The 1917–18 season was Port Vale's second season of football after going into abeyance during World War I. It was a second wartime campaign in the Football League Lancashire Section (Principal Competition), under manager-secretary Tom Holford and chairman Frank Huntbach at the Old Recreation Ground. Improving on the previous year, Vale finished 11th in the 30-game league season, collecting 26 points from 9 wins, 8 draws and 13 losses, scoring 47 goals and conceding 55.
Cup competition was confined to the Lancashire Section Subsidiary Tournament, where Vale placed 14th with 2 points. The campaign featured notable highs and lows, including 4–0 and 5–1 victories, but also a 7–0 loss to Everton on 9 March 1918. Forward David Bowcock led the team's attack, finishing as both league and season top scorer with seven goals. Attendance fluctuated markedly, with a season-high 10,000 spectators attending the match against Stoke City on 29 September 1917, and an average attendance of approximately 3,507.
Overall, the 1917–18 season represented a gradual consolidation for Port Vale in wartime football — showing competitive improvement and a measure of stability amid the regionalised football structure imposed by World War I.
Overview Port Vale had a difficult start to the season, losing key players to conscription and facing champions Liverpool home and away. They led 2–0 at half-time in the season opener, though they ended the match with a 3–2 defeat and then were beaten 4–0 at Anfield. They picked up a draw and win over Southport Central, but were beaten home and away by Potteries derby rivals Stoke; the home tie with Stoke saw a season-high crowd of 10,000. A 5–2 win over Burnley, in which David Bowcock scored a hat-trick, was the first of a five-match unbeaten run, though they did draw the other four matches. A 4–0 home defeat in which they were "outclassed" by Stockport County ruined this run before they put together another five-match unbeaten run.
A 4–0 win over Blackpool on 26 January took Vale to seventh place. However, they then suffered poor form until the end of the campaign, picking up just three points from their remaining eight matches. This poor run of defeats included a heavy 7–0 loss at Everton, though they were comforted by their £60 share of the 15,000 crowd. They picked up an expected two points away with a 5–1 win at rock-bottom Blackburn Rovers but lost the final game of the season 2–0 at home to Rovers, which was only the away side's second victory of the season. Around this time, club nicknames were becoming popular, and The Staffordshire Sentinel reporter "The Wanderer" suggested "the Colliers" in reference to local coal mines. However, the nickname failed to catch on. They ended the season in a respectable 11th place; David Bowcock's seven goals made him top-scorer, as few attackers could play in half the club's matches. The six-game Subsidiary Tournament was used as an exercise to blood young players. They lost five of their games in a difficult group of Manchester City, Manchester United and Stoke. Despite low costs, the club announced a loss of £33 and the total debt reached £4,000, leaving directors grumbling about their financial responsibilities.
Results WinDrawLoss
Football League Lancashire Section League table
Matches
Lancashire Section Subsidiary Tournament League table
Matches
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 PlacePositionNationNameLeagueSubsidiaryTotal1FWDavid Bowcock7072FWAlbert Pearson606–FWTom Brennan5164FWSam Whittaker5055FWS Worthy303–FWBilly Spooner303–FWHarold Edgeley303–FWJames Hill303–FWArthur Rogers303–FWJack Foster12311FWJack Jolly202–FWJoe Daley11213HBJim Bennett101–FBTom Lyons101–HBHarry Pearson101–FWW Malkin101–––Own goals101TOTALS47451
Transfers
Transfers in Date from Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref. 1917 FW Joe Daley Free transfer 1917 FW W Pepper Free transfer 1917 FW Arthur Rogers Free transfer Summer 1917 FW David Bowcock Free transfer Summer 1917 FW James Hill Free transfer Autumn 1917 FW W Malkin Free transfer September 1917 HB Harry Pearson Bury Free transfer November 1917 FW Jack Foster Free transfer November 1917 HB J Lawton Free transfer January 1918 FW Billy Briscoe Leek United Free transfer February 1918 FW Jack Jolly Free transfer
Transfers out Date from Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref. 1918 GK Teddy Bateup Retired 1918 HB J Lawton Released 1918 FW W Pepper Released 1918 FW S Worthy Released April 1918 FW W Malkin Released Summer 1918 HB Jim Bennett Released Summer 1918 FW Jack Jolly Released
References Specific
General