Where do Pope’s goals place him in the record books?
Tom Pope’s free scoring this season has led to much speculation over how many goals the striker will end up with at the end of the season.
Here at OVF Towers, we’ve taken a look through the record books and checking just where Pope stands in the club’s all-time list of highest scorers in a season.
With nineteen games still to play, Pope is currently in joint seventh place in the club’s all-time list of highest goal tallies per season. The 27 year-old sits alongside Leon Constantine, Cliff Portwood and Morris Jones with a tally of 26 goals.
Pope is now just a solitary goal from joining Steve McPhee in sixth place in the standings, whilst another 14 goals would see Pope equal Wilf Kirkham’s league goals tally of 38. Finally, another 16 goals would see Pope displace the legendary Wilf Kirkham as the scorer of the most goals in a single season.
Top image pictured from left to right: Wilf Kirkham, Andy Jones, Jack ‘Nipper’ Roberts, Steve McPhee and Tom Pope
List of highest scorers in a season *
41 – Wilf Kirkham 1926-27 (38 in league)
37 – Andy Jones 1986-87 (31 in league)
35 – Wilf Kirkham 1925-26 (35 in league)
33 – Wilf Kirkham 1924-25 (26 in league)
30 – Jack Roberts 1935-36 (28 in league)
27 – Stephen McPhee 2003-2004 (25 in league)
26 – Four players: Pope, Constantine, Portwood and Morris – Tom Pope 26 goals (24 in the league)
* This list only includes seasons when Vale were in the Football League, not periods when Vale played non-league football.