Port Vale

1933–34 season
Chairman	Frank Huntbach
Manager	Tom Holford
Stadium	Old Recreation Ground
Football League Second Division	8th (45 Points)
FA Cup	Third Round (knocked out byCharlton Athletic)
Welsh Cup	Semi-final (knocked out byBristol City)
Top goalscorer	League:Tom Nolan (22) All: Tom Nolan (22)
Highest home attendance	14,216 vs.Blackpool, 20 January 1934
Lowest home attendance	2,990 vs.Nottingham Forest, 5 May 1934
Average home league attendance	10,051
Biggest win	4–0 and 5–1
Biggest defeat	1–6 vs.Nottingham Forest, 23 December 1933
Home colours
← 1932–33 1934–35 →

The1933–34 season wasPort Vale's 28th season of football in theEnglish Football League, and their fourth-successive season (27th overall) in theSecond Division.^[1] Under managerTom Holford, the club enjoyed a breakthrough campaign — finishing 8th in the Second Division with 45 points, their best league placing since the 1930–31 season and one they would not improve upon until 1996–97.

A major driving force was centre‑forwardTom Nolan, who struck 22 goals in 32 league appearances, including hat‑tricks againstBury,Hull City, andNottingham Forest, becoming the club's top scorer for the season. Vale's defensive solidity was also notable — they conceded just 55 goals, the second‑lowest in the division, and kept a number of clean sheets during their fine run of early and mid‑season form.

Standout moments included an eight‑win start in their first eleven matches, positioning Vale in third place with ten games remaining, firmly in promotion contention. However, a poor run of results — including home defeats toBrentford andBurnley, and a narrow loss toWest Ham United in atrocious pitch conditions — saw them slip down the table. They did end strongly with a 3–1 win over Nottingham Forest, in which Nolan earned praise for his constant threat, though attendances dipped sharply, with only 2,801 watching at one match.

In theFA Cup, Vale were knocked out in the Third Round, while in theWelsh Cup they reached the semi‑final before losing toBristol City. Off the field, the club's average home attendance rose to around 10,051, peaking at 14,216 againstBlackpool on 20 January 1934. At season's end, the board initiated a squad clear-out to cut costs and refresh personnel ahead of future campaigns. This season is remembered for unfettered ambition and glimpsed promise — close enough to promotion to inspire belief, yet ultimately frustration as Vale failed to sustain their challenge in a club season that would stand among their finest of the interwar era.

The pre-season saw the arrival of ten new professionals, six of whom were forwards.^[1] The most significant newcomers wereTrevor Rhodes (Bradford Park Avenue),Jack Vickers (Charlton Athletic), as well asKen Gunn andBilly Tabram (both fromSwansea Town).^[1]

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-placedGrimsby Town that put Vale top of the table on 23 September. They slipped to a 3–2 loss atNotts 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 signedSydney 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.^[1] Only an excellent performance from goalkeeperAllan Todd prevented more than a three-goal defeat atBolton Wanderers.Manchester United ended the Vale's 100% record at theOld Recreation Ground when they sneaked a 3–2 win on 2 December. Vale lost 6–1 atNottingham Forest on 23 December. The slide was halted with a 1–0 Boxing day victory overLincoln City in which top-scorerTom Nolan became one of only two Vale playerssent off in the period between 1918 and 1947.^[1] The result nevertheless kept the club within a point of thepromotion places.^[1] This was supplemented by seven of a possible eight points in their next four games, including victories atThe Dell andValley Parade.^[1]

Their run ended on 5 February at the Old Recreation Ground with a 1–0 defeat to eventual championsGrimsby Town.^[1] From this point, the promotion campaign completely collapsed, with a 4–0 loss soon coming to Welsh strugglers Swansea.^[1] New signingJack Blackwell from Charlton couldn't reverse the trend despite helping the side to their biggest win of the season with a 5–1 thrashing ofMillwall the following week.^[1] A fortnight later and a 2–0 win over promotion-chasingPreston North End meant promotion was back on the cards for the "Valiants".^[1]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 theFirst Division for the first time in their career".^[1]

