# 1928–29 Port Vale F.C. season

The 1928–29 season was Port Vale's tenth consecutive season of football (23rd overall) in the English Football League. For the first time in their history they suffered relegation. This was down to poor away form; at home, they went a club record 19 games without a draw, picking up all but five points in front of their home fans. The season also saw the departure of club legends Tom Page and Wilf Kirkham.

## Overview
### Second Division

The pre-season saw only the addition of one major player – goalkeeper Jack Prince from Oldham Athletic. Otherwise, the club felt confident that they had a nice blend of youth and experience.
The season started with a 4–1 home defeat to Wolves, yet two days later, the Vale travelled to The Dell, where they beat Southampton with two Stewart Littlewood goals – this would prove to be their only away victory of the season. Picking up just two wins in September (a 5–2 win over Millwall thanks to a Littlewood hat-trick, and a 2–1 win over Tottenham Hotspur), the club soon found themselves struggling. They also lost 2–1 at Stoke's Victoria Ground in front of 35,288 supporters. Heading into December they won six successive home games to take them into mid-table, including a four-goal haul from Jack Simms to see off Nottingham Forest. December would prove to be the month that killed the Vale. Oakes had a cartilage operation, Gillespie tore an elbow joint, and the team lost six of their seven festive games. In January the popular high-scoring Littlewood was traded to Oldham Athletic for veteran striker Albert Pynegar and £1,300. Falling down the table fast, in late February they were slaughtered 7–1 at Preston North End's Deepdale. Back at The Old Recreation Ground they managed to regularly pick up victories, most notably demolishing West Bromwich Albion 8–1 on 9 March – the biggest victory in the division that season, Pynegar scoring a hat-trick. Further good work picking up three points from Oldham Athletic and beating Chelsea was undone by a horrifying 6–0 defeat at fellow strugglers Barnsley. The "Valiants" beat Bristol City 5–0 in front of a miserable home turnout thanks to a four-goal effort from Pynegar, yet it was too little too late as the club were relegated.
They finished in 21st place with 34 points from 42 games, two points from safety, and suffered relegation for the first time in their history (they had previously failed re-elections). Scoring 71 goals was respectable. However, 86 goals conceded was the joint-worst in the league. Their awful away form was not unique; Vale was one of four teams with only one away win, though they conceded more on their travels than any other side.

### Finances

On the financial side, plans of a new stadium were shelved as the directors channelled money into rebuilding their team. Vic Rouse, Alf Bennett, and David Rollo were let go, Rouse joining Crewe Alexandra. Club legend Tom Page also left the club after racking up 286 Football League appearances. With a £1,223 drop in gate receipts there were fears that the club might close, these fears were heightened when fellow legend Wilf Kirkham was sold to Stoke City for £2,800 (the second-highest transfer the club had ever received).

### Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, it was a repeat of the 1925–26 season as the club were drawn against Manchester United at home. The First Division club returned to Old Trafford with a 3–0 victory. The end-of-season North Staffordshire Royal Infirmary Cup was cancelled, with Vale seemingly too despondent to field a team.

## League table

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 18 | Oldham Athletic | 42 | 16 | 5 | 21 | 54 | 75 | 0.720 | 37 | |
| 19 | Swansea Town | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 62 | 75 | 0.827 | 36 | |
| 20 | Bristol City | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 58 | 72 | 0.806 | 36 | |
| 21 | Port Vale | 42 | 15 | 4 | 23 | 71 | 86 | 0.826 | 34 | Relegated |
| 22 | Clapton Orient | 42 | 12 | 8 | 22 | 45 | 72 | 0.625 | 32 | Relegated |

## 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 | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H |
| Result | L | W | L | W | L | L | L | W | L | W | W | L | W | L | W | D | W | L | L | L | L | L | L | W | L | L | W | L | L | W | L | W | D | L | W | L | D | W | L | D | L | W |
| Position | 18 | 14 | 17 | 13 | 13 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 |

