Second Division The pre-season saw the arrival of goalscoring forward
Harry Roberts from
Lincoln City; big goalkeeper
Arthur Slater from
Clapton Orient; and young outside-left
Clarence Spencer from
Birmingham. On 4 October they travelled to
Home Park, where they lost 2–1 to
Plymouth Argyle; later in the day a horrific tragedy almost killed many of the Vale players – they had hired a speedboat at
Devon resort which burst into flames whilst at sea, fortunately the pilot managed to extinguish the flames and returned them safely to harbour. Wins over
Burnley and
Preston North End took the Vale within two points of a promotion place. Pynegar left the club in October following rumours of a rift with teammate Jennings. He signed with
Chesterfield of the Third Division North.
Bert Fishwick was a more than able deputy. The defensive duo of
Jimmy Oakes and
Shino Shenton also proved formidable at the back. On 29 November,
promotion dreams took a knock at
White Hart Lane,
Spurs picking up a 5–0 win. Despite competing at the top end of the table the
Old Recreation Ground rarely saw much more than 10,000 spectators. In December,
reserve half-back
George Whitcombe was sold to
Notts County for 'a substantial amount'; the money went towards ground improvements. On 13 December, Vale lost 1–0 at
Potteries derby rivals
Stoke City. The following month, £10,000 worth of mortgage debenture bonds were released to the same ends.
The Football Association rejected the club's ground improvement scheme without giving a reason. On 26 January, they fell to a fourth defeat in five games as league leaders
Everton inflicted a 3–1 defeat after
Clarence Spencer left the pitch with a broken ankle. As the season entered its final stretch, top-scorer Jennings was dropped from the squad.
Joseph Chell cut his artery in his second game, and in desperation
Jimmy Oakes ended up being played at centre-forward. No adequate replacement was found until
Stewart Littlewood was re-signed from
Oldham Athletic, with Fishwick sold to
Tranmere Rovers to meet Oldham's demands. In early April, the "Valiants" beat high-flying
West Bromwich Albion and Tottenham Hotspur, thereby keeping hopes of promotion high. West Brom won the return leg at
The Hawthorns to put daylight between the two clubs. In late April, Vale travelled to the
Netherlands for a short tour, beating a Dutch Southern XI 5–1 and
Zwaluwen 2–0. They finished fifth with 47 points, making it the most successful season in
the club's history regarding league position. They were seven points short of second placed
West Bromwich Albion. Only 61 goals were conceded, a record bettered only by West Brom and Spurs. However, the 67 goals scored tally was almost half that of the champions Everton. Sam Jennings finished with 17 goals, and
Phil Griffiths and Harry Roberts were the only other major contributors. The ground improvements paid for were 3,500 seats on the Bryan Street stand, with a covered terrace.
Finances On the financial side, an £800 loss was made, with the weather blamed for an average gate figure of 10,537. Numerous players were released, including
Billy Briscoe,
Frank Watkin, and
Jack Maddock.
Harry Roberts was also sold to
Millwall. Meanwhile, Stewart Littlewood was also selected by the FA for a summer tour of
Canada.
FA Cup In the
FA Cup, Vale overcame amateur side
Corinthians 3–1 in the third round but then found themselves eliminated by
First Division Birmingham at
St Andrew's in the fourth round. The 44,119 attendance raised £2,763 for the club. ==Results==