Burslem Port Vale

1905–06 season
Chairman	Robert Audley
Manager-secretary	Tommy Clare
Stadium	Athletic Ground
Football League Second Division	17th (28 Points)
FA Cup	First Round (knocked out byGainsborough Trinity)
Birmingham Senior Cup	Semi-final (knocked out byBirmingham)
Staffordshire Senior Cup	Semi-final (knocked out byBurton United)
Top goalscorer	League:Harry Mountford (15) All: Harry Mountford (15)
Highest home attendance	6,000 vsChelsea, 30 October 1905
Lowest home attendance	1,000 vsChesterfield Town, 9 September 1905
Average home league attendance	3,200
Biggest win	5–0 vs.Stoke, 18 September 1905
Biggest defeat	0–7 (twice)
Home colours
← 1904–05 1906–07 →

The1905–06 season wasBurslem Port Vale's eighth consecutive season (12th overall) of football in theEnglish Football League.^[1] They finished 17th place in theSecond Division, narrowly avoiding re‑election trouble by amassing 28 points from 38 matches (12 wins, 4 draws, 22 losses). Vale scored 49 goals, one of the lowest tallies in the league, and conceded 82, the worst defensive record in the division.

On the pitch, the club continued to struggle for consistency under manager‑secretaryTommy Clare, and endured occasional heavy defeats, most notably a 7–0 loss toChelsea atStamford Bridge in March 1906. Despite that, they achieved a season-high 5–0 win overStoke in September 1905. In cup competitions, Vale were knocked out in the First Round of theFA Cup byGainsborough Trinity, and exited both theBirmingham Senior Cup andStaffordshire Senior Cup at the semi-final stage.

ForwardHarry Mountford stood out for the season, finishing as both league and overall top scorer with 15 goals. Attendances at theAthletic Ground fluctuated markedly: a season-high crowd of around 6,000 watched Vale take on Chelsea on 30 October 1905, while the lowest gate was approximately 1,000 for a September visit byChesterfield Town, with the average attendance settling near 3,200. Off the field, poor financial performance mirrored results on the pitch. Despite support from long-time servants such asGeorge Price andBert Eardley, dwindling crowds raised concerns about the club's sustainability in League football.

An expanded league saw an extra four new clubs added to the division, in addition to the replacement forDoncaster Rovers, who failed to gain re-election the previous season. This put the Vale up againstChelsea,Hull City,Leeds City, andClapton Orient for the first time. The season's first five games saw a tally of just three points collected, with the 2–1 reversal at home toBlackpool "was not calculated to inspire confidence". The losing run concluded with a 4–0 defeat atBarnsley. Yet "sparking footwork" inspired three successive wins and left Vale in sixth place by 14 October. They did, however, miss threepenalty kicks until right-backAlbert Cook converted from the spot against Clapton Orient in the club's fourth such attempt of the campaign. On 30 October, celebrated amateur internationalSamuel Ashworth made his debut for the club in a 3–2 victory overChelsea and was appointed as captain, though he rarely played thereafter as he concentrated on his North Staffs Nomads amateur side.^[1]

Starting from November, the team attained only one point in nine games – in six of these, the "Valeites" failed to score.^[1] It began with a 4–0 loss at the bottom-clubGainsborough Trinity. Former club stalwart turned international pottery artistLucien Boullemier returned from the United States to feature in a 1–0 defeat toBristol City, though he had completely lost his athleticism and was not played in a professional game. The club's directors acted upon appalling attendance figures and decided to sell right-halfHarry Croxton and inspirational strikerAdrian Capes toStoke in November.^[1] A rare win came on 30 December, withHarry Mountford scoring ahat-trick pastLincoln City – the first hat-trick a Vale player had scored in close to three years.^[1] However, the side then proceeded to lose all their matches in January, including a 5–0 thrashing atGrimsby Town that left the club second-from-bottom. They gained some measure of relief with a 3–1 victory at an ageing Clapton Orient on 3 February.^[1]

