1924–25 Port Vale F.C. season

The 1924–25 season was Port Vale's sixth consecutive season of football (19th overall) in the English Football League.^[1] Under the management of Joe Schofield and the chairmanship of Sampson Walker, the club finished eighth in the Second Division, accumulating 42 points from 17 wins, 8 draws, and 17 losses. This was their highest league finish in over 30 years and, at the time, their best performance in the second tier. Notably, they finished above Potteries derby rivals Stoke for the first time in their history.

Central to the club's success was the prolific form of young forward Wilf Kirkham, who scored 33 goals in 44 appearances across all competitions, including 26 in league matches. His remarkable tally made him the club's top scorer for the season and a key figure in their attacking lineup. The team maintained a settled squad, with 15 regular players supplemented by seven reserve players, contributing to a cohesive and consistent performance throughout the campaign.

In cup competitions, Vale's FA Cup run was short-lived, as they were eliminated in the First Round by Aston Villa. Despite this early exit, the club's league form remained strong, with significant victories such as an 8–2 win over Alfreton in December 1924. However, they also suffered a heavy 7–0 defeat to Leicester City on Christmas Day, highlighting the occasional inconsistencies in their performance. Off the pitch, the club faced financial challenges, with a reported wage bill of £7,900. Despite these constraints, the team managed to achieve their best league finish in decades, demonstrating resilience and determination. The season concluded with the club firmly mid-table, setting the stage for future growth and success in the Football League.

The pre-season saw the arrival of three new players: veteran Everton goalkeeper Tom Fern, young half-back Sidney Blunt, and winger Billy Tempest made the leap from Stoke to Vale.^[1]

The season started with a lose-one-win-one sequence of six games; significantly, the final game of this sequence was a 1–0 win over Stoke at the Victoria Ground, Bob Connelly scoring the goal.^[1] The "Valiants" followed this with five games without a win, and "a certain section of the crowd" became "prone to gibe and jeer at mistakes", which had a noticeable effect on the side's confidence.^[1] Goals were a problem, and so the directors decided to sell full-back Len Birks to Sheffield United for 'a substantial sum', promising to spend the money on forwards.^[1] They duly signed Alfred Strange from Portsmouth.^[1] On 11 October, Vale fell to a 4–1 defeat at Derby County after Tom Fern was forced off in the first half due to injury.^[1]

The team bobbed along at mid-table and, on 20 December, were expected to be turned over by promotion-chasing Manchester United; however, Vale managed to record a 2–1 win.^[1] The difficult games continued, as two games in as many days came against eventual champions Leicester City; they were thumped 7–0 at Filbert Street on Christmas Day.^[1] Johnny Duncan scored six of the "Foxes" seven goals (a Leicester record).^[2] A 3–0 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers was blamed on a slippery surface that caused at times comic falls from the players.^[1]

The second half of the season would be a brilliant one for the club. They won ten of their first 13 league games of 1925, including a 2–0 win over Stoke at the Old Recreation Ground – former "Potter" Tempest getting a goal against his former employers.^[1] On 7 February, the players presented secretary-manager Joe Schofield with a gold-mounted walking stick to celebrate his five years in charge, though they went on to be beaten 3–0 by South Shields.^[1] They did, though record a 2–1 home win over league leaders Derby County seven days later despite losing Ernest Collinge to a dislocated left arm.^[1] Four clean sheets followed, which was then followed by a 4–2 victory over Clapton Orient to take the team into fifth place.^[1]

Whilst on the South Coast of England the players were rewarded for their hard work with a relaxing holiday, seeing sights such as the Isle of Wight, the Southampton docks, HMS Victory, the Newbury races, and music hall star Gertie Gitana performing at the theatre.^[1] Following this, manager Joe Schofield took advantage of a comfortable league position by experimenting with his starting eleven.^[1] Just four points were picked up from their last nine games, this included a 1–0 defeat at Stamford Bridge in front of 30,000 and a 4–0 defeat at Old Trafford in front of 40,000.^[1] However, Kirkham did bag his third hat-trick of the season against Stockport County.^[1]

At the end of the season, Vale picked up a club record 42 Football League points, with Kirkham scoring 26 league goals.^[1] Outside of Kirkham, however, the club were finding difficulties in front of goal and had to be much more prolific to challenge for promotion.^[1] They were 15 points off the top two and eight points clear of the bottom two.

Jack Lowe was an ever-present in both league and cup, whereas Kirkham and Briscoe each missed just one game. Fern, Connelly, and Blunt were also highly consistent. At the end of the campaign, all of the first-team performers were retained.^[1]

The club finally found itself on a sound financial footing, making a record £4,469 profit on the campaign.^[1] The club debt went down to £134, and the club decided to purchase the Old Recreation Ground outright, putting down a deposit of £2,250.^[1]

In the FA Cup, the Vale managed to qualify for the first round for the first time since 1921–22. Kirkham and Briscoe scored a combined total of ten goals in the games against Midland League Boston and Central Alliance side Alfreton, with Strange contributing three.^[1] Kirkham scored his first career hat-trick away at Alfreton.^[1] This set up a difficult encounter with First Division club Aston Villa at Villa Park, the first competitive meeting between the two clubs. Vale were easily outclassed in the second half, despite leading 1–0 at the break, and finished the game with a 7–2 defeat after Billy Walker and Len Capewell scored three and four goals respectively.^[1][3]

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

Specific

General

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