The Season That Never Was
At the beginning of May 1931 the Football League had told the directors that the club faced suspension from the League if a total of £806 owed to the players in wages was not paid, in full by the end of the month. To this end Arthur Welsby was sold to Sunderland for a transfer fee of £275 and then Jack Moran was sold to Totttenham Hotspur for a fee of £375.
At the adjourned shareholders meeting on 30th May 1931, held at Springfield Park, chairman Mr John Greenhough, revealed that the club had raised £698 from the sales of Welsby and Moran plus advanced sales of season tickets, and he was hopeful that a meeting of supporters to be held the following day would see the money required to avoid suspension raised in full.
At the adjourned shareholders meeting on 30th May 1931, held at Springfield Park, chairman Mr John Greenhough, revealed that the club had raised £698 from the sales of Welsby and Moran plus advanced sales of season tickets, and he was hopeful that a meeting of supporters to be held the following day would see the money required to avoid suspension raised in full.
Mr Joseph Howarth a Hindley JP made a speech in which he claimed that they (everybody at the meeting) would not be doing their duty to those who came after them if they did not make a big effort to ensure that the club didn't go under. He passed on his best wishes to Welsby and Moran and gave the club twenty five pounds on behalf of Hindley supporters who had bought season tickets. An old supporter living in the Midlands had also donated five pounds to the cause.
The chairman then revealed that the club were not paying players over the summer months and so the club would actually be better off in that the first few gates of the new season would not be spent on summer salaries. Mr Howarth also pointed out that had Lincoln City needed the points to guarantee promotion on their trip to Springfield Park on the last day of the season, the gate would have been closer to 15,000 than the actual attendance of just short of 3,000. Several shareholders promised that season tickets would be purchased early by them and the chairman of the Supporters Club, Mr Edes, revealed that the club had given the directors all of their money in regards to subscriptions and promised a further seven pounds.
Other efforts to help the club included John Worswick, having previous loaned the club money, donating a further £1,000, Messrs Almond of the Standish Brewery donating £25 for fifty shares in the club and around thirty people had pledged £130 but much more was needed.
On the playing front Mr Aldred had to sign virtually a whole team during the summer months and there was a return for former player Ernie Cockle, who also took over the first team training duties as the club lurched ever closer to its doom. All of the players who played during the season had all their games and goals expunged from their official Football League records.
Right full back Bill Wade was recruited from West Ham United, left full back Sam Julian arrived via Halifax Town, left half back Albert Shears was recruited from Tranmere Rovers and centre back Jack Martin was signed from Nelson. At outside right was Tommy Moon who was signed from Barrow as was inside right Tommy Tebb. Ince born centre foward Albert Valentine finally played for his home town team having been snapped up from Cardiff City and outside half Arthur Stevenson arrived back at the club via Bristol City. Completing the summer activity was inside left Alf Oakes from New Brighton and right half Sam Sharp was signed from Crewe Alexandra.
This is the story of the expunged season...
29/08/31 -----Chester 0-4 Wigan Borough - 12,625
Mittell, Wade (debut), Julian (debut), Shears (debut), Martin (debut), Moon (debut), Sharp (debut), Tebb (debut), Valentine (debut) , Oakes (debut), Stevenson (second debut)
This was actually Chester's first game as a Football League club, but this result was expunged from the Welsh club's records and their first recorded result was a 1-1 draw against Wrexham at the Racecourse Ground four days later.
The Chester team lined up as follows, Johnson, Herod, Jones, Ernie Keeley, Skitt, Reilly, Matthews, Jack Ranson, Tommy Jennings, Frank Cresswell and Foster Hedley. The goalscorers were Hedley who scored twice, Ranson and Jennings.
