1938–39 Port Vale F.C. season

Port Vale

1938–39 season
Chairman	Frank Huntbach
Manager	Tom Morgan (until March)
Stadium	The Old Recreation Ground
Football League Third Division South	18th (37 Points)
FA Cup	Second Round
Football League Third Division South Cup	Semi-finals
Top goalscorer	League: Tom Nolan (17) All: Tom Nolan (17)
Highest home attendance	12,521 vs. Cardiff City (5 November 1938)
Lowest home attendance	3,482 vs. Clapton Orient (6 May 1939)
Average home league attendance	7,587
← 1937–38

The 1938–39 season was Port Vale's 33rd season of football in the Football League, and their first ever season in the Third Division South, having switched from the Third Division North in summer 1938.^[1] It was the club's last full season of football before the breakout of war in Europe. It was thus the last season of competitive football for many of the players, including Tom Nolan, who became the club's top scorer for the fourth and final time with seventeen goals. Progressing to the semi-final stage of the Football League Third Division South Cup, they could progress no further as the tournament was cancelled before its conclusion. Manager Tom Morgan shocked the club by leaving for another position in March.

Frank Huntbach was chairman for the last peacetime season of his career. The club's longest serving chairman, he had been in charge from 1913 to 1921 and 1926 to 1940.

Overview

Third Division South

The pre-season saw another reconstruction of the first eleven, as eleven new signings arrived at The Old Recreation Ground, most notably: highly rated goalkeeper Arthur Jepson (Grantham Town); veteran left-back George Collin (Sunderland); right-half George Hannah (Derby County); left-half Sid Wileman (signed from Derby for 'a substantial fee'); and goalscoring winger John Callender (Lincoln City).^[1] Work at the stadium took place, as ground outside the stadium was prepared for car parking.^[1] The eclectic training schedule of the previous season was expanded, with bowls and cricket supplemented by games of tennis and baseball.^[1] Also on 20 August, a Football League Jubilee Fund match was played against nearby Crewe Alexandra, with the Vale picking up a 3–2 win, raising £243 in the process.^[1]

The season began with George Heppell in goal, as Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club at first refused to allow Jepson to play.^[1] With three defeats in the first four games, most of the new men were dropped, as Morgan struggled to find consistency in his picks.^[1] It took until the end of October for the team to get into their stride, as their 5–1 win over Walsall was their fifth consecutive home win.^[1] They also travelled to St James Park to record a 3–1 win over Exeter City – their first away win since September 1937.^[1] Nottinghamshire CCC seemed justified in initially refusing Jepson permission to play, as he played seventy minutes of the game with his right hand strapped up, having dislocated his fingers.^[1] Ken Fish was then sold to BSC Young Boys of Switzerland, having fallen out of favour; yet the directors refused to hear offers for the rest of the team, determined as they were to strengthen the team.^[1] Despite stylish play, especially from Alf Bellis, the club then went from Guy Fawkes Night to New Year's Eve without a victory, their five defeats taking them to just two points clear of the re-election zone.^[1] Ending their run with a 4–0 win over Bristol City, they lost Jack Roberts to a dislocated shoulder.^[1]

Trying out new, young players in 1939, the club re-signed veteran forward Tommy Ward from Stoke City.^[1] A 4–0 hammering at Fellows Park from bottom-placed Walsall left Vale third-from-bottom by March.^[1] Disgruntled supporters turned against the team, as regular barracking was directed at the players.^[1] Roberts and Jepson struggled with injuries, but by March the newcomers had finally gelled as a group, and results soon picked up.^[1] Yet manager Tom Morgan shocked the club by leaving for the vacant position at Wrexham,^[1] leaving the club somewhat rudderless. Despite receiving a 4–0 beating from Notts County at Meadow Lane, the players rallied to produce four points from their last three games.^[1] Two of these points came from a 2–0 win over champions Newport County at Somerton Park, making Vale the only team to have recorded the double over "Ironsides" that season.^[1]

They finished in eighteenth place with 37 points, then a club record low position.^[1] They were four points clear of having to petition for re-election, and eighteen points short of promotion. Their 52 goals scored was a poor record, though a total of 58 goals conceded was much improved on the previous campaign.^[1] Nolan's seventeen goals were the only major contribution in front of goal.^[1]

