Players with fewer than 25 appearances
Port Vale F.C. is an English professional association football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. The club was formed in the late 1870s, and in 1884, they took the name Burslem Port Vale, dropping the 'Burslem' prefix in 1907. The club joined the English Football League in 1892 as founder members of the Football League Second Division. Though they resigned in 1907, they continued to play in North Staffordshire district leagues and would return to the Football League in 1919. The club's first team has competed in numerous nationally and internationally organised competitions, and all players who have played between 1 and 24 such matches are listed below.
Over 500 Port Vale players have appeared in between 1 and 24 senior competitive matches. In the early days, the scarcity of nationally organised competitive football meant players could spend many years with the club while making few such outings. However, to redress this, the list includes appearances in minor cup competitions, such as the Staffordshire Senior Cup, before World War II. Exhibition games (friendlies) were the primary source of matches in the early days of the game. So appearances in friendly games during the 19th century are also included. This allows club founder Enoch Hood's brothers John and Harry to appear on the list for their friendly appearances in 1879 and 1882.
Jordan Hugill scored five goals in 24 games for the club before being signed by Preston North End in June 2014, though a 20% sell-on clause would net the club a £1.8 million windfall when Preston sold him on to West Ham United in January 2018. Strikers Tony Sealy and Alex Jones both scored ten goals in successful loan spells the Vale, helping the players to prove their talent to their parent clubs. David Healy only scored three goals during his loan spell but would go on to become Northern Ireland's record scorer. Marcus Bent was one of manager John Rudge's last signings and was quickly sold on for a £75,000 profit in October 1999. However, it would be a £2 million Premier League player at Blackburn Rovers within two years. Dean Smith played 15 games for the Vale at the end of his playing career and would go on to manager Aston Villa and lead Villa into the Premier League in 2019.
In English football, the Potteries derby is the local derby between the two major clubs in the city of Stoke-on-Trent – Port Vale and Stoke City, first contested in 1882. Port Vale plays at Vale Park whilst Stoke play at the bet365 Stadium, the two grounds are separated by roughly 4.3 miles (6.9 km). The fans of each club both consider the other to be their main rivals; this has led to a heated atmosphere at these matches. One study in 2019 ranked it as the joint-28th biggest rivalry in English professional football, level with the Manchester derby. The two teams have met in 92 competitive first-team fixtures, including 44 English Football League, six FA Cup and two Football League Trophy fixtures, with the remaining 40 meetings coming in regional cup competitions.
Joseph Brough was an English footballer. He was also an accomplished cycler and sprinter.
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. He died suddenly just before they started their first season in the Football League in 1892–93.
Charles Simpson was an English footballer.
The 1919–20 season was Port Vale's first season of football back in the English Football League. It was their first Football League season at The Old Recreation Ground, and their first season in which they were in the same division as rivals Stoke. The club were also referred to as "the Valiants" for the first time, a nickname coined by chairman Frank Huntbach.
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 1899–1900 season was Burslem Port Vale's second consecutive season of football in the English Football League. Another season of charging to the summit of the Second Division table, only to fall into mid-table obscurity, this time the club suffered from low support and subsequently poor finances. Once again, the team maintained a decent defensive record, only to fail miserably in front of goal – the second-lowest total in the league.
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 1902–03 season was Burslem Port Vale's fifth consecutive season of football in the English Football League. Finishing in ninth place for the second time in three years, it would take just over two decades for the club again to reach the heights of a top ten second-tier finish. Their success was down mainly due to their home form, and in fact, a club record 29 away games without a win began on 17 January 1903. Adrian Capes would become the club's top scorer for the third successive season.
The 1904–05 season was Burslem Port Vale's seventh consecutive season of football in the English Football League. A poor season, the club had to apply (successfully) for re-election. The club had to continue selling their best players to survive.
The 1906–07 season was Burslem Port Vale's ninth consecutive season of football in the English Football League. The club resigned from the league on 14 June 1907.
The 1975–76 season was Port Vale's 64th season of football in the Football League, and their sixth-successive season in the Third Division. Manager Roy Sproson brought Mick Cullerton back to Vale Park. Cullerton was to become the top-scorer for the season with 21 goals. However, the ongoing success of rivals Stoke City in winning the League Cup, playing in Europe, and competing at the top of the First Division caused Vale's support to suffer. The loyal support of a few thousand fans was not enough to balance the books, and so Brian Horton was controversially sold to Brighton & Hove Albion for £30,000.
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 1897–98 season was Burslem Port Vale's second season of football in the Midland League. Their league form proved streaky, as they lost seven of their opening nine fixtures but recovered to post nine wins in 12 games from November to March, ending the campaign in fifth-place. However, they proved their worth in the cup competitions, particularly so in the FA Cup, beating Small Heath and eventual Football League First Division champions Sheffield United en route to the second round. In the Birmingham Senior Cup they took First Division side West Bromwich Albion to a second replay, whilst they beat Stoke in the semi-finals of the Staffordshire Senior Cup, losing out to West Bromwich Albion in the final. Their success earned them re-election back into the Football League.
Port Vale Football Club, an English association football club based in the town of Burslem, in Stoke-on-Trent, was founded in the late 1870s. In the club's early history, there was no league football, so matches were arranged on an occasional basis, supplemented by cup competitions organised at both local and national level. The club changed its name to Burslem Port Vale in 1884. In 1888, Burslem Port Vale joined the Combination, a league set up to provide organised football for those clubs not invited to join the Football League, which was to start the same year. However, the Combination was not well organised, and folded in April 1889 with many fixtures still outstanding. Burslem Port Vale were founder members of the Midland League in 1890, and two years later were elected to the newly formed Second Division of the Football League. They failed re-election in 1896 and spent two seasons in the Midland League before winning re-election back into the Football League Second Division. However, they struggled and folded in 1907. At this stage, North Staffordshire Church League champions Cobridge Church sought permission from the Football Association to change the club's name to Port Vale and bought the old club's ground. This was the start of a 12-year process that saw the newly formed club work its way through the North Staffordshire Federation League, North Staffordshire & District League and The Central League to secure election into the Football League in October 1919. The club have remained in the Football League since that time, winning the Third Division North in 1929–30 and 1953–54 seasons and the Fourth Division title in 1958–59.
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