The 1934–35 season was Port Vale's 29th season of football in the English Football League and their fifth-successive season (28th overall) in the Second Division. While a promising start fuelled hopes of a return to the top half, Vale ultimately finished in 18th place, accumulating 34 points from a record of 11 wins, 12 draws, and 19 defeats, scoring 55 goals and conceding 74.

Under manager Tom Holford, the early season surge came to nothing as form collapsed from October onward, leaving Vale embroiled in a relegation battle before surviving comfortably on goal average. In January 1935, Vale recorded their largest win, a 4–0 victory over Barnsley, but endured their harshest reverse in April with an 8–0 home defeat to Brentford. Tom Nolan emerged as the standout player, finishing the campaign as both league and season top scorer with 16 goals in 40 appearances, in what would be his third successive season leading Vale's scoring charts.

In the FA Cup, Port Vale made a relatively brief appearance, exiting in the Third Round, consistent with recent seasons. Off the pitch, the club faced considerable upheaval: supporters and directors held a six-week consultation on a proposed name change, with ideas like "Stoke Central", "Stoke United", and "Hanley Port Vale" considered, although nothing ultimately changed. Financial constraints persisted — Vale's average attendance dipped to 8,463, with a season-low crowd of 3,860 versus Fulham on 27 April.

Overview

Second Division The pre-season saw the arrival of eight new signings, the most significant of these were: 'safe as houses' goalkeeper John Potts (Leeds United), 'outstanding' outside-right John Friar (Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic), inside-left David Galloway (Preston North End), and centre-half Joe Craven (Swansea Town).

The season started with just one defeat in the opening eight games, leaving the club in fourth place by the end of September – mostly down to the goalscoring partnership of Friar and Nolan. Home victories over Sheffield United, Southampton, Manchester United, and Burnley nevertheless saw attendances of only 7,311 to 11,975. Following this they went on a run of twelve games without a win, with an over-reliance on Friar and Nolan in attack, whilst the defence lacked understanding. The team was changed around but to no avail, as they slipped down the league towards a relegation battle. On 24 November, Vale lost 2–1 at home to second-from-bottom Hull City. In the middle of December Friar was sold to Preston North End, having scored ten goals in 18 games, with the 'more steady' Ted Critchley heading in the other direction. Vale fell to third-from-bottom following a 1–1 draw with Bradford (Park Avenue) on 22 December. Their poor form was halted with a Christmas day victory over Bradford City, the club's first win since September. The team were then inconsistent until the end of the season.

The 2 February matchday programme (for a 2–1 victory over Swansea) recorded a discussion on whether or not the club should change its name. Concluding that many people didn't know where Port Vale was, Stoke Central and Stoke United were put forward as possible new names. A discussion with the fans resulted in Stoke United being decided as the best alternative, despite calls from some for the name Hanley to be included. On 2 March (a 1–1 draw with Norwich City), each supporter was given a ballot slip upon entering the Old Recreation Ground, with the result of the poll being that 3,737 were in favour of a change of name, and 3,633 opposed a change. A shareholders' meeting on 18 March at the Grand Hotel (Hanley) saw the directors suggest the name of Stoke North End to the 100 members present. Finding little support, a resolution was instead passed for the new name of Hanley Port Vale. The Football League forced them to wait until the end of the season to implement a name change, having already printed countless papers with the original name. However, the new name proved unpopular with the public, who criticised the club for being too parochial and lacking civic pride. The name change never occurred.

Back on the pitch, the team were bobbing along, picking up enough points to avoid relegation concerns – whereas Oldham Athletic and Notts County were rapidly drifting away from safety. On 9 March at St James' Park the Vale picked up a shock result by beating promotion hopefuls Newcastle United 2–1 – their first away win in 24 attempts, ending a run going back to January 1934. Nolan's stand-in James Baker bagged both of the goals. On 19 April, a 5–3 beating of Notts County proved enough to guarantee safety, yet Vale still earned just two points from their final four games. On 20 April, they lost a massive 8–0 to champions Brentford – the biggest defeat in the division that season.

They finished 18th with 34 points, eight points clear of relegation and 22 points short of promotion. Away from home, they recorded just one win, whilst in front of goal, their 55 goals scored was their lowest total since 1925 (after which the offside rule had been changed to make scoring easier). Tom Nolan's 16 goals and the departed John Friar's ten goals were the only significant contributions.

Finances On the financial side, a mere £11,120 was made on the gates, though a £3,775 credit on transfers ensured a profit of £2,415. Only 14 players were retained, with those leaving including: James Baker (Barrow), Bob Morton (Throckley Welfare), Jack Blackwell (Boston United), Joe Craven (Newport County), David Galloway (Carlisle United), Ted Critchley (South Liverpool), and 128 game veteran Jack Round (also Carlisle).

FA Cup In the FA Cup, Vale were defeated 2–1 by eventual runners-up West Bromwich Albion of the First Division at The Hawthorns. The 18,989 crowd saw £1,000 raised in gate receipts, and a comeback from the "Throstles" just six minutes from time.

Results

Football League Second Division

League table

Results by matchday

Matches

FA Cup

Squad statistics Appearances and goals Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; FB – Full back; HB – Half back; FW – Forward

|colspan="14"|Players who featured but departed the club during the season:

Top scorers PlacePositionNationNameSecond DivisionFA CupTotal1FWTom Nolan160162FWJohn Friar100103HBTrevor Rhodes6064FWBob Morton4155HBCliff Birks404–FWFred Mitcheson404–FWJames Baker4048FWLuke Dean3039FWJack Blackwell20210HBKen Gunn101–FWTed Critchley101–––Own goals000TOTALS55156

Transfers

Transfers in Date from Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref. May 1934 GK John Potts Leeds United Free transfer May 1934 FW Albert Titley West Bromwich Albion Free transfer June 1934 FW James Baker Charlton Athletic Free transfer June 1934 HB Joe Craven Swansea Town Free transfer June 1934 FW David Galloway Preston North End Free transfer June 1934 HB Jim Kelso Bradford Park Avenue Free transfer July 1934 FW John Friar Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic Free transfer July 1934 HB Eric Hayward Hanley and Wardle's Free transfer August 1934 FW Luke Dean Downing's Tileries Free transfer November 1934 FB Percy Thorpe Accrington Stanley Free transfer December 1934 FW Ted Critchley Preston North End Exchange May 1935 FW Arthur Caldwell Winsford United Free transfer

Transfers out Date from Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref. December 1934 FW John Friar Preston North End Exchange May 1935 FW Jack Blackwell Boston United Released May 1935 HB Jim Kelso Newport County Free transfer May 1935 FW Albert Titley Macclesfield Town Free transfer July 1935 FW Tom Nolan Bradford Park Avenue Free transfer Summer 1935 HB Joe Craven Newport County Free transfer Summer 1935 FW Ted Critchley South Liverpool Released Summer 1935 FW David Galloway Carlisle United Free transfer Summer 1935 FW Bob Morton Throckley Welfare Free transfer Summer 1935 FW Albert Purcell Released Summer 1935 FB Percy Thorpe Released

References Specific

General