Their remaining eleven games yielded a return of merely seven points, lacking areserve team, and fatigue had set into the first team.^[1] One significant defeat came atOld Trafford, which helpedManchester United avoidrelegation to the third tier for what would have been the only time intheir history.Billy Tabram dislocated his collarbone in the defeat to Manchester United. YoungFred Mitcheson did make a name for himself, however, scoring ahat-trick in his debut in a 4–0 win overPlymouth Argyle.^[1] All three of his goals came within the space of three minutes, aclub record for the quickest hat-trick that would remain unlikely to ever be beaten.^[2]

They finished in eighth position, gaining 45 points from 42 games.^[1] 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.^[1] Attacking-wise, their 60 goals were a poor return for a top-of-the-table club, with 33 of these coming fromTom Nolan (22) andTrevor Rhodes (11).^[1]

On the financial side, a loss of £2,771 was announced despite strict economic budgeting.^[1] Gate receipts had risen slowly to £11,868, though a raretransfer deficit was made, and expenses had risen sharply.^[1] 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 withNottingham Forest, despite having recently built a stand with cover for 15,000 spectators.^[1] The upshot of this was the release of a massive 15 players, a list which included:Bill Cope,Sydney Dickinson,Len Armitage, andJimmy McGrath.^[1] Billy Tabram was also sold toHull City for a large fee, whilstFred Mills' transfer toLeeds United andGeorge Poyser's move toBrentford also brought in some much-needed cash.^[1] In the boardroom,Adrian Capes announced his retirement.^[1] It was, according to historian Jeff Kent, "the end of an era".^[1]

In theFA Cup, defeat came in the third round toThird Division South sideCharlton Athletic atThe Valley despite 'special training' measures beforehand.^[1] Former ValiantJimmy Oakes was "brilliant" for Charlton.^[1]

For the first and only time the club also entered theWelsh Cup.^[3] Vale lost out toBristol City at the semi-final stage.

Port Vale vBury

28 August 19332	Port Vale	4–1	Bury	Hanley
	Nolan McGrath	Report		Stadium:Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 8,416

Port Vale vSouthampton

2 September 19333	Port Vale	2–1	Southampton	Hanley
	Gunn	Report	Drake	Stadium:Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 11,237

Bury v Port Vale

11 September 19335	Bury	0–3	Port Vale	Bury, Greater Manchester
		Report	Rhodes Gunn Tabram	Stadium:Gigg Lane Attendance: 6,197

Port Vale vBradford City

16 September 19336	Port Vale	3–1	Bradford City	Hanley
	Rhodes Morton Nolan	Report		Stadium:Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 11,453

Grimsby Town v Port Vale

23 September 19337	Grimsby Town	1–2	Port Vale	Cleethorpes
		Report	Nolan Morton	Stadium:Blundell Park Attendance: 10,505

Notts County v Port Vale

30 September 19338	Notts County	3–2	Port Vale	Nottingham
		Report	Nolan	Stadium:Meadow Lane Attendance: 15,364

Port Vale vSwansea Town

7 October 19339	Port Vale	1–0	Swansea Town	Hanley
	Rhodes	Report		Stadium:Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 9,478

Millwall v Port Vale

14 October 193310	Millwall	0–3	Port Vale	New Cross,Lewisham
		Report	Gunn Rhodes Nolan	Stadium:The Den Attendance: 12,045

Port Vale vBradford (Park Avenue)

21 October 193311	Port Vale	3–1	Bradford (Park Avenue)	Hanley
	Nolan Morton	Report		Stadium:Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 13,122

Port Vale vOldham Athletic

4 November 193313	Port Vale	2–0	Oldham Athletic	Hanley
	Nolan Rhodes	Report		Stadium:Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 12,228

Port Vale vBrentford

18 November 193315	Port Vale	1–0	Brentford	Hanley
	Gunn	Report		Stadium:Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 11,349

