1925–26 Port Vale F.C. season

Port Vale
1925–26 season
Chairman	Sampson Walker
Secretary-manager	Joe Schofield
Stadium	Old Recreation Ground
Football League Second Division	8th (44 Points)
FA Cup	Third Round; (knocked out by Manchester United)
Top goalscorer	League: Wilf Kirkham (35); All: Wilf Kirkham (35)
Highest home attendance	19,997 vs. Stoke City, 31 August 1925
Lowest home attendance	5,207 vs. Nottingham Forest, 12 April 1926
Average home league attendance	10,739
Biggest win	5–0 and 6–1
Biggest defeat	0–6 vs. Chelsea, 5 September 1925
	Home colours
	Home colours

The 1925–26 season was Port Vale's seventh consecutive season of football (20th overall) in the English Football League.^[1] Managed by Joe Schofield and chaired by Sampson Walker, the club played their home matches at the Old Recreation Ground. The team finished 8th in the 22-team Second Division, earning 44 points from 19 wins, 6 draws, and 17 losses. This marked their second consecutive 8th-place finish, maintaining a solid mid-table position. Notably, they finished above Potteries derby rivals Stoke City, who were relegated to the Third Division North that season.

A standout feature of the season was the prolific performance of forward Wilf Kirkham, who scored a club record 35 league goals, a tally that he would beat the following season. Despite Kirkham's efforts, the team struggled with consistency, particularly in away matches, where they secured only four victories. However, their home form was strong, with the fourth-best record in the division.

In cup competitions, Vale were eliminated in the Third Round of the FA Cup after a 3–2 defeat to Manchester United. Off the pitch, the club made a £1,950 profit. The season concluded with the club firmly mid-table, setting the stage for future growth and success in the Football League.

Billy Briscoe was injured for some time after discovering he had played a whole match whilst suffering from appendicitis.^[1]

Frank Huntbach returned as chairman after Sampson Walker led a failed bid to amalgamate with Stoke City.

Veteran Billy Tempest had his final season as a professional.

Overview

Second Division

The pre-season was quiet, with all the club satisfied with the staff and players of the previous campaign.^[1] The game itself was changed by the offside rule being modified so that two defenders, rather than three, had to be between the attackers and the goal to spring the offside trap – this would have significant beneficial consequences for young forward Wilf Kirkham.^[1]

The season started with two wins, the second being a 3–0 home win over cross-town rivals Stoke.^[1] This was followed by a 6–0 demolition job by Chelsea, who adapted to the new offside rule with a new 'W formation' – to devastating effects.^[1] The "Valiants" recovered quickly with another 3–0 win over Stoke, with Kirkham claiming a hat-trick in what was the club's biggest ever win over their rivals.^[1]^[2] Following a poor display against Hull City, the Vale changed their defensive formation to better combat the new tactics used to exploit the new offside rule.^[1] They also dropped their short-passing attacking game in favour of a long ball system that utilized the wings, this resulted in a 6–1 rout of Darlington.^[1] Offers came in for many Vale's talent, all of which were rejected.^[1] They did, however, temporarily lose the services of Billy Briscoe after he suffered a bout of appendicitis.^[1]

During the mid-season, Vale suffered indifferent form, winning at home but losing away. This was typified in November, when a 4–0 defeat at Preston North End was sandwiched between high-scoring wins over high-flying The Wednesday and Middlesbrough.^[1] The cold weather was blamed for the low crowds, and the selling of players was considered.^[1] Kirkham's form also suffered, as Vale found difficulty finding the net.^[1] In January, the club celebrated its Golden jubilee,^[1] This established 1876 as their founding date despite some doubts over the exact year of the club's founding. On the pitch, the club went down 4–0 at Darlington. This defeat was followed by a sequence of seven wins in eight games, including a 5–0 win over Blackpool thanks to four goals from Alfred Strange.^[1] The team also picked up two rare away wins, including a 2–0 victory at eventual champions The Wednesday.^[1] However, in March, young right-back Tom Cooper was sold to eventual promotion-winners Derby County for £2,500.^[1] Cooper would later play for Liverpool and England.^[1]

