were one of five teams in the Football League to score a century of league goals (the others Sheffield Wednesday, West Bromwich Albion, Stockport County, and Darlington).^[1] Sam Jennings and Albert Pynegar scored nearly fifty goals combined. They conceded just 37 goals, less than any other team in the four divisions.^[1] At a Burslem Town Hall reception, 2,000 supporters congratulated the team on their achievement, amongst them Stoke's Wilf Kirkham.^[1]

Finances

On the financial side, a profit of £363 was made.^[1] Yet attendances were again a concern, a £725 drop in gate receipts saw an intake of just £13,302 on the gates.^[1] Wages came to £8,079.^[1] The directors again began talk of moving stadia to Cobridge.^[1] Leaving the club were Robert Gillespie, Jack Prince, and Bill Rawlings; they left for Wrexham, Rochdale, and New Milton respectively.^[1]

Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, Vale progressed into the Second Round after beating Gainsborough Trinity 5–0 in a replay.^[1] During the first encounter Bob Connelly made his 122nd consecutive appearance, but was injured during the rough match.^[1] They then came up against league rivals Chesterfield at Saltergate. Chesterfield would win all but three of their home games in the league and were equally stubborn opposition for the "Valiants", who they defeated 2–0.

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GAv	Pts	Promotion
1	Port Vale	42	30	7	5	103	37	2.784	67	Division Champions, promoted
2	Stockport County	42	28	7	7	106	44	2.409	63
3	Darlington	42	22	6	14	108	73	1.479	50
4	Chesterfield	42	22	6	14	76	56	1.357	50
5	Lincoln City	42	17	14	11	83	61	1.361	48

Source: rsssf.com

Results

Port Vale's score comes first

Football League Third Division North

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	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	A	A
Result	W	W	W	W	W	L	W	W	W	W	W	D	D	D	W	W	W	W	W	L	L	W	D	W	W	W	W	W	W	D	W	W	L	L	W	D	D	W	W	W	W	W
Position	6	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1

Source: Statto^[3]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
31 August 1929	Halifax Town	A	2–1	8,101	Jennings (2)
2 September 1929	New Brighton	A	1–0	4,883	Jennings
7 September 1929	Barrow	H	5–0	9,882	Griffiths (2), Pynegar, Baxter, Anstiss
9 September 1929	New Brighton	H	5–1	8,260	Pynegar (3 [1 pen]), Griffiths, Anstiss
14 September 1929	Wrexham	A	2–0	8,828	Watkin, Baxter
16 September 1929	Lincoln City	A	2–3	5,842	Watkin (2)
21 September 1929	Wigan Borough	H	4–0	7,915	Pynegar (2), Baxter, Jennings
23 September 1929	Crewe Alexandra	H	2–0	10,674	Pynegar (2)
28 September 1929	Carlisle United	A	4–1	8,784	Griffiths (2), Pynegar, Baxter
5 October 1929	Nelson	H	3–1	7,746	Jennings (2), Pynegar
12 October 1929	Southport	A	2–1	4,746	Watkin, Baxter
19 October 1929	Rotherham United	A	2–2	6,583	Fishwick, Pynegar
26 October 1929	Rochdale	H	3–3	8,902	Fishwick, Pynegar (pen), Griffiths
2 November 1929	South Shields	A	0–0	5,984
9 November 1929	Accrington Stanley	H	5–2	11,294	Pynegar (2), Anstiss, Rawlings, Baxter
16 November 1929	Darlington	A	1–0	7,982	Griffiths
23 November 1929	Hartlepools United	H	2–1	7,166	Anstiss, Rawlings
7 December 1929	Chesterfield	H	4–1	5,682	Anstiss, Baxter, Griffiths, Jennings
21 December 1929	Tranmere Rovers	H	1–0	6,852	Anstiss
25 December 1929	Stockport County	H	1–2	14,494	Oakes
26 December 1929	Stockport County	A	2–4	22,668	Stockton, Jennings
28 December 1929	Halifax Town	H	3–0	4,519	Jennings (2), Stockton
4 January 1930	Barrow	A	1–1	5,765	Mandley
18 January 1930	Wrexham	H	3–0	10,519	Stockton (2), Jennings
25 January 1930	Wigan Borough	A	3–0	6,567	Jennings (2), Fishwick
1 February 1930	Carlisle United	H	4–0	9,279	Jennings (2), Anstiss (2)
8 February 1930	Nelson	A	3–2	5,045	Anstiss, Jennings, Pynegar
15 February 1930	Southport	H	1–0	8,338	Baxter
22 February 1930	Rotherham United	H	7–1	7,989	Watkin (5), Jennings, Anstiss
1 March 1930	Rochdale	A	0–0	7,177
8 March 1930	South Shields	H	3–0	9,748	Jennings (3)
15 March 1930	Accrington Stanley	A	2–0	4,431	Anstiss, Marshall
22 March 1930	Darlington	H	0–2	10,543
29 March 1930	Hartlepools United	A	0–2	7,473
5 April 1930	Doncaster Rovers	H	2–1	9,905	Fishwick, Pynegar
12 April 1930	Chesterfield	A	1–1	7,450	Griffiths
18 April 1930	York City	H	1–1	15,346	Anstiss
19 April 1930	Lincoln City	H	5–2	7,649	Jennings (2), Griffiths (2), Pynegar
21 April 1930	York City	A	2–0	9,439	Griffiths (2)
26 April 1930	Tranmere Rovers	A	5–1	3,784	Pynegar (2), Jennings (2), Griffiths
1 May 1930	Doncaster Rovers	A	2–0	5,313	Baxter, Anstiss
3 May 1930	Crewe Alexandra	A	2–0	7,014	Pynegar (2)

