# 1906–07 Burslem Port Vale F.C. season

The 1906–07 season was Burslem Port Vale's ninth consecutive season (13th overall) of football in the English Football League. The club resigned from the league on 14 June 1907.
On the pitch, the team put in win-or-lose performances and went for a club record 20 games – from 10 September 1906 to 19 January 1907 – without sharing the points (nine wins, eleven losses). Another record was set with a 7–1 win over Irthlingborough Town in the First Round of the FA Cup – their highest-ever margin of victory in the competition.
The club folded at the end of the season after the chairman decided that it had no viable future. However, Cobridge Church immediately took on the name of Port Vale and worked its way back to the Football League for the 1919–20 season.

## Overview
### Second Division

Despite the club's ever-worsening financial situation, Vale managed to bring back former top scorer, and former England international, Billy Beats; he was appointed captain upon his return. Gambling that big signings would attract big crowds, right-back Hughie Dunn was also brought in from Bristol Rovers; inside-right William Dodds signed from Southwick; with former player Tom Coxon returning from Middlesbrough. Sam Bennion took charge of team affairs after Tommy Clare's wages were too high to maintain.
The club started the season well, with three wins in their opening six games; 6,000 turned up for the opening game. This was followed by four defeats on the bounce. Still, by winning five of their ten games in November and December the club put themselves in a decent position by Christmas. The club were two different sides at home and away, thumping Stockport County 5–0 at home and losing 6–0 at Burnley. Their first away win in ten months came at Blackpool on 22 December. They on to win just four league games in 1907, though did pick up points in the majority of their matches, going on a streak of six draws in ten games.
Vale just evaded a place in the re-election zones, finishing two points above the (potential) drop. For the second successive season, the "Valeites" had the weakest defence in the league, conceding 83 goals. They were poor on their travels, losing sixteen of their nineteen games away from home. Back at the Athletic Ground, they lost just three games.
Billy Beats was top scorer with fifteen goals in all competitions; he was ably assisted by William Dodds, Tom Coxon, Robert Carter, and Harry Mountford, who all hit double figures. An extremely settled side, only nineteen players were used in the league, with Dodds a league ever-present.

### Cup competitions

The club had a good campaign in the FA Cup, picking up their biggest ever win in the competition with a 7–1 trouncing of Irthlingborough Town. They took First Division Notts County to a replay in the Second Round before losing comprehensively 5–0 at Trent Bridge. Nevertheless, both rounds attracted 10,000 supporters at Vale, which greatly boosted the club's ailing finances.
In the Staffordshire Senior Cup, the club almost exclusively used their reserve team players but managed to reach the semi-finals, where they were knocked out by Aston Villa Reserves. To reach they semi-final they had to overcome struggling league rivals Burton United. However, this took two replays – a 7–0 romp preceded by 3–3 and 1–1 draws.

## Financial collapse and closure

On 18 May 1907, Robert Audley and Sam Gleaves appealed to the directors to pump more money into the club and appealed in The Sentinel for local supporters to donate. This appeal was met with resounding indifference, and so the club resigned from the Football League on 14 June 1907. The Football Association had already issued their fixture list (which had pitted Port Vale against relegated Stoke for the first time) and were furious with the club for quitting so suddenly at such a late stage.
Robert Audley justified the decision to quit the league by pointing out that the season's £200 loss was as good a figure as could be expected in the future, with the past seven campaigns taking in an average of £1,500, supplemented by an average of £400 in transfer takings. He claimed "this total could not be expected to pay the expenses of a league club", especially with creditors closing in, the bank refusing an overdraft, and summer wages to be paid. That so few came forward to help the club in its time of need came to be the final straw for Audley.
   "To the few hundreds of loyal supporters, I tender my best thanks for their support, and I join in their regrets that sufficient financial support could not be found to continue the club."
Many of the players joined Stoke and newly elected Oldham Athletic, and Burslem Port Vale was finished.

## Cobridge Church

Port Vale's history would have ended at this point had it not been for an unexpected twist. North Staffordshire Church League champions Cobridge Church were accepted into the North Staffordshire Federation League, which was still a very minor league. Joint-secretaries Millward and E.C.Brundrett had very big ambitions however. They sought permission from the Football Association to change the club's name to Port Vale and bought the old club's ground. To signify their roots, they renamed their reserve side to Cobridge Church. Technically, the Port Vale of before 1907 was a separate entity to the Port Vale of after 1907, however, spiritually the club continued its existence from its 1876 founding onwards. In December 1908, a group of ex-directors, led by Sam Bennion, bought into the club, meaning that the new club played at the same ground, had similar owners, a similar name, and played continuously from 1906–07 to 1907–08 and beyond.