Finances

On the financial side, gate receipts had increased by £659, however an overall loss was made of £1,723.^[1] The move to the southern division had cost a considerable amount in transfer fees, though home game income had improved by £676 to £6,403.^[1] Further financial worries were lessened by a transfer credit of £1,455.^[1] Despite the poor season, seventeen players were kept on, though promising teenage midfielder John Smith was sold to Chelsea.^[1] Other departures included Harry Davies (retired); Leonard Smart; Tommy Ward (Mansfield Town); Arthur Caldwell; Arthur Masters; George Collin (Burton Town); Sid Wileman (Hinckley United); and John Callender (Gateshead).^[1]

Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, Vale overcame Wrexham of the Third Division North 2–1 at the Racecourse Ground.^[1] However they crashed out at the Second Round, losing 1–0 at home to league rivals Southend United.^[1] For both matches the players had relaxed beforehand with activities such as golf, country walks, and games of snooker.^[1]

In the short-lived Football League Third Division South Cup, the "Valiants" progressed to the semi-finals at the expense of Walsall (4–0), Mansfield Town (3–1), and Ipswich Town (2–0).^[1] In the semis they came to a goalless stalemate with Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road – the tournament was cancelled at this stage, and so no club would win it.^[1] The club had actually lost money in the much-maligned tournament, as atrocious attendances were not enough to even pay player bonuses.^[1] Port Vale and Queens Park Rangers actually protested in favour of cancelling the tournament due to the financial failure of the cup, and the Football League agreed with them to 'wash out' the competition.^[1]

Final league table

Pos	Team	Pld		W	D	L	F	A		W	D	L	F	A		F	A	GA	GD		Pts
1	Newport County	42		15	4	2	37	16		7	7	7	21	29		58	45	1.289	+ 13		55
2	Crystal Palace	42		15	4	2	49	18		5	8	8	22	34		71	52	1.365	+ 19		52
3	Brighton & Hove Albion	42		14	5	2	43	14		5	6	10	25	35		68	49	1.388	+ 19		49
4	Watford	42		14	6	1	44	15		3	6	12	18	36		62	51	1.216	+ 11		46
5	Reading	42		12	6	3	46	23		4	8	9	23	36		69	59	1.169	+ 10		46
6	Queens Park Rangers	42		10	8	3	44	15		5	6	10	24	34		68	49	1.388	+ 19		44
7	Ipswich Town	42		14	3	4	46	21		2	9	10	16	31		62	52	1.192	+ 10		44
8	Bristol City	42		14	5	2	42	19		2	7	12	19	44		61	63	0.968	– 2		44
9	Swindon Town	42		15	4	2	53	25		3	4	14	19	52		72	77	0.935	– 5		44
10	Aldershot	42		13	6	2	31	15		3	6	12	22	51		53	66	0.803	– 13		44
11	Notts County	42		12	6	3	36	16		5	3	13	23	38		59	54	1.093	+ 4		43
12	Southend United	42		14	5	2	38	13		2	4	15	23	51		61	64	0.953	– 3		41
13	Cardiff City	42		12	1	8	40	28		3	10	8	21	37		61	65	0.938	– 4		41
14	Exeter City	42		9	9	3	40	32		4	5	12	25	50		65	82	0.793	– 17		40
15	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	42		10	8	3	38	22		3	5	13	14	36		52	58	0.897	– 6		39
16	Mansfield Town	42		10	8	3	33	19		2	7	12	11	43		44	62	0.710	– 18		39
17	Northampton Town	42		13	5	3	41	20		2	3	16	10	38		51	58	0.879	– 7		38
18	Port Vale	42		10	5	6	36	23		4	4	13	16	35		52	58	0.897	– 6		37
19	Torquay United	42		7	5	9	27	28		7	4	10	27	42		54	70	0.771	– 16		37
20	Clapton Orient	42		10	9	2	40	16		1	4	16	13	39		53	55	0.964	– 2		35
21	Walsall	42		9	6	6	47	23		2	5	14	21	46		68	69	0.986	– 1		33
22	Bristol Rovers	42		8	8	5	30	17		2	5	14	25	44		55	61	0.902	– 6		33

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against;
GA = Goal average; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points