FA Cup


Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
R1	30 November 1929	Gainsborough Trinity	A	0–0	4,000
R1 Replay	4 December 1929	Gainsborough Trinity	H	5–0	6,253	Jennings (2), Anstiss (2), Pynegar
R2	14 December 1929	Chesterfield	A	0–2	11,740

North Staffordshire Royal Infirmary Cup


Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
Final	5 May 1930	Stoke	H	1–2	6,343	Jennings

Player statistics

Appearances and goals

Pos.	Name	Football League		FA Cup		Other		Total
Pos.	Name	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
GK	Ben Davies	29	0	3	0	1	0	33	0
GK	Jack Prince	12	0	0	0	0	0	12	0
GK	Arthur Brown	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
DF	Jimmy Oakes	33	1	3	0	0	0	36	1
DF	Jack Maddock	4	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
DF	Billy Wootton	20	0	0	0	1	0	21	0
DF	George Shenton	31	0	3	0	1	0	35	0
DF	William Cope	40	0	3	0	0	0	43	0
MF	Bob Connelly	25	0	2	0	0	0	27	0
MF	Roger Jones	38	0	3	0	1	0	42	0
MF	Jack Simms	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
MF	Phil Griffiths	30	14	0	0	1	0	31	14
MF	Bert Fishwick	5	4	0	0	0	0	5	4
MF	Jack Mandley	12	1	3	0	0	0	15	1
MF	Tom Baxter	39	9	3	0	1	0	43	9
MF	George Stockton	6	4	0	0	0	0	6	4
MF	Dennis Izon	4	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
MF	George Whitcombe	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
MF	Jack Sherlock	5	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
MF	Sam Spencer	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
FW	Billy Briscoe	8	0	1	0	1	0	10	0
FW	Harry Anstiss	33	13	3	2	1	0	37	15
FW	Robert Gillespie	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
FW	Albert Pynegar	29	21	3	1	1	0	33	22
FW	Frank Watkin	13	9	0	0	0	0	13	9
FW	Bill Rawlings	5	2	1	0	0	0	6	2
FW	Henry O'Grady	1	0	0	0	1	0	2	0
FW	Harry Marshall	4	1	0	0	0	0	4	1
FW	Sam Jennings	30	24	2	2	1	1	33	27

