# 1922–23 Port Vale F.C. season

The 1922–23 season was Port Vale's fourth consecutive season of football (17th overall) in the English Football League. For the third-successive the season the club finished just out of the relegation zones, and for the second successive season were unable to find a regular goalscorer following the sale of Bobby Blood. Financial issues continued to be a concern, especially when a former trainer reported the club for making illegal payments.

## Overview
### Second Division

The releasing of numerous experienced players in pre-season necessitated the signing of numerous new attacking players, namely Millwall winger Patrick Donoghue; 'robust' inside-right Jack Gordon from Queen's Park; James Smith from Plymouth Argyle; and Tom Reid from Ayr United.
The season opened with two defeats in August, and though things soon turned around, it became clear that goals were at a premium. To solve this problem experienced winger Billy Harrison was signed from Manchester United. The "Valiants" duly did the double over the "Red Devils" with a 2–1 win at Old Trafford, and a 1–0 win at home thanks to a Harrison strike. Following an injury to the player, the club suffered something of a blip in November. The following month, the club spent £100 to bring Tom Butler from Darlaston. By the end of the calendar year the club were at the top end of the table, however, a loss of form in January caused them to slip back down the table. In February, young Arthur Prince was promoted from the reserves and helped the club go four games unbeaten. The Vale finished out the season on hot and cold spells and ended up narrowly avoiding relegation.
At the end of the season, Vale had made slight progress, having finished on 37 points, improving their tally of the previous two seasons by a single point. Their shocking home record was better only than bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers. Vale secured the fewest home wins and had the second-lowest goals scored tally at home – remarkably second place West Ham United had scored just two fewer than Vale at home. Their six wins away from home helped them avoid the drop.
Top scorer Tom Butler bagged nine goals in his 26 games, but no other player managed more than four goals. Six players were rarely out of the first XI: goalkeeper Teddy Peers; defenders Peter Pursell and Len Birks; midfielders Ernest Collinge and Jack Hampson; and forward Billy Briscoe. At the end of the season, Billy Harrison joined Welsh club Wrexham, Jack Gordon went back to Scotland to sign with Greenock Morton, Teddy Peers retired, and Billy Briscoe refused a pay-cut and instead signed with nearby Congleton Town.

### Finances

Finances were poor as attendances were disappointing, with The Sentinel's "Spectator" commenting that "Port Vale is respected everywhere, except in its own district". The ongoing Shilling Fund was useful for raising revenue, whilst £1,100 was written off by creditors in a remarkably charitable fashion. Yet in June 1923, the club was in trouble when former trainer Billy Barr reported Port Vale to the English Football League, accusing the club of having made illegal payments to its players throughout the season. The club was found guilty and was fined £100, with manager Joe Schofield also picking up a £25 fine. Three other officials were fined £150 in total, whilst seventeen players were each fined £1 each. This helped the club to report a loss of £2,400 on the season despite their tight spending. Gate receipts stood at just over £10,000, down almost 50% on 1920–21.

### Cup competitions

Vale left the FA Cup at the Fifth Round of Qualifying after a disappointing 2–0 defeat by Third Division North Wrexham at The Old Recreation Ground. The end of season North Staffordshire Infirmary Cup Potteries derby bragging rights went to Stoke, which was scant consolation for a club who had just suffered relegation from the First Division. The match raised £250 for the local hospital.

## League table

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
| 15 | Bradford City | 42 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 41 | 45 | 0.911 | 37 |
| 16 | Crystal Palace | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 54 | 62 | 0.871 | 37 |
| 17 | Port Vale | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 39 | 51 | 0.765 | 37 |
| 18 | Coventry City | 42 | 15 | 7 | 20 | 46 | 63 | 0.730 | 37 |
| 19 | Clapton Orient | 42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 40 | 50 | 0.800 | 36 |

## Results

Port Vale's score comes first

### Football League Second Division
#### 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 | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | H | H | A | A | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H |
| Result | L | L | D | W | W | L | D | W | W | W | D | L | W | L | L | D | W | W | L | W | L | L | L | L | L | D | W | W | D | L | L | L | L | W | W | L | L | D | W | D | L | D |
| Position | 19 | 21 | 19 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 17 |

