Port Vale last played a League game away at Chelsea way back in 1928 and we have match reports plus a photograph from the match.
About the 1928-29 season
The Valiants were relegated for the first time in their history as they dropped out of the Second Division into the newly created third tier. As usual, club finances were a key factor in the club’s poor performances. Plans for a new stadium had to be shelved and the club only added one new signing in the summer. At the end of the season, gate receipts had dropped sharply prompting the sale of club legend Wilf Kirkham to Stoke City at the end of the season. Fortunately for the Vale, the next season was much better as they romped to their first-ever promotion finishing as Third Division (North) champions.
About the game
Vale were on a decent run when this fixture arrived. The Valiants had won seven of their first fourteen games. The game itself finished in an entertaining 3-3 draw. Vale took the lead through Wilf Kirkham on 15 minutes only for Chelsea’s Biswell to equalise a minute later. Thain then gave the home side the lead just two minutes later. Biswell added a third goal for the hosts on the half-hour mark only for Kirkham to pull one back a minute later. Vale then saw left winger Jack Sims equalise with four minutes left on the clock. It was played in front of 23,305 at Stamford Bridge.
Match reports
Evening Sentinel (we like the reporter’s name)
Another report from the Evening Sentinel
The Daily Herald (not the greatest quality sadly)
Birmingham Gazette
About the photograph
The image was kindly supplied to this website by Leigh Briscoe, the grand daughter of long-serving Port Vale player Billy Briscoe. He played for the club between 1918 and 1923 and again between 1924 and 1931. If you want to see more of the photos please click on this link
Many thanks to Leigh Briscoe for the fascinating historical material, and to Rob for publishing it.