## League table

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 14 | Gainsborough Trinity | 38 | 14 | 5 | 19 | 45 | 72 | 0.625 | 33 | |
| 15 | Glossop | 38 | 13 | 6 | 19 | 53 | 79 | 0.671 | 32 | |
| 16 | Burslem Port Vale | 38 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 60 | 83 | 0.723 | 31 | Failed re-election |
| 17 | Clapton Orient | 38 | 11 | 8 | 19 | 45 | 67 | 0.672 | 30 | |
| 18 | Chesterfield Town | 38 | 11 | 7 | 20 | 50 | 66 | 0.758 | 29 | Re-elected |
* ↑ Burslem Port Vale resigned from the Football League due to financial difficulties.

## Results

Burslem 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 |
| Ground | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | A | H |
| Result | L | D | W | W | L | W | L | L | L | L | W | L | W | L | W | W | W | L | L | L | W | L | D | D | L | D | L | D | L | D | L | D | W | L | L | W | L | W |
| Position | 16 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 16 |

#### Matches

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 1 September 1906 | Leicester Fosse | H | 1–2 | 6,000 | Dodds |
| 8 September 1906 | Nottingham Forest | A | 2–2 | 4,500 | Coxon, Beats |
| 10 September 1906 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 2–1 | 4,000 | Beats, Paddock |
| 15 September 1906 | Lincoln City | H | 4–2 | 5,000 | Mountford, Beats, Coxon, Carter |
| 22 September 1906 | Burton United | A | 0–2 | 3,000 | |
| 29 September 1906 | Grimsby Town | H | 3–2 | 4,000 | Mountford, Beats, Holyhead |
| 6 October 1906 | Chesterfield | A | 2–4 | 2,000 | Mountford, Dodds |
| 13 October 1906 | Burnley | A | 0–6 | 4,000 | |
| 20 October 1906 | Leeds City | H | 1–2 | 4,000 | Beats |
| 27 October 1906 | Barnsley | A | 2–3 | 1,000 | Paddock, Coxon |
| 3 November 1906 | Chelsea | H | 2–0 | 5,000 | Dodds (2) |
| 10 November 1906 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 2–6 | 3,000 | Dodds, Price |
| 17 November 1906 | Clapton Orient | H | 3–2 | | Beats, Carter, Eardley |
| 24 November 1906 | Gainsborough Trinity | A | 0–2 | | |
| 1 December 1906 | Stockport County | H | 5–0 | 6,000 | Dodds, Carter, Holyhead, Beats, Mountford |
| 15 December 1906 | Glossop | H | 4–1 | 5,000 | Beats, Dodds, Mountford, Carter |
| 22 December 1906 | Blackpool | A | 1–0 | 2,000 | Dodds |
| 25 December 1906 | Bradford City | H | 2–3 | 8,000 | Beats, Carter |
| 26 December 1906 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 0–3 | 12,000 | |
| 29 December 1906 | Leicester Fosse | A | 1–4 | 8,000 | Beats |
| 5 January 1907 | Nottingham Forest | H | 4–2 | 4,000 | Coxon (2), Mountford, Beats |
| 19 January 1907 | Lincoln City | A | 0–4 | 3,000 | |
| 26 January 1907 | Burton United | H | 0–0 | 3,000 | |
| 9 February 1907 | Chesterfield | H | 2–2 | | Carter, Mountford |
| 12 February 1907 | Bradford City | A | 2–3 | 3,000 | Beats, Coxon |
| 16 February 1907 | Burnley | H | 4–4 | 3,000 | Coxon, Carter, Dodds, Beats |
| 23 February 1907 | Leeds City | A | 0–2 | 7,000 | |
| 2 March 1907 | Barnsley | H | 2–2 | 3,000 | Price, Dodds |
| 9 March 1907 | Chelsea | A | 1–2 | 8,000 | Carter |
| 16 March 1907 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 0–0 | 1,500 | |
| 21 March 1907 | Grimsby Town | A | 0–2 | 2,000 | |
| 23 March 1907 | Clapton Orient | A | 1–1 | | Carter |
| 30 March 1907 | Gainsborough Trinity | H | 1–0 | 4,000 | Mountford |
| 1 April 1907 | Hull City | A | 1–4 | 8,000 | Paddock |
| 6 April 1907 | Stockport County | A | 0–3 | 1,000 | |
| 13 April 1907 | Hull City | H | 2–1 | 2,000 | Brough, Carter |
| 20 April 1907 | Glossop | A | 0–4 | 2,000 | |
| 27 April 1907 | Blackpool | H | 3–0 | 3,000 | Coxon (2), Dodds |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| 5Q | 8 December 1907 | Swindon Town | A | 2–1 | 6,000 | Coxon, Dodds |
| 1R | 12 January 1907 | Irthlingborough Town | H | 7–1 | 10,000 | Coxon (2), Dodds (2), Beats, Carter, Mountford |
| 2R | 2 February 1907 | Notts County | H | 2–2 | 10,000 | Beats, Mountford |
| 1R Replay | 6 February 1907 | Notts County | A | 0–5 | 10,000 | |