Results

Port Vale's score comes first

Legend

Win

Draw

Loss

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	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	A	A	H
Result	L	W	L	L	W	L	W	W	L	D	W	W	D	L	L	D	D	L	L	W	W	L	L	L	D	L	L	L	W	W	D	D	L	W	W	L	L	W	L	D	W	D
Position	18	10	16	18	16	20	14	14	16	15	11	9	8	9	10	13	14	16	16	14	12	14	15	18	18	18	19	21	19	19	19	19	19	19	17	19	19	19	19	19	19	18

Sourced from Statto.^[2]

Football League Third Division South

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
27 August 1938	Aldershot	H	1–3	10,036	Callender
29 August 1938	Newport County	H	2–1	6,240	O'Brien, Roberts
3 September 1938	Bristol City	A	1–5	16,975	Nolan
8 September 1938	Clapton Orient	A	0–1	4,399
10 September 1938	Crystal Palace	H	2–0	10,478	Nolan (2)
17 September 1938	Watford	A	0–2	9,503
24 September 1938	Mansfield Town	H	3–0	8,100	Masters (2), Bellis
1 October 1938	Swindon Town	H	2–0	10,082	Griffiths, Roberts
8 October 1938	Torquay United	A	0–1	3,382
15 October 1938	Queens Park Rangers	A	2–2	13,853	Nolan, Roberts
22 October 1938	Walsall	H	5–1	8,593	Davies (2), Nolan, Roberts, Masters
29 October 1938	Exeter City	A	3–1	6,885	Roberts (2), Bellis
5 November 1938	Cardiff City	H	1–1	12,521	Nolan
12 November 1938	Ipswich Town	A	0–2	13,637
19 November 1938	Reading	H	0–2	9,633
3 December 1938	Brighton & Hove Albion	H	1–1	8,015	Nolan
17 December 1938	Southend United	H	2–2	4,209	Masters, Roberts
26 December 1938	Northampton Town	A	0–2	4,734
27 December 1938	Northampton Town	H	0–2	10,717
31 December 1938	Bristol City	H	4–0	4,597	Nolan (2), Griffiths, Roberts
7 January 1939	Bristol Rovers	A	1–0	3,962	Nolan
14 January 1939	Crystal Palace	A	0–1	13,773
21 January 1939	Watford	H	1–2	5,204	Nolan
28 January 1939	Mansfield Town	A	0–2	3,742
4 February 1939	Swindon Town	A	1–1	8,823	Ward
11 February 1939	Torquay United	H	0–1	8,064
18 February 1939	Queens Park Rangers	H	1–2	7,210	Ward
25 February 1939	Walsall	A	0–4	5,749
4 March 1939	Exeter City	H	3–2	6,240	Nolan, Moreland, Masters
11 March 1939	Cardiff City	A	4–2	9,145	Smart (2), Ward, Nolan
15 March 1939	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	A	1–1	3,243	Ward
18 March 1939	Ipswich Town	H	0–0	6,361
25 March 1939	Reading	A	1–2	5,079	Moreland
1 April 1939	Bristol Rovers	H	2–1	5,634	Nolan, Smart
7 April 1939	Notts County	H	3–1	9,658	Smart, o.g., Nolan
8 April 1939	Brighton & Hove Albion	A	0–1	7,807
10 April 1939	Notts County	A	0–4	10,401
15 April 1939	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	H	2–0	3,902	Nolan, Moreland
19 April 1939	Aldershot	A	0–1	3,518
22 April 1939	Southend United	A	0–0	4,239
29 April 1939	Newport County	A	2–0	7,260	Smart, Bellis
6 May 1939	Clapton Orient	H	1–1	3,482	Nolan

FA Cup

Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
R1	26 November 1938	Wrexham	A	2–1	5,000	Roberts (2)
R2	10 December 1938	Southend United	H	0–1	7,993

Third Division South Cup

Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
1	26 September 1938	Walsall	H	4–0		Smith, Masters, Griffiths, Davies
2	13 February 1939	Mansfield Town	H	3–1		Ward (2), Smith
3	27 February 1939	Ipswich Town	H	2–0		Ward , Masters
SF	4 May 1939	Queens Park Rangers	A	0–0	300

