William Levi Draycott was an English footballer who played as a right half for Burslem Port Vale, Stoke, Burton Wanderers, Newton Heath, Bedminster, Bristol Rovers, Wellingborough and Luton Town in the 1890s and early 1900s.
James Peake was a footballer who played inside-left for Burslem Port Vale and Millwall Athletic.
George Jabez Price was an English footballer of short stature who played mainly as a forward for Burslem Port Vale between 1896 and 1907.
James Scarratt was an English footballer who played on the wing for Burslem Port Vale in the early 1890s.
William Henry Heames was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Burslem Port Vale and Stoke. A left-winger, he had an eleven-year career, scoring 28 goals in 249 games in all competitions. His sole honour was a Staffordshire Senior Cup win with Vale in 1898.
Adrian Capes, was an English footballer. A forward, he scored a total of 135 goals in 340 league and FA Cup games in a 17-year career with Nottingham Forest, Burton Wanderers, Burton Swifts, Burslem Port Vale, and Stoke. He also played cricket for Staffordshire in the 1900 Minor Counties Cricket Championship. After retiring in 1911, he worked behind the scenes at Port Vale from 1911 to 1934. His brother, Arthur, was also a professional footballer.
Edward McDonald was an English footballer who played at left half for Stoke, Burslem Port Vale, Notts County, and Portsmouth.
Daniel Simpson was an English footballer who scored 53 goals in 151 competitive games for Burslem Port Vale between 1896 and 1903. A centre-forward, he was twice the club's top-scorer, and scored the only goal of the 1898 Staffordshire Senior Cup final.
Lucien Emile Boullemier was an English footballer and ceramic designer. A right-half, he played competitively for Stoke, Burslem Port Vale, Philadelphia Hibernian, Northampton Town, and Northern Nomads. He was the younger brother of Leon Boullemier, also an accomplished sportsman.
Westley Howard Harvey was an English footballer who played as a centre forward for Aston Villa, Burslem Port Vale and Manchester City in the Football League in the 1890s and early 1900s. He played in the Southern League for Watford, and was also on the books of Walsall Town Swifts, Small Heath, West Bromwich United, Burton United, Darlaston and Glentoran.
Fred Farrington was an English footballer who played at half-back for Burslem Port Vale between 1888 and 1894. He served as club captain in the 1892–93 season.
Thomas John "Spill" Spilsbury (1874–1947) was a footballer who played 57 games at left-back for Burslem Port Vale.
Francis McGinnes was a Scottish footballer. He was described as 'the best centre-forward that ever left Scotland'. A prolific goalscorer, he was Burslem Port Vale's best player, but died suddenly just before they started their first season in the Football League in 1892–93.
The 1892–93 season was Burslem Port Vale's first season of football in the English Football League. The club were founding members of the Football League Second Division, the First Division having been in operation for four seasons before 1892–93. A learning curve for the club, it marked the first of four seasons of struggle in what was rapidly becoming the second tier of the strongest league in the world. This learning curve was punctuated by the biggest league defeat in the club's history, a 10–0 humiliation in a snowstorm at home to Sheffield United on 10 December 1892, still a Football League record for a home defeat.
The 1893–94 season was Burslem Port Vale's second consecutive season of football in the English Football League. Winning their opening seven league games, Vale seemed destined for First Division football. However, they won just six of their final 22 games and ended up in mid-table. Their remarkable start to the season has not been equalled by any Vale team to date, and counting the previous season's final game, which was a victory, their streak of eight league wins is still a club record. Vale had remedied their scoring trouble, with five players besting the previous season's top scorer tally of five goals.
The 1900–01 season was Burslem Port Vale's third consecutive season of football in the English Football League. Finishing in ninth place for the second time in three years, the club would have to wait over two decades before they would better such a finish. Vale was a typical mid-table team in 1900–01, with their home form slightly disappointing compared to teams around them. The team was settled, however, once again poor attendances were an issue.
The 1901–02 season was Burslem Port Vale's fourth consecutive season 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.
The 1888–89 season was Burslem Port Vale's first season and only season of football in The Combination. The league was abandoned before the fixture list was completed, though Vale were in poor form regardless. They exited the FA Cup, Staffordshire Senior Cup and North Staffordshire Challenge Cup in their opening rounds and also struggled in friendlies, the low point being a 3–1 defeat to village team Oswaldtwistle Rovers at the Athletic Ground.
The 1890–91 season was Burslem Port Vale's first season in the newly formed Midland League. They finished in eighth-place, having only picked up two points away from home. They failed to go on any cup runs and were beaten by a club record 12–0 margin by Aston Villa in the Second Round of the Staffordshire Senior Cup. They did, though, share the North Staffordshire Challenge Cup after holding Stoke to a draw in the final.
The 1891–92 season was Burslem Port Vale's second-successive season in the Midland League. They managed to finish third in the table and were rewarded with a place in the Football League for the following season, justifying the club's decision to refuse to listen to offers for star forward Frank McGinnes. They also reached the semi-finals of the Staffordshire Senior Cup and won the North Staffordshire Challenge Cup, though they exited the FA Cup and Birmingham Senior Cup in the first round.