02/09/31 -----Wigan Borough 3-1 Hull City - (Oakes2, Stevenson) - 3,035
Mittell, Wade, Julian, Sharp, Martin, Cockle, Sharp, Tebb, Valentine, Oakes, Stevenson
05/09/31 -----Wigan Borough 1-1 Hartlepools United - (Oakes) - 4,116
Mittell, Wade, Julian, Sharp, Martin, Hurst, Sharp, Kilhoury, Valentine, Oakes, Tebb
09/09/31 -----Wigan Borough 0-3 Lincoln City - 4,250
Mittell, Wade, Julian, Sharp, Martin, Shears, Moon, Tebb, Valentine, Oakes, Murphy (debut)
12/09/31 -----Crewe Alexandra 4-3 Wigan Borough - (Moon, Pearson, Valentine) - 5,565
Mittell, Wade, Julian, Hallam, Martin, Cockle, Moon, Pearson, Valentine, Oakes, Murphy
14/09/31----- Lincoln City 3-0 Wigan Borough - 5,932
Mittell, Wade, Julian, Hallam, Martin, Cockle, Moon, Pearson, Valentine, Oakes,Tebb
19/09/31 -----Darlington 5-0 Wigan Borough - 3,159
Mittell, Wade, Julian, Hallam, Martin, Cockle, Kilhoury, Pearson, Valentine, Tebb, Moon
A short time after this game the Football League gave Wigan Borough an ultimatum. They demanded that the club put their house in order at once or resign from the Football League. This ultimatum was never disclosed, but the directors issued this circular to all shareholders,
"In view of the lack of support given to the club and the present financial position it has become necessary to place all the facts before the shareholders with a view to ascertaining whether the club shall continue to carry on as members of the Northern Section of the Football League. As the situation is very grave and the decisions to be arrived at are of great importance to association football in the town, it is imperative that there should be a representative meeting:"
Meanwhile, right full back Bill Wade had been loaned to Frickley Colliery.
26/09/31 -----Wigan Borough 0-1 Halifax Town - 1,976
Mittell, Hartley, Julian, Hallam, Martin, Cockle, Kilhoury, Pearson, Valentine, Oakes, Moon
Mr Frank Platt a solicitor who worked from King Street, tried, in a honorary capacity to save the club from extinction by devising a scheme to 're construct the club. His plan needed the directors of the club to relinquish £7,000 of their holding in the club, to which the directors agreed. It also involved all the shareholders to surrender their holdings in the club as well. He stated that it may be possible to secure Springfield Park and the stands from the bank and transfer them to another creditor at a sum of half the existing mortgages and debentures. He envisaged that these steps would bring the capital of the club, with all debts paid to creditors, to £6,000. The assets would be a freehold ground and all the buildings thereinand if the whole of the capital was subscribed there would be cash in hand of £1,800.
30/09/31 -----Wigan Athletic 1-1 Oldham Athletic - (Lancashire Senior Cup, first round) - (Oakes) - 600
Mittell, Hartley, Julian, Hallam, Martin, Cockle, Kilhoury, Shears, Valentime, Oakes, Moon
03/10/31 -----Walsall 3-0 Wigan Borough - 3,626
Mittell, Hartley, Julian, Hallam, Martin, Cockle, Cherry (debut), Kilhoury, Valentine, Oakes, Moon
10/10/31 -----Wigan Borough 2-1 Gateshead - (Oakes, Kilhoury) - 2,748
Mittell, Hartley, Julian, Hallam, Martin, Shears, Cherry, Kilhoury, Valentine, Oakes, Stevenson
12/10/31 -----Oldham Athletic 4-0 Wigan Borough - (Lancashire Senior Cup, first round replay) - 1,000
Rigby, Hartley, Julian, Hallam, Shears, Cockle, Cherry, Kilhoury, Valentin,Pearson, Moon
17/10/31----- Wigan Borough 3-2 Carlisle United - (Kilhoury 2, Hallam) - 2,667
Mittell, Hartley, Julian, Hallam, Martin, Shears, Cherry, Kilhoury, Valentine, Oakes, Stevenson
Two days later at a meeting of the League management Committee in Liverpool Mr Leslie Aldred handed in the club's resignation letter. It was accepted unanimously.