The last three months saw a revival, and the club won six of their last 15 games.^[1] Thsi included seven matches at theAthletic Ground without defeat. Remarkably, one of the victories came againstManchester United after goalkeeperArthur Box scored the game's only goal from the penalty spot. Heavy defeats were sustained on the road, though, the worst of which was a 7–0 humbling at Chelsea. Of more concern was a 3–2 at fellow strugglersGlossop whenWilliam Cope was hit on the head with a stone after the Glossop players were altogether too rough and physical in coming down from an initial two goal deficit. Arthur Box decided to get his retaliation in first by kicking a Glossop player before taking his goalkick and was duly sent off. Victory was needed in the final home game againstBradford City to secure safety, and a "businesslike" performance ensured the necessary 2–1 victory. They still needed to avoid a four-goal defeat atWest Bromwich Albion to be sure, though, with centre-halfJoseph Holyhead scoring the crucial consolation goal.^[1]

Port Vale finished just in 17th place, outside the re-election zone on goal average. Vale lost 17 of their 19 away games, never drawing a match away from home, and conceded more on their travels than any other side in the league. Overall, the defence was the leakiest in the division, conceding 82 goals in 38 games.^[1]Harry Mountford was the club's top scorer with 15 goals, with no other player reaching double figures.^[1] The club parted company with manager-secretaryTommy Clare to save money andSam Gleaves returned to the secretary role andSam Bennion was put in charge of selection.^[1]

The financial outlook was bleak, and poor runs of results saw low attendance figures plummet. There were rumours of the club winding up at the end of the season, though the club would continue in its current form for one more season.^[1] Despite selling players and spending frugally, the club lost a whopping £451, with gate receipts falling by £280 on the previous campaign. Sam Gleaves warned that if supporters failed to turn up for matches, then the club would "inevitably cease to exist".^[1]

In theFA Cup, Vale defeated amateur clubOxford City after Oxford failed to make the most of theirshooting chances. The second round saw Vale eliminated byGainsborough Trinity at home, despite having organised special training sessions beforehand.^[1] In the County cups, Vale knocked outlocal rivals Stoke (Reserves) at home by 5–0 and 3–0 scorelines in the opening rounds as new competition rules meant clubs were no longer obliged to field a strong team. Vale "did not seem to exert themselves" as they were thumped 7–0 atBirmingham in the semi-finals of theBirmingham Senior Cup. They also faced a 5–1 defeat atBurton United in the semi-final of theStaffordshire Senior Cup after being forced to play a reserve side as it clashed with a league fixture.^[1]

Lincoln City v Port Vale

2 September 19051	Lincoln City	3–1	Port Vale	Lincoln
		Report	(og.)	Stadium:Sincil Bank Attendance: 3,000

Port Vale vChesterfield

9 September 19052	Port Vale	4–3	Chesterfield	Cobridge
	Capes Smith Crombie	Report		Stadium:Athletic Ground Attendance: 1,000

Port Vale vBlackpool

11 September 19053	Port Vale	1–2	Blackpool	Cobridge
	Carter	Report		Stadium:Athletic Ground

Port Vale vGrimsby Town

16 September 19054	Port Vale	2–2	Grimsby Town	Cobridge
	Smith	Report		Stadium:Athletic Ground Attendance: 2,000

Port Vale vClapton Orient

30 September 19056	Port Vale	2–1	Clapton Orient	Cobridge
	Mountford Cook (pen.)	Report		Stadium:Athletic Ground

Burnley v Port Vale

7 October 19057	Burnley	1–3	Port Vale	Burnley
		Report	Mountford Price	Stadium:Turf Moor Attendance: 3,000

Port Vale vLeeds City

14 October 19058	Port Vale	2–0	Leeds City	Cobridge
	Mountford Carter	Report		Stadium:Athletic Ground Attendance: 1,500

Port Vale vChelsea

30 October 190510	Port Vale	3–2	Chelsea	Cobridge
15:00GMT	Price 9' Croxton 51' Carter 78'	Report	Moran Windridge 85'	Stadium:Athletic Ground Attendance: 6,000 Referee: Jack Howcroft

Manchester United v Port Vale

18 November 190513	Manchester United	3–0	Port Vale	Clayton, Manchester
	Beddow Peddie own goal	Report		Stadium:Bank Street Attendance: 8,000