#### Matches

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 26 August 1922 | Fulham | H | 0–1 | 14,136 | |
| 28 August 1922 | Hull City | A | 0–3 | 6,000 | |
| 2 September 1922 | Fulham | A | 1–1 | 23,000 | Smith |
| 4 September 1922 | Hull City | H | 1–0 | 10,000 | Gordon |
| 9 September 1922 | Coventry City | A | 2–1 | 17,000 | Smith, Agnew |
| 16 September 1922 | Coventry City | H | 0–1 | 12,733 | |
| 23 September 1922 | Clapton Orient | A | 0–0 | 10,000 | |
| 30 September 1922 | Clapton Orient | H | 3–1 | 10,200 | Harrison, Gordon, Connelly |
| 7 October 1922 | Manchester United | A | 2–1 | 20,000 | Hampson, Collinge |
| 14 October 1922 | Manchester United | H | 1–0 | 16,022 | Harrison |
| 21 October 1922 | Notts County | H | 0–0 | 15,055 | |
| 28 October 1922 | Notts County | A | 0–1 | 12,000 | |
| 4 November 1922 | Bury | H | 2–0 | 8,822 | Connelly, Gordon |
| 11 November 1922 | Bury | A | 0–2 | 11,000 | |
| 18 November 1922 | Rotherham County | A | 1–3 | 10,000 | Collinge (pen) |
| 25 November 1922 | Rotherham County | H | 0–0 | 7,503 | |
| 9 December 1922 | Stockport County | A | 2–0 | 10,000 | Orpe, Hampson |
| 16 December 1922 | Crystal Palace | H | 2–0 | 10,000 | Butler, Orpe |
| 23 December 1922 | Crystal Palace | A | 0–2 | 9,000 | |
| 25 December 1922 | South Shields | H | 3–0 | 9,254 | Butler (2), Davies |
| 30 December 1922 | Leeds United | H | 1–2 | 10,000 | Hampson |
| 1 January 1922 | South Shields | A | 1–3 | 9,000 | Briscoe |
| 6 January 1923 | Leeds United | A | 1–2 | 15,000 | Butler |
| 13 January 1923 | Stockport County | H | 0–2 | 9,500 | |
| 20 January 1923 | West Ham United | H | 1–3 | 10,000 | Connelly |
| 27 January 1923 | West Ham United | A | 0–0 | 18,000 | |
| 3 February 1923 | Blackpool | H | 2–0 | 9,885 | Thompson, Collinge |
| 10 February 1923 | Derby County | A | 2–1 | 10,000 | Butler (2) |
| 17 February 1923 | Southampton | H | 0–0 | 12,275 | |
| 26 February 1923 | Derby County | H | 2–3 | 5,000 | Thompson, Butler |
| 3 March 1923 | Bradford City | H | 1–2 | 6,000 | Prince |
| 5 March 1923 | Southampton | A | 1–3 | 5,000 | Thompson |
| 10 March 1923 | Bradford City | A | 0–2 | 9,000 | |
| 17 March 1923 | Blackpool | A | 2–0 | 10,000 | Briscoe, Butler |
| 30 March 1923 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 1–0 | 15,000 | Page |
| 31 March 1923 | Leicester City | A | 0–3 | 20,000 | |
| 2 April 1923 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 0–3 | 15,000 | |
| 7 April 1923 | Leicester City | H | 0–0 | 8,660 | |
| 14 April 1923 | Barnsley | A | 1–0 | 8,000 | Reid |
| 21 April 1923 | Barnsley | H | 1–1 | 7,799 | Briscoe |
| 28 April 1923 | The Wednesday | A | 0–2 | 12,000 | |
| 5 May 1923 | The Wednesday | H | 2–2 | 6,000 | Hampson (pen), Butler |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| 5Q | 2 December 1922 | Wrexham | H | 0–2 | 7,200 | |

### North Staffordshire Infirmary Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| Final | 7 May 1923 | Stoke | A | 1–3 | | Thompson |