Borough's final game took place at the Racecourse Ground five days later
24/10/31 -----Wrexham 0-5 Wigan Borough - 6,073
Mittell, Hartley, Wade, Hallam, Martin, Hurst, Cherry, Kilhoury, Valentine, Oakes, Moon
Just for the record the Wrexham team was, Burrows, Jones, Brown, Clayton, Burkinshaw, Donoghue, Rogers, Ferguson, Bamford, Taylor and Lewis.
Boro’s complete Football League record reads,
1931/32 – 12 3 1 8 12 33 7 liquidated.The day after the club folded Frank Platt issued the following statement after the meeting that decided Wigan Borough's fate. For the first time anywhere it is reproduced here in full...
"From information I have gleaned from the books of the club, I have no hesitation in saying that the association football public of Wigan have shown once again that they have no desire to maintain League football in Wigan. Every opportunity has been afforded them of trying to save the club from resigning from the League. The Football League Management Committee has been most sympathetic and generous: the directors have worked tirelessly to keep the club going: Mr John Worwsick who was a loan holder to a considerable sum made a generous offer to assist further by a sum of £1,000: creditors have met us in a generous spirit and Preston North End FC wrote offering to cancel the club's indebtedness to them in regards to an outstanding transfer fee.
"Before I published the scheme of re construction I had solid promises of £ 1,650, but despite the issue of thousands of circulars and the publicity of the press the sum promised or contributed is actually £130. I am extremely grateful to those working men who have helped with small sums and to a woman mill worker who sent in her 'widows mite' of ten shillings. These sums will be refunded. Where the other association enthusiasts are I just don't know, they did not even support the club in its home matches.
"The directors deserve every sympathy for maintaining the club for long periods out of their own private funds. These gentleman and Mr John Worswick are losers to the extent of £10,000. The directors have held numerous meetings since the ultimatum was received and they deserve great credit for their heroic efforts to keep the club in the Third Division.
"The directors were asked to make a statement and they said they were sorry the club had to resign from the League owing to a lack of support. They have done all they possibly could. The wage bill was nearly £100 a week and the gates had been totally insufficient to keep the club going. The directors of Wigan Borough are Mr J (John) Greenhough (chairman), Mr John ('Jack') Culshaw, Mr Tom Culshaw, Mr H (Harold) Anderton and Mr W (William) Latham. Mr John and Mr Tom Culshaw have been members of the board since 1921."
Where then did this leave the players? The Football League allowed all the players free transfers should any other club require their services. Jack Hallam, Mick Kilhoury, Arthur Hartley, Jack Martin and Jimmy Mittell were all expected to command fees according to the Football League. Two players were already on the transfer list so fees would also have to be paid for any club to acquire their services; these players were Owen Dorrans and Leslie Russell.
The Football League Management Committee oversaw the sales of Jack Martin to Oldham Athletic and Albert Valentine to Chester and money from these sales went a long way to paying the players' outstanding wages. But their sales were an insignificant drop in the ocean as the clubs liabilities, as at the day they folded totaled £30,335, 18s, 11d.
The players to feature throughout the ill fated last three months were ...
Jimmy Cherry, Joe Clare, Ernie Cockle, Jack Hallam, Arthur Hartley, Sam Julian, Mick Kilhoury, Jack Martin, Jackie Mittell, Tommy Moon, Jimmy Murphy, Alf Oakes, Tom Pearson, Norman Rigby, Sammy Sharp, Albert Shears, Arthur Stevenson, Thomas Tebb, Albert Valentine and Bill Wade.
More information on these players can be found in the 'Players A to Z' section/s of this site. Photographs can be found in the 'Historical Photographs' section ...