In fourth position, four points from the promotion zone, on a tremendous run of form, hopes were high for the club's first-ever promotion to the top flight.^[1] This hope was crushed with two points from their final seven games, their 1–0 defeat at home Fulham would have significant consequences for neighbours Stoke, who would have avoided relegation if the Vale had recorded a draw.^[1]

All positive thoughts were extinguished on 16 April 1926, when the Port Vale directors announced that they had agreed in principle to an amalgamation with Stoke City.^[1] Chairman Walker stated that low attendances and high wages meant Port Vale had probably reached their zenith,^[1] and a merger with City would allow one Stoke-on-Trent club to perform better than Port Vale ever could. Vale fans did not share his view and organised themselves in Hanley and Burslem to deliver a message that they would not support the proposed new club.^[1] On 19 May, the Stoke directors backed out of the discussions, leaving the Vale directors and chairman to resign in failure.^[1]

Finances

New chairman Frank Huntbach took over in May 1926 during relative financial stability.^[1] He discovered a £1,950 profit had been made on the season, though he may have been concerned that gate receipts had fallen by £1,302 despite a campaign that took the club close to promotion.^[1]

Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, Vale were handed a home tie in the third round against First Division Manchester United. In a hard-fought contest, Vale lost 3–2 in front of a disappointing crowd of 14,841, raising £1,150 in gate receipts.^[1]

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GAv	Pts
6	Blackpool	42	17	11	14	76	69	1.101	45
7	Oldham Athletic	42	18	8	16	74	62	1.194	44
8	Port Vale	42	19	6	17	79	69	1.145	44
9	South Shields	42	18	8	16	74	65	1.138	44
10	Middlesbrough	42	21	2	19	77	68	1.132	44

Source:

Results

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	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A
Result	W	W	L	W	L	W	W	D	D	L	L	W	L	W	L	W	L	W	D	W	L	L	L	W	L	W	L	W	W	W	D	W	W	W	W	L	L	D	D	L	L	L
Position	6	3	7	5	6	5	3	5	5	7	10	7	9	9	10	6	8	7	8	6	7	9	9	9	10	9	9	8	7	8	8	5	5	4	5	5	5	5	5	5	7	8
Points	2	4	4	6	6	8	10	11	12	12	12	14	14	16	16	18	18	20	21	23	23	23	23	25	25	27	27	29	31	33	34	36	38	40	42	42	42	43	44	44	44	44

Source: Statto^[3]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

29 August 1925 1	Clapton Orient	1–2	Port Vale	Clapton, London
			Kirkham	Stadium: Clapton Stadium Attendance: 16,854

31 August 1925 2	Port Vale	3–0	Stoke City	Hanley
	Kirkham pen' Strange			Stadium: Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 19,997

5 September 1925 3	Port Vale	0–6	Chelsea	Hanley
				Stadium: Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 12,801

7 September 1925 4	Stoke City	0–3	Port Vale	Stoke-upon-Trent
			Kirkham	Stadium: Victoria Ground Attendance: 21,869

12 September 1925 5	Hull City	3–0	Port Vale	Kingston upon Hull
				Stadium: Anlaby Road Attendance: 12,523

14 September 1925 6	Port Vale	3–0	Barnsley	Hanley
	Strange Kirkham pen' Briscoe			Stadium: Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 7,277

19 September 1925 7	Port Vale	6–1	Darlington	Hanley
	Kirkham Strange Briscoe			Stadium: Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 5,841

26 September 1925 8	Blackpool	2–2	Port Vale	Blackpool
			Briscoe Maddock pen'	Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 9,502

3 October 1925 9	Port Vale	1–1	Southampton	Hanley
	Kirkham			Stadium: Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 12,589

10 October 1925 10	Nottingham Forest	2–0	Port Vale	West Bridgford
				Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 10,642

17 October 1925 11	Oldham Athletic	3–2	Port Vale	Oldham
			Page Kirkham	Stadium: Boundary Park Attendance: 7,924

24 October 1925 12	Port Vale	2–0	Stockport County	Hanley
	Maddock pen' Kirkham			Stadium: Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 9,954

31 October 1925 13	Swansea Town	1–0	Port Vale	Swansea
				Stadium: Vetch Field Attendance: 15,612

7 November 1925 14	Port Vale	4–3	The Wednesday	Hanley
	Kirkham Strange Lowe			Stadium: Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 6,862

