# 1901–02 Burslem Port Vale F.C. season

The 1901–02 season was Burslem Port Vale's fourth consecutive season (eighth overall) of football in the English Football League. The season was an unremarkable mid-table affair, however, was a positive step for the club as they managed to turn a profit without selling any major players.

## Overview
### Second Division

After an indifferent start to the season, Vale fell apart at the end of 1901, going on a run of five defeats in seven games. However, they turned their form around by the end of the season, going five games unbeaten in March. Vale finished in thirteenth place, but only six points separated the seventh spot from the re-election zones. As it happened Chesterfield, Stockport County, and Gainsborough Trinity all won re-election. However, West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough ran away with the league, leaving Vale 22 points off a promotion place.
A settled side saw Lucien Boullemier, Ernest Mullineux, George Price, and Adrian Capes ever-presents in the league. Capes was the leading scorer with eighteen goals, with Danny Simpson's twelve-goal haul a major contribution to the campaign. At the end of the season, centre-half Jim Beech retired, having spent eight years with the club.

### Finances

On the financial front, things were looking up for the club. A £368 profit was made, with most of this figure coming from the club's annual Easter bazaar at Burslem Town Hall. This upturn in finances caused the directors to loosen their unwritten rule on only recruiting local players.

### Cup competitions

In the FA Cup the club decimated Wellington Town 6–0, before beating Wrexham after two replays. The first encounter with Wrexham was called off due to fog, the rearranged tie resulted in a 2–1 defeat, however, a replay was scheduled when it was discovered that their opponents had fielded an ineligible player. Eventually vanquishing the Welsh side, the next round saw Walsall knock the Vale out before the First Round Proper. In the Birmingham Senior Cup the "Valeites" defeated local rivals 4–0 Stoke in a First Round replay, after a 2–2 draw at Stoke. Vale lost in the semi-final in a replay with Wolverhampton Wanderers. In the Staffordshire Senior Cup Vale brushed aside Walsall 5–2, before Stoke took their revenge in the semi-final, with a 2–1 victory over Vale in Cobridge.

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
| 10 | Burton United | 34 | 11 | 8 | 15 | 46 | 54 | 0.852 | 30 |
| 11 | Barnsley | 34 | 12 | 6 | 16 | 51 | 63 | 0.810 | 30 |
| 12 | Burslem Port Vale | 34 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 43 | 59 | 0.729 | 29 |
| 13 | Blackpool | 34 | 11 | 7 | 16 | 40 | 56 | 0.714 | 29 |
| 14 | Leicester Fosse | 34 | 12 | 5 | 17 | 38 | 56 | 0.679 | 29 |

## 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 |
| Ground | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A |
| Result | D | W | L | L | W | L | W | L | D | L | L | D | L | L | W | L | D | D | L | W | W | D | L | L | W | W | W | D | D | L | L | L | D | W |
| Position | 9 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 7 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 13 |

#### Matches

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 7 September 1901 | Doncaster Rovers | A | 3–3 | 2,000 | Eardley, Simpson, Capes |
| 9 September 1901 | Bristol City | H | 3–0 | 5,000 | Simpson (2), Capes |
| 14 September 1901 | Lincoln City | H | 1–2 | 4,000 | Simpson |
| 21 September 1901 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 1–3 | 5,000 | Price |
| 28 September 1901 | Woolwich Arsenal | H | 1–0 | 3,000 | Simpson |
| 5 October 1901 | Barnsley | A | 0–4 | | |
| 12 October 1901 | Leicester Fosse | H | 3–0 | 6,500 | Rushton, Capes, Jones |
| 19 October 1901 | Preston North End | A | 0–2 | 5,000 | |
| 26 October 1901 | Burnley | H | 1–1 | 4,000 | Tunstall |
| 9 November 1901 | Chesterfield | A | 3–4 | 3,000 | Capes, unknown, Simpson |
| 23 November 1901 | Middlesbrough | A | 0–3 | 7,000 | |
| 14 December 1901 | Stockport County | H | 1–1 | | unknown |
| 21 December 1901 | Newton Heath | A | 0–1 | 3,000 | |
| 26 December 1901 | Woolwich Arsenal | A | 1–3 | 5,500 | Heames |
| 28 December 1901 | Glossop | H | 1–0 | | Rushton |
| 1 January 1902 | Blackpool | A | 0–1 | 4,000 | |
| 4 January 1902 | Doncaster Rovers | H | 2–2 | 1,500 | Heames, Price |
| 11 January 1902 | Lincoln City | A | 1–1 | 2,000 | Capes |
| 18 January 1902 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 2–3 | 4,000 | Heames, Rushton |
| 25 January 1902 | Leicester Fosse | A | 1–0 | 2,000 | Boullemier |
| 1 February 1902 | Barnsley | H | 2–1 | 1,500 | Simpson, Capes |
| 15 February 1902 | Preston North End | H | 0–0 | 3,500 | |
| 22 February 1902 | Burnley | A | 1–4 | 2,500 | Price |
| 1 March 1902 | Burton United | A | 0–3 | 3,000 | |
| 8 March 1902 | Chesterfield | H | 4–2 | 1,000 | Simpson (2), Rushton, Capes |
| 10 March 1902 | Burton United | H | 2–1 | | Rushton, Capes |
| 15 March 1902 | Gainsborough Trinity | A | 3–2 | 1,200 | Capes (2), o.g. |
| 22 March 1902 | Middlesbrough | H | 1–1 | 2,000 | Capes |
| 28 March 1902 | Gainsborough Trinity | H | 1–1 | | Capes |
| 29 March 1902 | Bristol City | A | 0–4 | 5,000 | |
| 5 April 1902 | Blackpool | H | 0–1 | 100 | |
| 12 April 1902 | Stockport County | A | 2–4 | | Capes (2) |
| 19 April 1902 | Newton Heath | H | 1–1 | 2,000 | Heames |
| 26 April 1902 | Glossop | A | 1–0 | 1,500 | unknown |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| 3Q | 2 November 1901 | Wellington Town | H | 6–0 | | Capes (2), Simpson (2), Price (2) |
| 4Q | 20 November 1901 | Wrexham | A | 1–2 | | Eardley |
| 4Q Replay | 28 November 1901 | Wrexham | A | 0–0 | 1,500 | |
| 4Q Replay | 30 November 1901 | Wrexham | H | 3–1 | | Boullemier, Capes, Rushton |
| 5Q Replay | 7 December 1901 | Walsall | H | 1–2 | 1,200 | Heames |