### Staffordshire Senior Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Goalscorers |
| 1 | 5 November 1906 | Burton United | H | 3–3 | Mountford, unknown |
| Replay | 25 December 1906 | Burton United | A | 1–1 | unknown |
| Replay | 1 April 1907 | Burton United | H | 7–0 | unknown |
| SF | 15 April 1907 | Aston Villa Reserves | A | 0–3 | unknown |

## Player statistics
### Appearances and goals

| Pos. | Name | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Pos. | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| GK | Arthur Box | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| GK | Howard Matthews | 26 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| GK | Philip Sampher | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| DF | James Hamilton | 33 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 0 |
| DF | William Cope | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| DF | Hughie Dunn | 27 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| MF | Bert Eardley | 26 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 1 |
| MF | William Bradbury | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| MF | Joseph Holyhead | 35 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 2 |
| MF | Vic Horrocks | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| MF | Robert Carter | 34 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 11 |
| MF | Hugh Walley | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| MF | Sam Baddeley | 30 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 0 |
| MF | Tom Coxon | 37 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 12 |
| MF | Ernest Chappell | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| MF | Walter Rogers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FW | George Price | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 |
| FW | Harry Mountford | 32 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 37 | 11 |
| FW | John Paddock | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 |
| FW | Billy Beats | 33 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 15 |
| FW | Joe Brough | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 1 |
| FW | William Dodds | 38 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 14 |
| FW | Andy McGuigan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FW | William Weston | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Top scorers

| Place | Position | Nation | Name | Second Division | FA Cup | Staffs Cup | Total |
| 1 | FW | England | Billy Beats | 13 | 2 | 0 | 15 |
| 2 | FW | England | William Dodds | 11 | 3 | 0 | 14 |
| 3 | MF | England | Tom Coxon | 9 | 3 | 0 | 12 |
| 4 | MF | England | Robert Carter | 10 | 1 | 0 | 11 |
| – | FW | England | Harry Mountford | 8 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| 6 | FW | England | John Paddock | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | MF | England | Joseph Holyhead | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| – | FW | England | George Price | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | FW | England | Joe Brough | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | MF | England | Bert Eardley | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | – | – | Unknown | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| | | | TOTALS | 60 | 11 | 5 | 76 |

## Transfers
### Transfers in

| Date from | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| Summer 1906 | MF | Joe Brough | Smallthorne | Free transfer |
| May 1906 | MF | Tom Coxon | Middlesbrough | Free transfer |
| May 1906 | GK | Howard Matthews | Langley St. Michael's | Free transfer |
| June 1906 | FW | William Dodds | Southwick | Free transfer |
| August 1906 | FW | Billy Beats | Bristol Rovers | Free transfer |
| August 1906 | DF | Hughie Dunn | Bristol Rovers | Free transfer |
| August 1906 | FW | John Paddock | Wellington Town | Free transfer |

### Transfers out

| Date from | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| June 1907 | DF | Sam Baddeley | Stoke | Released |
| June 1907 | FW | Billy Beats | Reading | Released |
| June 1907 | GK | Arthur Box | Stoke | Released |
| June 1907 | MF | William Bradbury | Fegg Hayes | Released |
| June 1907 | MF | Joe Brough | Stoke | Released |
| June 1907 | MF | Robert Carter | Stockport County | Released |
| June 1907 | DF | William Cope | Stoke | Released |
| June 1907 | MF | Tom Coxon | Stoke | Released |
| June 1907 | FW | William Dodds | Oldham Athletic | Released |
| June 1907 | DF | Hughie Dunn | | Released |
| June 1907 | MF | Bert Eardley | | Released |
| June 1907 | MF | Ebenezer Grant | | Released |
| June 1907 | DF | James Hamilton | Burslem Town | Released |
| June 1907 | MF | Joseph Holyhead | Wednesbury Old Athletic | Released |
| June 1907 | MF | Vic Horrocks | Goldenhill United | Released |
| June 1907 | GK | Howard Matthews | Burton United | Released |
| June 1907 | FW | Harry Mountford | Hanley Swifts | Released |
| June 1907 | FW | John Paddock | Wellington Town | Released |
| June 1907 | FW | George Price | | Released |
| June 1907 | DF | Arthur Shelley | | Released |
| June 1907 | MF | Hugh Walley | Burton Swifts | Released |