14 November 1925 15	Preston North End	4–0	Port Vale	Preston, Lancashire
				Stadium: Deepdale Attendance: 17,681

21 November 1925 16	Port Vale	4–0	Middlesbrough	Hanley
	Kirkham Strange			Stadium: Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 9,336

28 November 1925 17	Portsmouth	3–2	Port Vale	Portsmouth
			Tempest	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 12,198

5 December 1925 18	Port Vale	3–0	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Hanley
	Kirkham Page			Stadium: Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 8,364

12 December 1925 19	Fulham	3–3	Port Vale	Fulham, West London
			Connelly Page Strange	Stadium: Craven Cottage Attendance: 11,452

19 December 1925 20	Port Vale	2–0	South Shields	Hanley
	Strange Maddock pen'			Stadium: Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 8,794

25 December 1925 21	Port Vale	0–1	Derby County	Hanley
				Stadium: Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 15,355

26 December 1925 22	Derby County	2–0	Port Vale	Derby
				Stadium: Baseball Ground Attendance: 23,784

1 January 1926 23	Barnsley	3–0	Port Vale	Barnsley
				Stadium: Oakwell Attendance: 6,804

2 January 1926 24	Port Vale	4–2	Clapton Orient	Hanley
	Strange Maddock pen'			Stadium: Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 8,070

16 January 1926 25	Chelsea	3–1	Port Vale	Fulham, West London
			Page	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 15,568

23 January 1926 26	Port Vale	3–1	Hull City	Hanley
	Lowe Connelly Kirkham			Stadium: Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 7,579

30 January 1926 27	Darlington	4–0	Port Vale	Darlington
				Stadium: Feethams Attendance: 8,791

6 February 1926 28	Port Vale	5–0	Blackpool	Hanley
	Strange Page			Stadium: Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 9,027

13 February 1926 29	Southampton	2–3	Port Vale	Southampton
			Page Strange Kirkham	Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 10,865

27 February 1926 30	Port Vale	3–0	Oldham Athletic	Hanley
	Kirkham Page			Stadium: Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 11,719

6 March 1926 31	Stockport County	2–2	Port Vale	Stockport
			Page Kirkham	Stadium: Edgeley Park Attendance: 7,889

13 March 1926 32	Port Vale	3–0	Swansea Town	Hanley
	Kirkham Page Strange			Stadium: Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 19,030

20 March 1926 33	The Wednesday	0–2	Port Vale	Owlerton
			Strange Kirkham	Stadium: Hillsborough Stadium Attendance: 24,965

27 March 1926 34	Port Vale	3–0	Preston North End	Hanley
	Kirkham			Stadium: Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 13,531

2 April 1926 35	Port Vale	2–0	Bradford City	Hanley
	Kirkham Lowe			Stadium: Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 15,984

3 April 1926 36	Middlesbrough	3–1	Port Vale	Middlesbrough
			Lowe	Stadium: Ayresome Park Attendance: 10,231

5 April 1926 37	Bradford City	2–0	Port Vale	Bradford
				Stadium: Valley Parade Attendance: 9,281

10 April 1926 38	Port Vale	1–1	Portsmouth	Hanley
	Kirkham			Stadium: Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 8,932

12 April 1926 39	Port Vale	1–1	Nottingham Forest	Hanley
	Lowe			Stadium: Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 5,207

17 April 1926 40	Wolverhampton Wanderers	3–1	Port Vale	Wolverhampton
			Briscoe	Stadium: Molineux Stadium Attendance: 10,549

24 April 1926 41	Port Vale	0–1	Fulham	Hanley
				Stadium: Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 9,262

1 May 1926 42	South Shields	5–2	Port Vale	South Shields
			Kirkham Oakes	Stadium: Horsley Hill Attendance: 3,027

FA Cup

9 January 1926 R3	Port Vale	2–3	Manchester United	Hanley
	Maddock pen' Page			Stadium: Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 14,841

Right-back Jack Maddock put away five penalties in his thirty games.

Alfred Strange would go on to represent England after leaving the club.