### Birmingham Senior Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| 1 | 30 September 1901 | Stoke | A | 2–2 | 3,500 | unknown |
| Replay | 7 October 1901 | Stoke | H | 4–0 | 1,500 | unknown |
| SF | 14 October 1901 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 1–1 | 4,000 | Capes |
| Replay | 2 December 1901 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | N | 0–2 | 500 | |

### Staffordshire Senior Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| 1 | 16 September 1900 | Walsall | H | 5–2 | handful | Croxton (2), Heames, Price, Simpson |
| SF | 21 October 1900 | Stoke | H | 1–2 | | 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 | William Chadwick | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| GK | Harry Cotton | 29 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 0 |
| DF | Jim Beech | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| DF | Lucien Boullemier | 34 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 2 |
| DF | Tom Davies | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
| DF | Ernest Mullineux | 34 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 0 |
| DF | Duncan Cooper | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| DF | H.H. Watkins | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| MF | Billy Heames | 31 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 38 | 5 |
| MF | Bert Eardley | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 |
| MF | W. H. Machin | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| MF | Thomas Wainwright | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| MF | Albert Cook | 9 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| MF | Harry Croxton | 23 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 28 | 2 |
| MF | George Rushton | 20 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 6 |
| FW | Danny Simpson | 25 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 12 |
| FW | George Price | 34 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 42 | 6 |
| FW | Tommy Lander | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| FW | Adrian Capes | 34 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 43 | 18 |
| FW | Leonard Jones | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| FW | Tom Simpson | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| FW | William Tunstall | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 1 |

### Top scorers

| Place | Position | Nation | Name | Second Division | FA Cup | Other | Total |
| 1 | FW | England | Adrian Capes | 14 | 3 | 1 | 18 |
| 2 | FW | England | Danny Simpson | 9 | 2 | 1 | 12 |
| 3 | MF | England | George Rushton | 5 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| – | FW | England | George Price | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| 5 | MF | England | Billy Heames | 4 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 6 | MF | England | Bert Eardley | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| – | MF | England | Harry Croxton | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| – | DF | England | Lucien Boullemier | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | FW | | Leonard Jones | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | FW | | William Tunstall | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | – | – | Unknown | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| – | – | – | Own goals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | | TOTALS | 43 | 11 | 9 | 63 |

## Transfers
### Transfers in

| Date from | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| May 1901 | GK | William Chadwick | Hanley Swifts | Free transfer |
| May 1901 | GK | Harry Cotton | Nantwich | Free transfer |
| June 1901 | MF | George Rushton | Leek Broughs | Free transfer |
| June 1901 | FW | Tom Simpson | Stoke | Free transfer |
| November 1901 | DF | Duncan Cooper | Witton Albion | Free transfer |

### Transfers out

| Date from | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| Summer 1902 | DF | Jim Beech | Retired | Retired |
| Summer 1902 | MF | Tommy Lander | | Released |
| Summer 1902 | MF | George Rushton | Barrow | Free transfer |
| Summer 1902 | MF | Thomas Wainwright | Crewe Alexandra | Released |