#### Matches

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 25 August 1928 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 1–4 | 12,274 | Fishwick (pen) |
| 27 August 1928 | Southampton | A | 2–1 | 11,743 | Littlewood (2) |
| 1 September 1928 | Notts County | A | 0–3 | 15,314 | |
| 8 September 1928 | Millwall | H | 5–2 | 10,578 | Littlewood (3), Briscoe (2) |
| 15 September 1928 | Stoke City | A | 1–2 | 35,288 | Griffiths |
| 22 September 1928 | Hull City | A | 0–2 | 11,728 | |
| 24 September 1928 | Southampton | H | 1–2 | 7,344 | Fishwick |
| 29 September 1928 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 2–1 | 12,502 | Gillespie, Littlewood |
| 6 October 1928 | Reading | A | 1–2 | 11,276 | Simms |
| 13 October 1928 | Preston North End | H | 3–2 | 12,098 | Littlewood (2), Mandley |
| 20 October 1928 | Clapton Orient | H | 3–0 | 10,007 | Littlewood, Simms, Anstiss |
| 27 October 1928 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 1–3 | 10,851 | Anstiss |
| 3 November 1928 | Nottingham Forest | H | 4–2 | 9,936 | Simms (4) |
| 10 November 1928 | Grimsby Town | A | 1–3 | 9,017 | Kirkham |
| 17 November 1928 | Barnsley | H | 3–0 | 7,417 | Kirkham (2), Gillespie |
| 24 November 1928 | Chelsea | A | 3–3 | 23,305 | Kirkham (2), Simms |
| 1 December 1928 | Blackpool | H | 1–0 | 8,244 | Simms |
| 8 December 1928 | Swansea Town | A | 0–2 | 8,968 | |
| 15 December 1928 | Bradford Park Avenue | H | 0–1 | 7,339 | |
| 22 December 1928 | Bristol City | A | 1–2 | 10,459 | Simms |
| 25 December 1928 | Middlesbrough | A | 1–5 | 21,977 | Fishwick |
| 26 December 1928 | Middlesbrough | H | 2–3 | 13,988 | Fishwick, Mandley |
| 29 December 1928 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 0–4 | 11,426 | |
| 5 January 1929 | Notts County | H | 3–0 | 7,475 | Kirkham (2), Jones |
| 19 January 1929 | Millwall | A | 1–2 | 20,056 | Kirkham |
| 26 January 1929 | Stoke City | H | 1–2 | 18,869 | Mandley |
| 2 February 1929 | Hull City | H | 4–1 | 6,065 | Fishwick, Kirkham, o.g., Pynegar |
| 9 February 1929 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 2–4 | 21,342 | Fishwick, Simms |
| 23 February 1929 | Preston North End | A | 1–7 | 9,356 | Kirkham |
| 25 February 1929 | Reading | H | 4–0 | 4,303 | Kirkham (3), Simms |
| 2 March 1929 | Clapton Orient | A | 0–1 | 15,543 | |
| 9 March 1929 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 8–1 | 11,539 | Pynegar (3), Jones (2), Mandley, Simms, Kirkham |
| 16 March 1929 | Nottingham Forest | A | 2–2 | 7,388 | Kirkham, Jones |
| 23 March 1929 | Grimsby Town | H | 0–3 | 13,085 | |
| 29 March 1929 | Oldham Athletic | H | 2–1 | 17,697 | Pynegar, Anstiss |
| 30 March 1929 | Barnsley | A | 0–6 | 9,615 | |
| 1 April 1929 | Oldham Athletic | A | 1–1 | 19,571 | Mandley |
| 6 April 1929 | Chelsea | H | 1–0 | 11,701 | Pynegar |
| 13 April 1929 | Blackpool | A | 0–4 | 8,696 | |
| 20 April 1929 | Swansea Town | H | 0–0 | 8,587 | |
| 27 April 1929 | Bradford Park Avenue | A | 0–2 | 9,132 | |
| 4 May 1929 | Bristol City | H | 5–0 | 3,307 | Pynegar (4), Griffiths |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R3 | 12 January 1929 | Manchester United | H | 0–3 | 17,519 | |

## 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 | Alf Bennett | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| GK | Jack Prince | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 0 |
| GK | Jim McKenna | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| GK | Thomas Sproson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DF | Jimmy Oakes | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| DF | Jack Maddock | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| DF | Billy Wootton | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| DF | George Shenton | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| MF | Bob Connelly | 42 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 0 |
| MF | Roger Jones | 18 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 4 |
| MF | Herbert Smith | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| MF | George Whitcombe | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| MF | Vic Rouse | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
| MF | Jack Simms | 34 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 12 |
| MF | Phil Griffiths | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
| MF | Bert Fishwick | 14 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 6 |
| MF | Jack Mandley | 35 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 5 |
| MF | Frank Williams | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | Tom Page | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| FW | Wilf Kirkham | 31 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 15 |
| FW | Billy Briscoe | 24 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 2 |
| FW | Stewart Littlewood | 10 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 9 |
| FW | Harry Anstiss | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 3 |
| FW | Robert Gillespie | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 |
| FW | Albert Pynegar | 18 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 10 |
| FW | Frank Allen | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Top scorers

| Place | Position | Nation | Name | Second Division | FA Cup | Total |
| 1 | FW | England | Wilf Kirkham | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| 2 | MF | England | Jack Simms | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| 3 | FW | England | Albert Pynegar | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| 4 | FW | England | Stewart Littlewood | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| 5 | MF | England | Bert Fishwick | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| 6 | MF | England | Jack Mandley | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| 7 | MF | England | Roger Jones | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 8 | FW | England | Harry Anstiss | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 9 | FW | England | Billy Briscoe | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| – | MF | Wales | Phil Griffiths | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| – | FW | England | Robert Gillespie | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| – | – | – | Own goals | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| | | | TOTALS | 71 | 0 | 71 |

## Transfers
### Transfers in

| Date from | Position | Nationality | Name | From | Fee | Ref. |
| May 1928 | GK | | Jack Prince | Oldham Athletic | Free transfer | |
| January 1929 | FW | | Albert Pynegar | Oldham Athletic | Exchange | |

### Transfers out

| Date from | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| January 1929 | FW | Stewart Littlewood | Oldham Athletic | Exchange + £1,300 |
| May 1929 | GK | Alf Bennett | | Released |
| May 1929 | DF | David Rollo | Fleetwood Windsor Villa | Free transfer |
| May 1929 | MF | Vic Rouse | Crewe Alexandra | Free transfer |
| May 1929 | MF | Frank Williams | Oswestry Town | Free transfer |
| Summer 1929 | FW | Robert Gillespie | Wrexham | Free transfer |
| Summer 1929 | FW | Wilf Kirkham | Stoke City | £2,800 |
| Summer 1929 | FW | Tom Page | New Brighton | Released |
| Summer 1929 | MF | Herbert Smith | Stafford Rangers | Released |