# 1933–34 Port Vale F.C. season

The 1933–34 season was Port Vale's 28th season of football in the English Football League, and their fourth-successive season (27th overall) in the Second Division. Finishing eighth in the second tier with 45 points, they would not reach such a peak again until 1996–97. It was their joint-second best ever finish after the 1930–31 season, along with the 1924–25, 1925–26, 1926–27, and 1996–97 campaigns.
A strong defence and two lengthy series of good results raised belief and expectation of promotion to the top-flight for the first time in the club's history. However, two runs of poor results dashed such hopes, resulting in a downward slide lasting until the end of World War II. After pushing for promotion, the club's directors were forced to initiate a cull of players at the season's end.

## Overview
### Second Division

The pre-season saw the arrival of ten new professionals, six of which were forwards. The most significant newcomers were Trevor Rhodes (Bradford Park Avenue), Jack Vickers (Charlton Athletic), as well as Ken Gunn and Billy Tabram (both from Swansea Town).
The season started excellently with ten wins in the opening fifteen matches. At the end of this run, Sydney Dickinson was brought in from Bradford Park Avenue. However, the Vale then went on to lose five of their next six matches, conceding sixteen goals and scoring just three. The slide was halted with a 1–0 Boxing day victory over Lincoln City in which top-scorer Tom Nolan became one of only two Vale players sent off in the period between 1918 and 1947. The result nevertheless kept the club within a point of the promotion places. This was supplemented by seven of a possible eight points in their next four games, including victories at The Dell and Valley Parade.
Their run ended on 5 February at The Old Recreation Ground with a 1–0 defeat to eventual champions Grimsby Town. From this point, the promotion campaign completely collapsed, with a 4–0 loss soon coming to Welsh strugglers Swansea. New signing Jack Blackwell from Charlton couldn't reverse the trend despite helping the side to their biggest win of the season with a 5–1 thrashing of Millwall the following week. A fortnight later and a 2–0 win over promotion-chasing Preston North End meant promotion was back on the cards for the "Valiants". 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 the First Division for the first time in their career".
Their remaining eleven games yielded a return of merely seven points, lacking a reserve team, fatigue had set into the first-team. One significant defeat came at Old Trafford, which helped Manchester United avoid relegation to the third tier for what would have been the only time in their history. Young Fred Mitcheson did make a name for himself, however, scoring a hat-trick in his debut in a 4–0 win over Plymouth Argyle.
They finished in eighth position, gaining 45 points from 42 games. 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. Attacking-wise, their 60 goals were a poor return for a top-of-the-table club, with 33 of these coming from Tom Nolan (22) and Trevor Rhodes (11).

### Finances

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

### Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, defeat came in the Third Round to Third Division South side Charlton Athletic at The Valley despite 'special training' measures beforehand.
For the first and only time the club also entered the Welsh Cup. Vale lost out to Bristol City at the semi-final stage.

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Grimsby Town (C, P) | 42 | 27 | 5 | 10 | 103 | 59 | 1.746 | 59 | Promotion to the First Division |
| 2 | Preston North End (P) | 42 | 23 | 6 | 13 | 71 | 52 | 1.365 | 52 | Promotion to the First Division |
| 3 | Bolton Wanderers | 42 | 21 | 9 | 12 | 79 | 55 | 1.436 | 51 | |
| 4 | Brentford | 42 | 22 | 7 | 13 | 85 | 60 | 1.417 | 51 | |
| 5 | Bradford Park Avenue | 42 | 23 | 3 | 16 | 86 | 67 | 1.284 | 49 | |
| 6 | Bradford City | 42 | 20 | 6 | 16 | 73 | 67 | 1.090 | 46 | |
| 7 | West Ham United | 42 | 17 | 11 | 14 | 78 | 70 | 1.114 | 45 | |
| 8 | Port Vale | 42 | 19 | 7 | 16 | 60 | 55 | 1.091 | 45 | |
| 9 | Oldham Athletic | 42 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 72 | 60 | 1.200 | 44 | |
| 10 | Plymouth Argyle | 42 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 69 | 70 | 0.986 | 43 | |
| 11 | Blackpool | 42 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 62 | 64 | 0.969 | 43 | |
| 12 | Bury | 42 | 17 | 9 | 16 | 70 | 73 | 0.959 | 43 | |
| 13 | Burnley | 42 | 18 | 6 | 18 | 60 | 72 | 0.833 | 42 | |
| 14 | Southampton | 42 | 15 | 8 | 19 | 54 | 58 | 0.931 | 38 | |
| 15 | Hull City | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 52 | 68 | 0.765 | 38 | |
| 16 | Fulham | 42 | 15 | 7 | 20 | 48 | 67 | 0.716 | 37 | |
| 17 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 73 | 74 | 0.986 | 35 | |
| 18 | Notts County | 42 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 53 | 62 | 0.855 | 35 | |
| 19 | Swansea Town | 42 | 10 | 15 | 17 | 51 | 60 | 0.850 | 35 | |
| 20 | Manchester United | 42 | 14 | 6 | 22 | 59 | 85 | 0.694 | 34 | |
| 21 | Millwall (R) | 42 | 11 | 11 | 20 | 39 | 68 | 0.574 | 33 | Relegation to the Third Division South |
| 22 | Lincoln City (R) | 42 | 9 | 8 | 25 | 44 | 75 | 0.587 | 26 | Relegation to the Third Division North |