Player statistics

Appearances and goals

Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; FB – Full back; HB – Half back; FW – Forward

Pos.	Name	Football League		FA Cup		Total
Pos.	Name	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
GK	Sidney Brown	4	0	0	0	4	0
GK	Tom Fern	38	0	1	0	39	0
FB	Jimmy Oakes	41	1	1	0	42	1
FB	Jack Maddock	29	4	1	1	30	5
FB	Tom Cooper	11	0	0	0	11	0
FB	Billy Wootton	3	0	0	0	3	0
HB	Ernest Collinge	13	0	1	0	14	0
HB	Bob Connelly	38	2	1	0	39	2
HB	Roger Jones	8	0	0	0	8	0
HB	Arden Maddison	30	0	0	0	30	0
HB	Alfred Strange	41	17	1	0	42	17
HB	Sidney Blunt	25	0	1	0	26	0
HB	Herbert Smith	8	0	0	0	8	0
HB	John McDougall	0	0	0	0	0	0
FW	Fred Smith	2	0	0	0	2	0
FW	Harold Salt	5	0	1	0	6	0
FW	Jack Lowe	42	5	1	0	43	5
FW	Billy Tempest	16	2	0	0	16	2
FW	Tom Page	36	9	1	1	37	10
FW	Tom Reid	1	0	0	0	1	0
FW	Wilf Kirkham	40	35	1	0	41	35
FW	Billy Briscoe	26	4	0	0	26	4
FW	Joe Pointon	4	0	0	0	4	0
FW	Arthur Ecclestone	1	0	0	0	1	0
FW	Billy Cotton	0	0	0	0	0	0

Top scorers

Place	Position	Nation	Name	Second Division	FA Cup	Total
1	FW	England	Wilf Kirkham	35	0	35
2	HB	England	Alfred Strange	17	0	17
3	FW	England	Tom Page	9	1	10
4	FB	England	Jack Maddock	4	1	5
–	FW	England	Jack Lowe	5	0	5
6	FW	England	Billy Briscoe	4	0	4
7	HB	Scotland	Bob Connelly	2	0	2
–	FW	England	Billy Tempest	2	0	2
9	FB	England	Jimmy Oakes	1	0	1
			TOTALS	79	2	81

Transfers

Transfers in

Date from	Position	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
June 1925	FB	Billy Wootton	Congleton Town	Free transfer	^[4]
August 1925	HB	Herbert Smith	Littleworth	Free transfer	^[4]
December 1925	FW	Harold Salt	Ravensdale	Free transfer	^[4]

Transfers out

Date from	Position	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
March 1926	FB	Tom Cooper	Derby County	£2,500	^[4]
Summer 1926	HB	Ernest Collinge		Released	^[4]
Summer 1926	FW	Joe Pointon	Luton Town	Released	^[4]
Summer 1926	FW	Harold Salt		Released	^[4]
Summer 1926	FW	Billy Tempest	Retired		^[4]
Summer 1926	GK	Robert Wallis		Released	^[4]

References

Specific

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab Kent, Jeff (1990). "Keeping in Good Company (1919-1929)". The Valiants' Years The Story Of Port Vale. Witan Books. pp. 98–123. ISBN 0-9508981-4-7.
^ Baggaley, Mike (27 July 2025). "Moore upbeat after Birmingham test". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
^ Port Vale 1925–1926 : Results & Fixtures Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ 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.

[Kent-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab Kent, Jeff (1990). "Keeping in Good Company (1919-1929)". The Valiants' Years The Story Of Port Vale. Witan Books. pp. 98–123. ISBN 0-9508981-4-7.

[2] Baggaley, Mike (27 July 2025). "Moore upbeat after Birmingham test". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 27 July 2025.

[3] Port Vale 1925–1926 : Results & Fixtures Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.

[transfers-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

Port Vale F.C. seasons
1880–81 1881–82 1882–83 1883–84 1884–85 1885–86 1886–87 1887–88 1888–89 1889–90
1890–91 1891–92 1892–93 1893–94 1894–95 1895–96 1896–97 1897–98 1898–99 1899–00
1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10
1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20
1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30
1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40
1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50
1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60
1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70
1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80
1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90
1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00
2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10
2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20
2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26 2026–27 2027–28 2028–29 2029–30