The 1897–98 season was Burslem Port Vale's second season of football (fourth overall) in the Midland League. Under secretary‑manager Sam Gleaves and chairman Edward Oliver, Vale recovered from poor early form, losing seven of their opening nine, and went on a strong run between November and March to finish fifth with 23 points from 22 matches (10 wins, 3 draws, 9 losses), scoring 46 goals and conceding 32.

In cup competitions, Vale enjoyed a memorable FA Cup run: they upset Football League First Division champions Sheffield United, defeating them in a replay to reach the Second Round, before bowing out to Burnley. They took West Bromwich Albion to a second replay in the Birmingham Senior Cup (exiting in the First Round) and advanced to the Staffordshire Senior Cup final, beating Stoke in the semi-finals but losing to West Brom in the final. For the second consecutive season, forwards Danny Simpson and Dick Evans shared the top scorer accolade with 11 goals in all competitions, Simpson netting nine in the Midland League.

Vale drew a season-high 15,000 spectators for a cup tie against Sheffield United on 2 February 1898, while attendances averaged around 1,400, with lows of nearly 500. Their results, both in league and cup, helped earn re‑election to the Football League Second Division for the 1898–99 season.

Overview Midland League Burslem Port Vale retained the entire first-team of the 1896–97 campaign and strengthened the squad by signing four Stoke players: former England international right-back Tommy Clare, right-half Lucien Boullemier, left-winger Billy Heames and left-half Ted McDonald. They unveiled a new kit of red and white striped tops with blue knickers. The season opened with an "exciting" 2–2 draw with Burton Wanderers; the attendance at the Athletic Ground was a healthy 2,000, though Clare had trouble with his boots and played most of the match wearing just one of them. Two away defeats followed, and young reserve Frank Mitchell was then installed at centre-forward and proved an instant success, scoring a hat-trick in a 4–0 home win over Kettering. However, four league defeats later the players and directors met to discuss what was going wrong; the 1–0 defeat by Barnsley St Peter's was a particular calamity as goalkeeper Tom Poole punched the ball into his own net from an indirect free kick.

Four league defeats were followed by four straight league wins, including a double over third-placed Rushden. They then slipped to a 4–1 boxing day defeat at Kettering but recovered to beat Doncaster Rovers 4–0 to head into second-place on 3 January. This started a run of five wins and two draws from seven games, with Clare being credited for inspiring the players "with a confidence never before approached". However, they finished the campaign with two away defeats, ending up in fifth-place with 23 points from 22 games. Danny Simpson finished with a tally of nine league goals, indicating that the club could benefit from a consistent goalscorer at centre-forward. Nevertheless, the club's exploits in the FA Cup saw them achieve 18 votes in their successful application to rejoin the Football League.

Finances The 1897–98 season saw the club lose £106, with the gate receipts from the FA Cup second round match raising £60 more than the entire league campaign.

Cup competitions Vale found great success in the FA Cup, beating Football League Second Division side Small Heath 2–1 in the third qualification round thanks to a brace from Clare; Small Heath had originally proposed to switch the venue to Muntz Street for a £100 payment, but were refused. The final scoreline was "could scarcely be credited in Birmingham until the evening papers confirmed it".'Retlaw' (5 November 1897). "Football Arrows". The Birmingham Pictorial and Dart: p.6. After a walkover victory against Kidderminster, they were fired by a "special inducement" and played "with dash and skill" to eliminate Burton Wanderers 2–1 to reach the first round proper. Eventual Football League First Division champions Sheffield United were expecting to romp to victory at Bramall Lane, but the Vale team were in confident mood and held out for a 1–1 draw, the home side only staying in the tie due to a dubious penalty. Vale rejected an offer of £250 to play the replay at Bramall Lane, and went on to win the tie 2–1. Dick Evans gave Vale a two-minute lead before United equalised with a rush goal eight minutes from time. In extra time, United goalkeeper William Foulke "acted in an idiotic manner" and was caught out of position as Vale's Billy Heames broke away, running half the length of the pitch before pulling the ball back for Lucien Boullemier to score the winning goal. Vale claimed earnings of £350 for the fixture as a crowd of 15,000 witnessed the giantkilling; the Burslem school board gave schoolchildren a special holiday so they could attend the game. Second Division leaders Burnley awaited in the second round, but Vale were below par as they slipped to a 3–0 defeat at Turf Moor.

Vale were pitted against high-flying First Division club West Bromwich Albion in the first round of the Birmingham Senior Cup and, after two 0–0 draws, were finally beaten 2–1 in the second replay. Vale confidently dispatched Burton Wanderers 5–0 in the first round of the Staffordshire Senior Cup. A 3–1 win over Potteries derby rivals Stoke in front of a home crowd of 7,000 took them into the final for the first time, where they again faced West Bromwich Albion, this time at the neutral venue of the Victoria Ground. A 8,500 crowd turned up, but West Brom denied Vale any silverware as they claimed a 2–1 victory.

Results WinDrawLoss

Midland League

FA Cup

Birmingham Senior Cup

Staffordshire Senior 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 PlacePositionNationNameMidland LeagueFA CupOtherTotal1FWDanny Simpson90211–FWDick Evans641113FWFrank Mitchell6006–FWTed Evans40265FWFred Belfield30256FWGeorge Price4004–FWBilly Heames4004–HBTed McDonald31049FWJames Peake201310HBS. E. Bayley200211FWCharles Hodgkinson1001–HBLucien Boullemier0101–HBJim Beech0101–––Unknown0022–––Own goals1001TOTALS4571062

Transfers

Transfers in Date from Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref. 1897 GK Lowe Free transfer Summer 1897 HB Lucien Boullemier Stoke Free transfer Summer 1897 FB Tommy Clare Stoke Free transfer Summer 1897 HB Thomas Goodall Audley Free transfer Summer 1897 FW Billy Heames Stoke Free transfer Summer 1897 HB Ted McDonald Stoke Free transfer Summer 1897 FW Frank Mitchell Free transfer Autumn 1897 HB S. E. Bayley Free transfer October 1897 GK Herbert Birchenough Audley Free transfer October 1897 GK Tom Poole Crewe Carriage Works Free transfer 1898 FW Charles Hodgkinson Free transfer

Transfers out Date from Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref. 1898 GK George Lawton Porthill Released 1898 GK Lowe Released 1898 HB Smith Released 1898 FW Jim Mason Released Summer 1898 FW George Hewitt Released

References Specific

General