Copyright © 2012 - This Northern Soul. All rights reserved
The chairman then revealed that the club were not paying players over the summer months and so the club would actually be better off in that the first few gates of the new season would not be spent on summer salaries. Mr Howarth also pointed out that had Lincoln City needed the points to guarantee promotion on their trip to Springfield Park on the last day of the season, the gate would have been closer to 15,000 than the actual attendance of just short of 3,000. Several shareholders promised that season tickets would be purchased early by them and the chairman of the Supporters Club, Mr Edes, revealed that the club had given the directors all of their money in regards to subscriptions and promised a further seven pounds.
Other efforts to help the club included John Worswick, having previous loaned the club money, donating a further £1,000, Messrs Almond of the Standish Brewery donating £25 for fifty shares in the club and around thirty people had pledged £130 but much more was needed.
On the playing front Mr Aldred had to sign virtually a whole team during the summer months and there was a return for former player Ernie Cockle, who also took over the first team training duties as the club lurched ever closer to its doom. All of the players who played during the season had all their games and goals expunged from their official Football League records.
Right full back Bill Wade was recruited from West Ham United, left full back Sam Julian arrived via Halifax Town, left half back Albert Shears was recruited from Tranmere Rovers and centre back Jack Martin was signed from Nelson. At outside right was Tommy Moon who was signed from Barrow as was inside right Tommy Tebb. Ince born centre foward Albert Valentine finally played for his home town team having been snapped up from Cardiff City and outside half Arthur Stevenson arrived back at the club via Bristol City. Completing the summer activity was inside left Alf Oakes from New Brighton and right half Sam Sharp was signed from Crewe Alexandra.
This is the story of the expunged season...
29/08/31 -----Chester 0-4 Wigan Borough - 12,625
Mittell, Wade (debut), Julian (debut), Shears (debut), Martin (debut), Moon (debut), Sharp (debut), Tebb (debut), Valentine (debut) , Oakes (debut), Stevenson (second debut)
This was actually Chester's first game as a Football League club, but this result was expunged from the Welsh club's records and their first recorded result was a 1-1 draw against Wrexham at the Racecourse Ground four days later.
The Chester team lined up as follows, Johnson, Herod, Jones, Ernie Keeley, Skitt, Reilly, Matthews, Jack Ranson, Tommy Jennings, Frank Cresswell and Foster Hedley. The goalscorers were Hedley who scored twice, Ranson and Jennings.
02/09/31 -----Wigan Borough 3-1 Hull City - (Oakes2, Stevenson) - 3,035
Mittell, Wade, Julian, Sharp, Martin, Cockle, Sharp, Tebb, Valentine, Oakes, Stevenson
05/09/31 -----Wigan Borough 1-1 Hartlepools United - (Oakes) - 4,116
Mittell, Wade, Julian, Sharp, Martin, Hurst, Sharp, Kilhoury, Valentine, Oakes, Tebb
09/09/31 -----Wigan Borough 0-3 Lincoln City - 4,250
Mittell, Wade, Julian, Sharp, Martin, Shears, Moon, Tebb, Valentine, Oakes, Murphy (debut)
12/09/31 -----Crewe Alexandra 4-3 Wigan Borough - (Moon, Pearson, Valentine) - 5,565
Mittell, Wade, Julian, Hallam, Martin, Cockle, Moon, Pearson, Valentine, Oakes, Murphy
14/09/31----- Lincoln City 3-0 Wigan Borough - 5,932
Mittell, Wade, Julian, Hallam, Martin, Cockle, Moon, Pearson, Valentine, Oakes,Tebb
19/09/31 -----Darlington 5-0 Wigan Borough - 3,159
Mittell, Wade, Julian, Hallam, Martin, Cockle, Kilhoury, Pearson, Valentine, Tebb, Moon
A short time after this game the Football League gave Wigan Borough an ultimatum. They demanded that the club put their house in order at once or resign from the Football League. This ultimatum was never disclosed, but the directors issued this circular to all shareholders,
"In view of the lack of support given to the club and the present financial position it has become necessary to place all the facts before the shareholders with a view to ascertaining whether the club shall continue to carry on as members of the Northern Section of the Football League. As the situation is very grave and the decisions to be arrived at are of great importance to association football in the town, it is imperative that there should be a representative meeting:"
Meanwhile, right full back Bill Wade had been loaned to Frickley Colliery.