Player statistics

Appearances Pos. Name Football League FA Cup Total Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals GK George Heppell 3 0 0 0 3 0 GK Arthur Jepson 39 0 2 0 45 0 DF Harry Griffiths 33 2 2 0 37 3 DF Johnny Rowe 35 0 2 0 40 0 DF Roger Whittle 4 0 0 0 4 0 DF Roy Felton 10 0 0 0 12 0 DF George Collin 1 0 0 0 1 0 MF Arthur Caldwell 4 0 0 0 6 0 MF Tommy Ward 12 4 0 0 15 7 MF Wilf Smith 37 0 2 0 40 0 MF Arthur Cumberlidge 35 0 2 0 41 0 MF Alf Bellis 26 3 2 0 31 3 MF Sid Wileman 4 0 1 0 6 0 MF Don Triner 3 0 0 0 4 0 MF Leonard Smart 13 5 0 0 13 5 MF John Smith 13 0 1 0 18 2 MF George Hannah 42 0 2 0 48 0 MF Bill Booth 9 0 0 0 10 0 MF John Callender 3 1 0 0 4 1 FW Jack Roberts 20 8 1 2 21 10 FW Tom Nolan 39 17 2 0 41 17 FW Arthur Masters 33 5 2 0 37 7 FW Harry Davies 29 2 1 0 34 3 FW Joe Wheatley 2 0 0 0 3 0 FW John Sanderson 1 0 0 0 1 0 FW Geoffrey Moreland 7 3 0 0 9 3 FW William O'Brien 4 1 0 0 4 1 FW Richard Fuller 1 0 0 0 1 0

Scorers All competitions Scorer Goals Tom Nolan 17 Jack Roberts 10 Arthur Masters 7 Tommy Ward Leonard Smart 5 Geoffrey Moreland 3 Alf Bellis Harry Davies Harry Griffiths John Smith 2 John Callender 1 William O'Brien League Scorer Goals Tom Nolan 17 Jack Roberts 8 Arthur Masters 5 Leonard Smart Tommy Ward 4 Geoffrey Moreland 3 Alf Bellis Harry Davies 2 Harry Griffiths John Callender 1 William O'Brien

Transfers

Transfers in

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
May 1938	MF		John Callender	Lincoln City	Free transfer	[3]
May 1938	FW		Richard Fuller	Stockport County	Free transfer	[3]
May 1938	DF		William O'Brien	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	Free transfer	[3]
May 1938	DF		Roger Whittle		Free transfer	[3]
June 1938	DF		George Collin	Sunderland	Free transfer	[3]
June 1938	DF		Roy Felton	Everton	Free transfer	[3]
June 1938	MF		George Hannah	Derby County	Free transfer	[3]
June 1938	GK		Arthur Jepson	Grantham Town	Free transfer	[3]
June 1938	FW		John Sanderson	Newcastle United	Free transfer	[3]
June 1938	MF		Sid Wileman	Derby County	'Substantial'	[3]
September 1938	MF		John Smith		Free transfer	[3]
November 1938	FW		Geoffrey Moreland	Birmingham	Free transfer	[3]
December 1938	MF		Don Triner	Downing's Tileries	Free transfer	[3]
February 1939	DF		Bill Booth	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Free transfer	[3]
February 1939	MF		Tommy Ward	Stoke City	Free transfer	[3]
March 1939	MF		Leonard Smart	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Free transfer	[3]

Transfers out

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
October 1938	FW		Ken Fish	Young Boys	Free transfer	[3]
April 1939	MF		John Callender	Gateshead	Free transfer	[3]
April 1939	DF		George Collin	Burton Town	Free transfer	[3]
April 1939	FW		Harry Davies		Retired	[3]
April 1939	FW		Richard Fuller	Darlington	Free transfer	[3]
April 1939	DF		William O'Brien	Watford	Free transfer	[3]
May 1939	MF		John Smith	Chelsea	Free transfer	[3]
June 1939	MF		Tommy Ward	Mansfield Town	Free transfer	[3]
August 1938	MF		Sid Wileman	Hinckley United	Free transfer	[3]
Summer 1939	DF		Bill Booth	Cardiff City	Free transfer	[3]
Summer 1939	FW		Arthur Masters		Released	[3]

References

Specific

1. Kent, Jeff (1990). "From Glory to Despair (1929–1939)". The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale. Witan Books. pp. 124–150. ISBN 0-9508981-4-7.
2. Port Vale 1938–1939 : Results & Fixtures. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
3. Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.

General

• Kent, Jeff (1993). The Port Vale Record 1879-1993. Witan Books. ISBN 0-9508981-9-8.