This is the story of the day Port Vale snapped up Bolton Wanderers star Jack Round – while the team were on their way to a game against Bradford City…
As the press clipping below explains, Round was signed for a “costly” fee in a Railway station en route to the game.
At the time, Round was 27 years of age and had made over fifty appearances in the First Division. The signing was made as Vale looked to establish themselves in the Second Division after winning the Third Division title the previous season. It was a costly and expensive statement of intent by the club.
The press cutting
Evening Sentinel – 8th September 1930
Round’s Vale career
Jack Round image: creative commons licence by John Conway, Wikicommons
The strapping six foot plus centre-half was an immediate pick in the starting eleven and played 38 times as Vale finished in their highest ever League position of fifth in the Second Division. He was a regular pick for the following two seasons before he fell out of favour in 1933. He recovered to play more often in the 1934-35 season before being released in the summer of 1935. In total, he had made 133 appearances for the Valiants, scoring five times. He later played for Carlisle United.
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