Port Vale vGlossop

25 November 190514	Port Vale	3–3	Glossop	Cobridge
	Mountford Cook Holyhead	Report		Stadium:Athletic Ground

Stockport County v Port Vale

2 December 190515	Stockport County	3–0	Port Vale	Stockport
	Waters Suart Crump	Report		Stadium:Edgeley Park

Port Vale vHull City

25 December 190518	Port Vale	1–3	Hull City	Cobridge
11:00GMT	Cook	Report	Gordon 15' Jones 45' Rushton 46'	Stadium:Athletic Ground Attendance: 4,000

Leicester Fosse v Port Vale

26 December 190519	Leicester Fosse	2–1	Port Vale	Leicester
	Moody	Report	Mountford	Stadium:Filbert Street Attendance: 10,000

Port Vale vLincoln City

30 December 190520	Port Vale	3–1	Lincoln City	Cobridge
	Mountford	Report		Stadium:Athletic Ground Attendance: 3,000

Port Vale vBarnsley

27 January 190623	Port Vale	1–2	Barnsley	Cobridge
	Smith	Report		Stadium:Athletic Ground

Clapton Orient v Port Vale

3 February 190624	Clapton Orient	1–3	Port Vale	Clapton, London
		Report	Smith Carter	Stadium:Clapton Stadium

Port Vale vBurnley

10 February 190625	Port Vale	2–2	Burnley	Cobridge
	Mountford Smith	Report		Stadium:Athletic Ground

Leeds City v Port Vale

17 February 190626	Leeds City	3–1	Port Vale	Beeston, Leeds
	Wilson Hargrave Parnell	Report	Mountford	Stadium:Elland Road Attendance: 9,000

Port Vale vBurton United

24 February 190627	Port Vale	4–1	Burton United	Cobridge
	Carter Mountford Price Grant	Report		Stadium:Athletic Ground

Chelsea v Port Vale

3 March 190628	Chelsea	7–0	Port Vale	Fulham,West London
15:00GMT	Robertson 10',40' Pearson 32' McRoberts 30' (pen.) Moran 42' Kirwan 44',50'	Report		Stadium:Stamford Bridge Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Fred Heath

Port Vale vGainsborough Trinity

10 March 190629	Port Vale	1–0	Gainsborough Trinity	Cobridge
	Eardley	Report		Stadium:Athletic Ground Referee: Fred Heath

Port Vale vManchester United

24 March 190631	Port Vale	1–0	Manchester United	Cobridge
	Box (pen.)	Report		Stadium:Athletic Ground Attendance: 3,000

Glossop v Port Vale

31 March 190632	Glossop	3–2	Port Vale	Glossop
		Report	(og.) Mountford	Stadium:North Road Attendance: 3,000

Port Vale vLeicester Fosse

13 April 190634	Port Vale	2–0	Leicester Fosse	Cobridge
	Carter Mountford	Report		Stadium:Athletic Ground Attendance: 5,000

Blackpool v Port Vale

14 April 190635	Blackpool	2–1	Port Vale	Blackpool
		Report	Carter	Stadium:Bloomfield Road Attendance: 2,000

Hull City v Port Vale

16 April 190636	Hull City	3–2	Port Vale	Kingston upon Hull
15:30BST	Browell 50' Howe 62',85'	Report	Mountford Carter	Stadium:Anlaby Road Attendance: 7,000

Port Vale vBradford City

21 April 190638	Port Vale	2–1	Bradford City	Cobridge
	Walley Smith	Report		Stadium:Athletic Ground

West Bromwich Albion v Port Vale

28 April 190638	West Bromwich Albion	4–1	Port Vale	West Bromwich
		Report	Holyhead	Stadium:The Hawthorns Attendance: 5,000