## 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 | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H |
| Result | L | W | W | L | W | W | W | L | W | W | W | D | W | D | W | L | L | L | D | L | L | W | D | W | W | W | L | D | L | W | D | W | L | L | W | L | L | D | L | W | L | W |
| Position | 18 | 10 | 7 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 8 |

#### Matches

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 26 August 1933 | Fulham | A | 0–3 | 21,070 | |
| 28 August 1933 | Bury | H | 4–1 | 8,416 | Nolan (3), McGrath |
| 2 September 1933 | Southampton | H | 2–1 | 11,237 | Gunn (2) |
| 9 September 1933 | Blackpool | A | 0–1 | 16,988 | |
| 11 September 1933 | Bury | A | 3–0 | 6,197 | Rhodes, Gunn, Tabram |
| 16 September 1933 | Bradford City | H | 3–1 | 11,453 | Rhodes, Morton, Nolan |
| 23 September 1933 | Grimsby Town | A | 2–1 | 10,505 | Nolan, Morton |
| 30 September 1933 | Notts County | A | 2–3 | 15,364 | Nolan (2) |
| 7 October 1933 | Swansea Town | H | 1–0 | 9,478 | Rhodes |
| 14 October 1933 | Millwall | A | 3–0 | 12,045 | Gunn, Rhodes, Nolan |
| 21 October 1933 | Bradford Park Avenue | H | 3–1 | 13,122 | Nolan (2), Morton |
| 28 October 1933 | Preston North End | A | 0–0 | 14,160 | |
| 4 November 1933 | Oldham Athletic | H | 2–0 | 12,228 | Nolan, Rhodes |
| 11 November 1933 | Burnley | A | 0–0 | 13,445 | |
| 18 November 1933 | Brentford | H | 1–0 | 11,349 | Gunn |
| 25 November 1933 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 0–3 | 14,925 | |
| 2 December 1933 | Manchester United | H | 2–3 | 10,316 | Nolan, Rhodes |
| 9 December 1933 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 0–3 | 13,672 | |
| 16 December 1933 | West Ham United | H | 0–0 | 6,610 | |
| 23 December 1933 | Nottingham Forest | A | 1–6 | 9,239 | Rhodes |
| 25 December 1933 | Lincoln City | A | 0–1 | 11,584 | |
| 26 December 1933 | Lincoln City | H | 1–0 | 13,910 | Nolan |
| 30 December 1933 | Fulham | H | 2–2 | 8,151 | Gunn, Rhodes |
| 6 January 1934 | Southampton | A | 4–1 | 9,987 | Rhodes (3), Morton |
| 20 January 1934 | Blackpool | H | 1–0 | 14,216 | McGrath |
| 27 January 1934 | Bradford City | A | 2–1 | 12,719 | Dickinson, Mills |
| 5 February 1934 | Grimsby Town | H | 0–1 | 12,662 | |
| 10 February 1934 | Notts County | H | 0–0 | 10,645 | |
| 22 February 1934 | Swansea Town | A | 0–4 | 5,764 | |
| 24 February 1934 | Millwall | H | 5–1 | 8,578 | Blackwell (2), Gunn, Mills, Nolan |
| 3 March 1934 | Bradford Park Avenue | A | 2–2 | 11,548 | Gunn, Dickinson |
| 10 March 1934 | Preston North End | H | 2–0 | 12,972 | Morton (2) |
| 17 March 1934 | Oldham Athletic | A | 1–5 | 5,900 | Nolan |
| 24 March 1934 | Burnley | H | 0–2 | 7,367 | |
| 30 March 1934 | Hull City | H | 3–0 | 10,502 | Nolan (3) |
| 31 March 1934 | Brentford | A | 0–2 | 19,758 | |
| 2 April 1934 | Hull City | A | 1–2 | 13,333 | Blackwell |
| 7 April 1934 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 0–0 | 9,923 | |
| 14 April 1934 | Manchester United | A | 0–2 | 14,777 | |
| 21 April 1934 | Plymouth Argyle | H | 4–0 | 4,956 | Mitcheson (3), Nolan |
| 28 April 1934 | West Ham United | A | 0–1 | 9,893 | |
| 5 May 1934 | Nottingham Forest | H | 3–1 | 2,990 | Nolan (3) |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R3 | 13 January 1934 | Charlton Athletic | A | 0–2 | 18,821 | |

## Player statistics
### Appearances and goals

| Pos. | Name | Football League | Football League | FA Cup | FA Cup | Total | Total |
| Pos. | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| GK | Allan Todd | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
| GK | Ormond Jones | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| DF | George Shenton | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| DF | William Cope | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| DF | George Poyser | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 0 |
| DF | Len Armitage | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| DF | Jack Vickers | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| DF | Trevor Rhodes | 30 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 11 |
| DF | Ernest Breeze | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| MF | Roger Jones | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
| MF | Jack Round | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| MF | Jimmy McGrath | 38 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 3 |
| MF | Fred Mills | 37 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 2 |
| MF | Bob Morton | 33 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 5 |
| MF | Horace Baker | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| MF | Cliff Birks | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| MF | Billy Tabram | 35 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 1 |
| MF | Richard Twiss | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| MF | Albert Purcell | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| MF | Sydney Dickinson | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 |
| MF | Ken Gunn | 38 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 8 |
| MF | 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 |

### Top scorers

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

## Transfers
### Transfers in

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

### Transfers out

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