Vic Rouse (footballer, born 1897)

Val Rouse
	Rouse in 1928
Personal information
Full name	Alfred Valentine Rouse
Date of birth	14 February 1897
Place of birth	Hoddesdon, England
Date of death	1961 (aged 63–64)
Height	5 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1.74 m)
Position(s)	Left half
Youth career
	Llanelly
	Pontypridd
Senior career*
Years	Team
1921–1922	Wolverhampton Wanderers
1922–1926	Stoke
1926	Swansea Town
1926–1929	Port Vale
1929–1931	Crewe Alexandra
	Connah's Quay & Shotton
Total
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Alfred Valentine "Val or Vic" Rouse (14 February 1897 – 1961) was an English footballer who played for Crewe Alexandra, Port Vale, Stoke, Swansea Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers and was described as a 'gentleman' player.^[1]

Career

Rouse was born in Hoddesdon and played for Welsh sides Llanelly and Pontypridd before joining Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1921.^[1] He played five Second Division games for "Wolves" in the 1921–22 campaign, before joining First Division club Stoke in August 1922.^[1] He played in 38 matches in 1922–23 as Stoke suffered relegation back to the Second Division.^[1] Manager Tom Mather kept faith with Rouse at left-half in 1923–24, and made him captain for the 1924–25 campaign. He scored his first senior goal in a 1–1 draw with Barnsley at the Victoria Ground on 1 November 1924. Despite possessing a strong squad, overall performances on the pitch were below standard, and the team went 12 matches without a win (1 January 1925 to 21 March 1925) and was almost relegated.^[1] Four wins and three draws in their last eight matches ensured survival by the narrowest of margins, a single point.^[1] Rouse was sold to Swansea Town but featured just four times for the "Swans" in 1925–26. He left Vetch Field and joined Port Vale in June 1926.^[3] He played 29 Second Division matches in the 1926–27 season and then 39 league games in the 1927–28 season, as Vale posted top ten finishes. However, he lost his first-team place at The Old Recreation Ground in February 1929 and was given a free transfer in May 1929. He spent the 1929–30 and 1930–31 seasons in the Third Division North with Crewe Alexandra, before joining Connah's Quay & Shotton.

Source:^[4]

Club	Season	Division	League		FA Cup		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Wolverhampton Wanderers	1921–22	Second Division	5	0	0	0	5	0
Stoke	1922–23	First Division	37	0	1	0	38	0
	1923–24	Second Division	24	0	1	0	25	0
	1924–25	Second Division	31	2	1	0	32	2
	Total		92	2	3	0	95	2
Swansea Town	1925–26	Second Division	4	0	0	0	4	0
Port Vale	1926–27	Second Division	29	0	3	0	33	0
	1927–28	Second Division	38	0	3	0	41	0
	1928–29	Second Division	28	0	1	0	29	0
	Total		95	0	7	0	102	0
Crewe Alexandra	1929–30	Third Division North	42	0	2	0	44	0
	1930–31	Third Division North	41	1	2	0	43	1
	Total		83	1	4	0	87	1
Career total			279	3	14	0	293	3

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
^ Onward (21 August 1922). "Few big transfers in the First Division of the Football League. Stoke". Athletic News. Manchester. p. 5.
^ Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 254. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
^ Vic Rouse at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)