Port Vale vManchester United

2 December 193317	Port Vale	2–3	Manchester United	Hanley
	Nolan Rhodes	Report	Brown Dewar Black	Stadium:Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 10,316

Plymouth Argyle v Port Vale

9 December 193318	Plymouth Argyle	3–0	Port Vale	Plymouth
	Grozier Black Cookson	Report		Stadium:Home Park Attendance: 13,672

Nottingham Forest v Port Vale

23 December 193320	Nottingham Forest	6–1	Port Vale	West Bridgford
15:00GMT	Peacock 28',39',41',81' Race 48' Dent 58'	Report	Rhodes	Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 9,239 Referee: P Snape

Port Vale vLincoln City

26 December 193322	Port Vale	1–0	Lincoln City	Hanley
	Nolan	Report		Stadium:Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 13,910

Port Vale vFulham

30 December 193323	Port Vale	2–2	Fulham	Hanley
	Gunn Rhodes	Report		Stadium:Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 8,151

Southampton v Port Vale

6 January 193424	Southampton	1–4	Port Vale	Southampton
	Campbell	Report	Rhodes Morton	Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 9,987

Port Vale vBlackpool

20 January 193425	Port Vale	1–0	Blackpool	Hanley
	McGrath	Report		Stadium:Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 14,216

Bradford City v Port Vale

27 January 193426	Bradford City	1–2	Port Vale	Bradford
		Report	Dickinson Mills	Stadium:Valley Parade Attendance: 12,719

Port Vale vMillwall

24 February 193430	Port Vale	5–1	Millwall	Hanley
	Blackwell Gunn Mills Nolan	Report		Stadium:Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 8,578

Bradford (Park Avenue) v Port Vale

3 March 193431	Bradford (Park Avenue)	2–2	Port Vale	Bradford
		Report	Gunn Dickinson	Stadium:Park Avenue Attendance: 11,548

Port Vale vPreston North End

10 March 193432	Port Vale	2–0	Preston North End	Hanley
	Morton	Report		Stadium:Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 12,972

Oldham Athletic v Port Vale

17 March 193433	Oldham Athletic	5–1	Port Vale	Oldham
		Report	Nolan	Stadium:Boundary Park Attendance: 5,900

Port Vale vHull City

30 March 193435	Port Vale	3–0	Hull City	Hanley
15:00BST	Nolan	Report		Stadium:Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 10,502

Brentford v Port Vale

31 March 193436	Brentford	2–0	Port Vale	Brentford,West London
	Holliday Scott	Report		Stadium:Griffin Park Attendance: 19,758

Hull City v Port Vale

2 April 193437	Hull City	2–1	Port Vale	Kingston upon Hull
15:15BST	Jordan 48' Hubbard 75'	Report	Blackwell	Stadium:Anlaby Road Attendance: 13,333

Manchester United v Port Vale

14 April 193439	Manchester United	2–0	Port Vale	Old Trafford
	Brown McMillen	Report		Stadium:Old Trafford Attendance: 14,777

Port Vale vPlymouth Argyle

21 April 193440	Port Vale	4–0	Plymouth Argyle	Hanley
	Mitcheson Nolan	Report		Stadium:Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 4,956

West Ham United v Port Vale

28 April 193441	West Ham United	1–0	Port Vale	Upton Park, London
	Ruffell	Report		Stadium:Boleyn Ground Attendance: 9,893

Port Vale vNottingham Forest

5 May 193442	Port Vale	3–1	Nottingham Forest	Hanley
15:00BST	Nolan	Report	Dent 28'	Stadium:Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 2,990 Referee: P Snape