## Player statistics
### Appearances and goals

| Pos. | Name | Football League | Football League | FA Cup | FA Cup | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Pos. | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| GK | Daniel Smith | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| GK | Teddy Peers | 41 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 0 |
| DF | Peter Pursell | 40 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 0 |
| DF | Len Birks | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 0 |
| DF | William Lavery | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| DF | Billy Twemlow | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| DF | David Richards | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| MF | Billy Fitchford | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| MF | Ernest Collinge | 42 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 3 |
| MF | Bob Connelly | 29 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 3 |
| MF | Jack Hampson | 38 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 4 |
| MF | Tom Orpe | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 |
| MF | Arthur Prince | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 1 |
| MF | Patrick Donoghue | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| MF | Tom Holford | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FW | Billy Briscoe | 39 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 3 |
| FW | Tom Page | 25 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 1 |
| FW | Billy Agnew | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 |
| FW | Jimmy Thompson | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 4 |
| FW | Albert Spencer | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| FW | James Smith | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 |
| FW | Tom Reid | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| FW | Jack Gordon | 22 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 3 |
| FW | Charles Hallam | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| FW | Billy Harrison | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 2 |
| FW | Harry Davies | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 |
| FW | Tom Butler | 25 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 9 |

### Top scorers

| Place | Position | Nation | Name | Second Division | FA Cup | Infirmary Cup | Total |
| 1 | FW | England | Tom Butler | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 2 | MF | Wales | Jack Hampson | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| – | FW | England | Jimmy Thompson | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 4 | MF | England | Ernest Collinge | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| – | MF | Scotland | Bob Connelly | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| – | FW | Scotland | Jack Gordon | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| – | FW | England | Billy Briscoe | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | MF | England | Tom Orpe | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| – | FW | England | Billy Harrison | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| – | FW | Scotland | James Smith | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 11 | MF | England | Arthur Prince | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | FW | England | Tom Page | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | FW | England | Harry Davies | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | FW | Scotland | Billy Agnew | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | FW | Scotland | Tom Reid | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | | TOTALS | 39 | 0 | 1 | 40 |

## Transfers
### Transfers in

| Date from | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| May 1922 | FW | James Smith | Plymouth Argyle | Free transfer |
| June 1922 | FW | Harry Davies | Chorley | Free transfer |
| August 1922 | MF | Patrick Donoghue | Millwall Athletic | Free transfer |
| August 1922 | FW | Jack Gordon | Queen's Park | Free transfer |
| August 1922 | FW | Tom Reid | Ayr United | Free transfer |
| August 1922 | DF | David Richards | Larkhall Thistle | Free transfer |
| September 1922 | FW | Charles Hallam | Sandford Hill Primitives | Free transfer |
| September 1922 | FW | Billy Harrison | Manchester United | Free transfer |
| October 1922 | MF | Arthur Prince | Bucknall | Free transfer |
| November 1922 | MF | Tom Orpe | Hanley | Free transfer |
| January 1923 | FW | Tom Butler | Darlaston | £100 |
| January 1923 | FW | Jimmy Thompson | Ashton National Gas | Free transfer |

### Transfers out

| Date from | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| October 1922 | FW | James Smith | Fulham | Mutual consent |
| May 1923 | GK | Teddy Peers | Retired | Retired |
| June 1923 | FW | Billy Harrison | Wrexham | £300 |
| June 1923 | FW | Albert Spencer | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Free transfer |
| Summer 1923 | FW | Billy Agnew | Arthurlie | Released |
| Summer 1923 | GK | Ernest Blackham | | Released |
| Summer 1923 | FW | Billy Briscoe | Congleton Town | Free transfer |
| Summer 1923 | FW | Harry Davies | Chorley | Released |
| Summer 1923 | MF | Patrick Donoghue | | Released |
| Summer 1923 | FW | Jack Gordon | Greenock Morton | Released |
| Summer 1923 | DF | William Lavery | | Released |
| Summer 1923 | MF | Billy Fitchford | Glossop | Released |
| Summer 1923 | MF | Harry Johnstone | | Released |
| Summer 1923 | MF | Tom Orpe | Cheadle New Haden | Released |
| Summer 1923 | DF | David Richards | Dundee United | Released |
| Summer 1923 | GK | Daniel Smith | | Released |
| Summer 1923 | FW | Jimmy Thompson | Blackpool | Released |
| Summer 1923 | DF | Billy Twemlow | Macclesfield | Released |
| August 1923 | FW | Charles Hallam | Sandbach Ramblers | Released |