Oxford City v Port Vale

9 December 1905IR	Oxford City	0–1	Port Vale	Marston, Oxford
			Price	Stadium:Whitehouse Ground Attendance: 3,000

Port Vale vStoke

18 September 19051R	Port Vale	3–0	Stoke	Cobridge
	Croxton unknown			Stadium:Athletic Ground Attendance: 2,500

Port Vale vStoke

25 September 19051R	Port Vale	5–0	Stoke	Cobridge
	Price Crombie Smith Carter			Stadium:Athletic Ground

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

Pos.	Name	League		FA Cup		Other		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
GK	Arthur Box	35	1	2	0	3	0	40	1
GK	George Boote	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
FB	James Hamilton	34	0	2	0	2	0	38	0
FB	William Cope	34	0	2	0	2	0	38	0
FB	Lucien Boullemier	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
HB	Arthur Shelley	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
HB	Samuel Ashworth	4	0	2	0	0	0	6	0
HB	George Aytoun	4	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
HB	Harry Croxton	11	1	0	0	3	1	14	2
HB	Sam Whittingham	31	0	0	0	2	0	33	0
HB	William Bradbury	4	0	0	0	1	0	5	0
HB	Joseph Holyhead	28	2	2	0	0	0	30	2
HB	Vic Horrocks	19	0	2	0	1	0	22	0
HB	Albert Cook	8	3	2	0	0	0	10	3
FW	William Jones	4	0	0	0	2	0	6	0
FW	Bert Eardley	17	1	0	0	0	0	17	1
FW	Robert Carter	35	8	2	0	3	1	40	9
FW	Hugh Walley	9	1	0	0	0	0	9	1
FW	Alex Crombie	17	1	2	0	3	1	22	1
FW	Ebenezer Grant	5	1	0	0	0	0	5	1
FW	Billy Dorrell	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
FW	George Price	34	3	1	1	3	2	38	6
FW	Adrian Capes	12	2	0	0	2	0	14	2
FW	Harry Mountford	33	15	1	0	2	0	37	15
FW	William Thomas	9	0	0	0	1	0	10	0
FW	Philip Smith	25	8	1	0	3	1	29	9
FW	Alfred Hall	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0

Place	Position	Nation	Name	Second Division	FA Cup	Other	Total
1	FW	England	Harry Mountford	15	0	0	15
2	FW	England	Robert Carter	8	0	1	9
–	FW	England	Philip Smith	8	0	1	9
4	FW	England	George Price	3	1	2	6
5	HB	England	Albert Cook	3	0	0	3
6	FW	England	Adrian Capes	2	0	0	2
–	HB	England	Joseph Holyhead	2	0	0	2
–	FW	England	Alex Crombie	1	0	1	2
–	HB	England	Harry Croxton	1	0	1	2
10	FW		Hugh Walley	1	0	0	1
–	GK	England	Arthur Box	1	0	0	1
–	FW	England	Bert Eardley	1	0	0	1
–	FW	England	Ebenezer Grant	1	0	0	1
–	–	–	Own goals	2	0	0	2
–	–	–	Unknown	0	0	1	1
			TOTALS	49	1	7	57

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
July 1905	HB		George Aytoun	Clydebank Juniors	Free transfer	[3]
July 1905	FW		Alex Crombie	Reading	Free transfer	[3]
July 1905	HB		Arthur Shelley	Chesterton	Free transfer	[3]
August 1905	FW		Philip Smith	Knutton	Free transfer	[3]
October 1905	HB		Samuel Ashworth	Everton	Free transfer	[3]
October 1905	HB		Sam Baddeley	Norton	Free transfer	[3]
November 1905	GK		George Boote	Silverdale Town	Free transfer	[3]
November 1905	FB		Lucien Boullemier	Northampton Town	Free transfer	[3]
January 1906	FW		Ebenezer Grant	Tunstall Park	Free transfer	[3]

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
November 1905	FB		Lucien Boullemier	Northern Nomads	Free transfer	[3]
November 1905	FW		Adrian Capes	Stoke	Free transfer	[3]
November 1905	HB		Harry Croxton	Stoke	unknown	[3]
February 1906	HB		Albert Cook	Stoke	Free transfer	[3]
Summer 1906	HB		Samuel Ashworth	North Staffs Nomads	Released	[3]
Summer 1906	HB		George Aytoun		Released	[3]
Summer 1906	GK		George Boote	Knutton Rovers	Released	[3]
Summer 1906	FW		Alex Crombie		Released	[3]
Summer 1906	FW		W. Edwards	Crewe Alexandra	Released	[3]
Summer 1906	FW		Alfred Hall		Released	[3]
Summer 1906	HB		Ben Jones	Alsagers Bank Church	Free transfer	[3]
Summer 1906	FW		William Jones		Released	[3]
Summer 1906	FW		Philip Smith	Crewe Alexandra	Released	[3]
Summer 1906	FW		William Thomas	Everton	Free transfer	[3]
Summer 1906	HB		Sam Whittingham	Crewe Alexandra	Free transfer	[3]

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 1905–06 season

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