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

Pos.	Name	Football League		FA Cup		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
GK	Allan Todd	28	0	1	0	29	0
GK	Ormond Jones	14	0	0	0	14	0
FB	George Shenton	10	0	0	0	10	0
FB	Bill Cope	13	0	1	0	14	0
FB	George Poyser	38	0	1	0	39	0
FB	Jack Vickers	32	0	1	0	33	0
FB	Ernest Breeze	4	0	0	0	4	0
HB	Trevor Rhodes	30	11	1	0	31	11
HB	Roger Jones	28	0	1	0	29	0
HB	Jack Round	3	0	0	0	3	0
HB	Jimmy McGrath	38	3	1	0	39	3
HB	Fred Mills	37	2	1	0	38	2
HB	Cliff Birks	11	0	0	0	11	0
HB	Billy Tabram	35	1	1	0	36	1
HB	Richard Twiss	1	0	0	0	1	0
HB	Sydney Dickinson	12	2	0	0	12	2
HB	Ken Gunn	38	8	1	0	39	8
FW	Len Armitage	1	0	1	0	2	0
FW	Bob Morton	33	5	0	0	33	5
FW	Horace Baker	3	0	0	0	3	0
FW	Albert Purcell	2	0	0	0	2	0
FW	Billy Webster	0	0	0	0	0	0
FW	Tom Nolan	32	22	0	0	32	22
FW	Robert G. Davies	2	0	0	0	2	0
FW	Fred Mitcheson	3	3	0	0	3	3
FW	Jack Blackwell	12	3	0	0	12	3
FW	Peter Cunningham	2	0	0	0	2	0

Place	Position	Nation	Name	Second Division	FA Cup	Total
1	FW	England	Tom Nolan	22	0	22
2	HB	England	Trevor Rhodes	11	0	11
3	HB	Scotland	Ken Gunn	8	0	8
4	FW	England	Bob Morton	5	0	5
5	HB	England	Jimmy McGrath	3	0	3
–	FW	England	Fred Mitcheson	3	0	3
–	FW	England	Jack Blackwell	3	0	3
8	HB	England	Fred Mills	2	0	2
–	HB	England	Sydney Dickinson	2	0	2
10	HB	Wales	Billy Tabram	1	0	1
			TOTALS	60	0	60

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
May 1933	FW		Peter Cunningham	Barnsley	Free transfer	[5]
May 1933	HB		Ken Gunn	Swansea Town	£400	[5]
May 1933	GK		Ormond Jones	Yeovil & Petters United	Free transfer	[5]
May 1933	FB		Jack Vickers	Charlton Athletic	£200	[5]
June 1933	HB		Trevor Rhodes	Bradford Park Avenue	Free transfer	[5]
July 1933	FW		Fred Mitcheson	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Free transfer	[5]
August 1933	HB		Richard Twiss	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Free transfer	[5]
November 1933	HB		Sydney Dickinson	Bradford Park Avenue	'Substantial'	[5]
November 1933	FW		Albert Purcell	Kidsgrove Liverpool Road	Free transfer	[5]
February 1934	FW		Jack Blackwell	Charlton Athletic	Free transfer	[5]

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
November 1933	FW		Peter Cunningham	Crewe Alexandra	Free transfer	[5]
May 1934	FB		William Allsop	Halifax Town	Free transfer	[5]
May 1934	FW		Len Armitage	Tranmere Rovers	Free transfer	[5]
May 1934	FW		Horace Baker	Longton Hall	Free transfer	[5]
May 1934	FW		Robert G. Davies	Torquay United	Free transfer	[5]
May 1934	GK		Ormond Jones	Norwich City	Free transfer	[5]
May 1934	HB		Billy Tabram	Hull City	Free transfer	[5]
June 1934	HB		Jimmy McGrath	Notts County	Free transfer	[5]
June 1934	HB		Fred Mills	Leeds United	Undisclosed	[5]
June 1934	FB		George Poyser	Brentford	£1,550	[5]
Summer 1934	FB		Bill Cope		Released	[5]
Summer 1934	HB		Sydney Dickinson	Lincoln City	Released	[5]
Summer 1934	HB		Richard Twiss	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	Free transfer	[5]

Specific

General

• Kent, Jeff (1993).The Port Vale Record 1879-1993. Witan Books.ISBN 0-9508981-9-8.

• Port Vale F.C. seasons
• English football clubs 1933–34 season

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