Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | William Trevor Rhodes [1] | ||
Date of birth | [1] | 10 November 1909||
Place of birth | Leeds, England [1] | ||
Date of death | 23 May 1993 83) [1] | (aged||
Place of death | Leeds, England [1] | ||
Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) [2] | ||
Position(s) | Right-half / Inside-right | ||
Youth career | |||
Yorkshire Amateur | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1928–1933 | Bradford Park Avenue | 57 | (39) |
1933–1938 | Port Vale | 139 | (28) |
Total | 196 | (67) | |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
William Trevor Rhodes (10 November 1909 – 23 May 1993) was an English footballer who played 147 games for Port Vale between 1933 and 1938, having previously represented Yorkshire Amateur and Bradford Park Avenue. Able to play as a right-half or at inside-right, he was noted for his pace and shot power.
Rhodes played for Yorkshire Amateur and Bradford Park Avenue before joining Port Vale in June 1933. [1] He scored his first goal for the "Valiants" on 11 September, in a 3–0 win over Bury at Gigg Lane. [1] He went on to score a hat-trick on 6 January, in a 4–1 win over Southampton at The Dell. [1] This made him the last non-striker to score a hat-trick for the club until Louis Dodds in 2011. [3] He finished the 1933–34 campaign with 11 goals in 31 appearances. [1] He went on to score six goals in 36 games in 1934–35. [1] He hit seven goals in 30 appearances in the 1935–36 season, including the winner against First Division champions Sunderland in an FA Cup Third Round replay at The Old Recreation Ground. [4] Despite such cup exploits, Vale suffered relegation out of the Second Division. [1] Rhodes bagged five goals in 36 games in 1936–37, as Vale struggled to adapt to life in the Third Division North. [1] Rhodes lost his first-team place through injury in November 1937, and went on to play just 14 games in the 1937–38 campaign. [1] With 29 goals in 147 league and cup games, he was released from his contract in the summer. [1]
Source: [5]
Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | Other | Total | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
Bradford Park Avenue | 1928–29 | Second Division | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
1929–30 | Second Division | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | |
1930–31 | Second Division | 21 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 20 | |
1931–32 | Second Division | 17 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 12 | |
1932–33 | Second Division | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 | |
Total | 57 | 39 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 61 | 41 | ||
Port Vale | 1933–34 | Second Division | 30 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 11 |
1934–35 | Second Division | 35 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 6 | |
1935–36 | Second Division | 28 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 7 | |
1936–37 | Third Division North | 33 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 36 | 5 | |
1937–38 | Third Division North | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |
Total | 139 | 28 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 147 | 29 | ||
Career total | 196 | 67 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 208 | 70 |
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The 1926–27 season was Port Vale's eighth consecutive season of football in the English Football League. Vale finished in eighth position for the third season running, obtaining 45 points, this time coming nine points off promotion to the top tier in English football. For the first time in the club's history, they played in a league above rivals Stoke City. Wilf Kirkham broke a club record by scoring 38 league goals and 41 goals in all competitions. He scored six braces, four hat-tricks, and also scored four goals in one game.
The 1932–33 season was Port Vale's 27th season of football in the English Football League, and their third-successive season in the Second Division. The season is notable as the last season of football for legendary striker Wilf Kirkham – who finished as top scorer for the sixth time in his Vale career. It is also notable for a 9–1 thrashing of Chesterfield in which Stewart Littlewood scored six goals – both feats are still standing club records. Otherwise an unremarkable season, the club limped to 17th in the league and exited the FA Cup in the Third Round, whilst rivals Stoke City were promoted as champions.
The 1933–34 season was Port Vale's 28th season of football in the English Football League, and their fourth-successive season in the Second Division. Finishing eighth in the second tier with 45 points, they would not reach such a peak again until 1996–97. It was their joint-second best ever finish after the 1930–31 season, along with the 1924–25, 1925–26, 1926–27, and 1996–97 campaigns.
The 1936–37 season was Port Vale's 31st season of football in the English Football League and their first season back in the Third Division North following their relegation from the Second Division. For the first time in the club's history, rivals Stoke City were playing two leagues above them. The "Valiants" played in white shirts and black socks – a look they kept for the rest of the century and beyond. Manager Warney Cresswell would be the first of Vale's managers to be recognizable as a manager to modern observers, training the players to ensure fitness, allowing them to relax together as a group, and searching the country for fresh talent. His modern techniques did not ensure promotion, despite a mid-season unbeaten run of thirteen games in an otherwise unremarkable season.
The 1937–38 season was Port Vale's 32nd season of football in the English Football League, and their second-successive season in the Third Division North. With thirty goals, Jack Roberts was the division's top scorer. However, the club managed only a mid-table finish, exiting both cup competitions at the first stage.
The 1953–54 season was Port Vale's 42nd season of football in the English Football League, and their fifth season overall in the Third Division North. Freddie Steele's side were crowned Third Division North champions with 69 points out of a possible 92, eleven points ahead of their nearest rivals. They also reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup. They would be denied an appearance in the final due to a controversial goal from a dubious penalty. These achievements were based upon a record-breaking 'Iron Curtain' defence and a solid squad of nineteen players, most of whom had taken the club to second the previous season.
The 1963–64 season was Port Vale's 52nd season of football in the English Football League, and their fifth season in the Third Division. Freddie Steele spent big on transfers, bringing in players such as Billy Bingham, Albert Cheesebrough, and Jackie Mudie. However, it was a disappointing season in the league and a disaster financially. The highlights of the season came in the FA Cup, where Vale beat top-flight Birmingham City at St Andrew's, and drew 0–0 with Liverpool at Anfield.
The 1967–68 season was Port Vale's 56th season of football in the English Football League and their third-successive season in the Fourth Division. A poor season saw them battle to mid-table to avoid the re-election zone. Yet it would be off-the-field developments that would worry Vale supporters the most. An FA/Football League Joint-Inquiry investigated the club as club officials were forced to admit several breaches of the rules regarding payment of players. The result was expulsion from the League, however, before the start of the following season a vote of 39 to 9 allowed the club to be immediately readmitted to the competition. The whole saga was rather ironic, as the club re-entered the League in 1919 after Leeds City were expelled over illegal payments to their players. On the playing front, it was the final season of both Harry Poole and Terry Miles' careers.
The 1945–46 season was Port Vale's third and final season of football in the wartime league system of World War II. Despite low expectations the club turned a profit in the Third Division (South) North, finishing third in the initial table. They reached the third round of the FA Cup, though they ended the season with a disappointing finish in the Third Division (South) North Cup. Overall, though, the club were in a healthy position to resume playing in the Football League the following season.