Top scorers

Place	Position	Nation	Name	Third Division North	FA Cup	Infirmary Cup	Total
1	FW	England	Sam Jennings	24	2	1	27
2	FW	England	Albert Pynegar	21	1	0	22
3	FW	England	Harry Anstiss	13	2	0	15
4	MF	Wales	Phil Griffiths	14	0	0	14
5	MF	England	Tom Baxter	9	0	0	9
–	FW	England	Frank Watkin	9	0	0	9
7	MF	England	George Stockton	4	0	0	4
–	MF	England	Bert Fishwick	4	0	0	4
9	FW	England	Bill Rawlings	2	0	0	2
10	DF	England	Jimmy Oakes	1	0	0	1
–	MF	England	Jack Mandley	1	0	0	1
–	FW	England	Harry Marshall	1	0	0	1
			TOTALS	103	5	1	109

Transfers

Transfers in

Date from	Position	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
May 1929	GK	Arthur Brown	Reading	Free transfer	^[4]
May 1929	FW	Sam Jennings	Nottingham Forest	Free transfer	^[4]
May 1929	DF	Jack Sherlock	Hanley Y.M.C.A.	Free transfer	^[4]
June 1929	DF	Frank Watkin	Stoke City	Free transfer	^[4]
July 1929	DF	Bill Cope	Bolton Wanderers	Free transfer	^[4]
October 1929	DF	Arnold Bliss	Dartford	Free transfer	^[4]
October 1929	GK	Ben Davies	Crewe Alexandra	Free transfer	^[4]
November 1929	MF	Cliff Birks	Stoke City	Free transfer	^[4]
November 1929	FW	Henry O'Grady	Witton Albion	Free transfer	^[4]
November 1929	FW	Bill Rawlings	Manchester United	'four-figure'	^[4]
March 1930	FW	Harry Marshall	Wolverhampton Wanderers	'sizeable outlay'	^[4]

Transfers out

Date from	Position	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
October 1929	GK	Arthur Brown	Crewe Alexandra	Free transfer	^[4]
March 1930	MF	Jack Mandley	Aston Villa	£7,000	^[4]
May 1930	GK	Jack Prince	Rochdale	Released	^[4]
Summer 1930	FW	Bill Rawlings	New Milton	Free transfer	^[4]

References

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 ^ac ^ad ^ae ^af ^ag ^ah ^ai ^aj ^ak Kent, Jeff (1990). "From Glory to Despair (1929–1939)". The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale. Witan Books. pp. 124–150. ISBN 0-9508981-4-7.
^ Fielding, Rob (18 April 2020). "Eleven games played, won ten - Port Vale's amazing start to 1929-30". onevalefan.co.uk. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
^ Port Vale 1929–1930 : Results & Fixtures Archived 19 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o 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.

[Kent-1] ^ ^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 ^ac ^ad ^ae ^af ^ag ^ah ^ai ^aj ^ak Kent, Jeff (1990). "From Glory to Despair (1929–1939)". The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale. Witan Books. pp. 124–150. ISBN 0-9508981-4-7.

[tenof11-2] Fielding, Rob (18 April 2020). "Eleven games played, won ten - Port Vale's amazing start to 1929-30". onevalefan.co.uk. Retrieved 5 June 2020.

[3] Port Vale 1929–1930 : Results & Fixtures Archived 19 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.

[transfers-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e Port Vale F.C. seasons
1880–81 1881–82 1882–83 1883–84 1884–85 1885–86 1886–87 1887–88 1888–89 1889–90
1890–91 1891–92 1892–93 1893–94 1894–95 1895–96 1896–97 1897–98 1898–99 1899–00
1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10
1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20
1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30
1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40
1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50
1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60
1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70
1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80
1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90
1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00
2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10
2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20
2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26 2026–27 2027–28 2028–29 2029–30