26/09/31 -----Wigan Borough 0-1 Halifax Town - 1,976
Mittell, Hartley, Julian, Hallam, Martin, Cockle, Kilhoury, Pearson, Valentine, Oakes, Moon
Mr Frank Platt a solicitor who worked from King Street, tried, in a honorary capacity to save the club from extinction by devising a scheme to 're construct the club. His plan needed the directors of the club to relinquish £7,000 of their holding in the club, to which the directors agreed. It also involved all the shareholders to surrender their holdings in the club as well. He stated that it may be possible to secure Springfield Park and the stands from the bank and transfer them to another creditor at a sum of half the existing mortgages and debentures. He envisaged that these steps would bring the capital of the club, with all debts paid to creditors, to £6,000. The assets would be a freehold ground and all the buildings thereinand if the whole of the capital was subscribed there would be cash in hand of £1,800.
30/09/31 -----Wigan Athletic 1-1 Oldham Athletic - (Lancashire Senior Cup, first round) - (Oakes) - 600
Mittell, Hartley, Julian, Hallam, Martin, Cockle, Kilhoury, Shears, Valentime, Oakes, Moon
03/10/31 -----Walsall 3-0 Wigan Borough - 3,626
Mittell, Hartley, Julian, Hallam, Martin, Cockle, Cherry (debut), Kilhoury, Valentine, Oakes, Moon
10/10/31 -----Wigan Borough 2-1 Gateshead - (Oakes, Kilhoury) - 2,748
Mittell, Hartley, Julian, Hallam, Martin, Shears, Cherry, Kilhoury, Valentine, Oakes, Stevenson
12/10/31 -----Oldham Athletic 4-0 Wigan Borough - (Lancashire Senior Cup, first round replay) - 1,000
Rigby, Hartley, Julian, Hallam, Shears, Cockle, Cherry, Kilhoury, Valentin,Pearson, Moon
17/10/31----- Wigan Borough 3-2 Carlisle United - (Kilhoury 2, Hallam) - 2,667
Mittell, Hartley, Julian, Hallam, Martin, Shears, Cherry, Kilhoury, Valentine, Oakes, Stevenson
Two days later at a meeting of the League management Committee in Liverpool Mr Leslie Aldred handed in the club's resignation letter. It was accepted unanimously.
Borough's final game took place at the Racecourse Ground five days later
24/10/31 -----Wrexham 0-5 Wigan Borough - 6,073
Mittell, Hartley, Wade, Hallam, Martin, Hurst, Cherry, Kilhoury, Valentine, Oakes, Moon
Just for the record the Wrexham team was, Burrows, Jones, Brown, Clayton, Burkinshaw, Donoghue, Rogers, Ferguson, Bamford, Taylor and Lewis.
Boro’s complete Football League record reads,
1931/32 – 12 3 1 8 12 33 7 liquidated.The day after the club folded Frank Platt issued the following statement after the meeting that decided Wigan Borough's fate. For the first time anywhere it is reproduced here in full...
"From information I have gleaned from the books of the club, I have no hesitation in saying that the association football public of Wigan have shown once again that they have no desire to maintain League football in Wigan. Every opportunity has been afforded them of trying to save the club from resigning from the League. The Football League Management Committee has been most sympathetic and generous: the directors have worked tirelessly to keep the club going: Mr John Worwsick who was a loan holder to a considerable sum made a generous offer to assist further by a sum of £1,000: creditors have met us in a generous spirit and Preston North End FC wrote offering to cancel the club's indebtedness to them in regards to an outstanding transfer fee.
"Before I published the scheme of re construction I had solid promises of £ 1,650, but despite the issue of thousands of circulars and the publicity of the press the sum promised or contributed is actually £130. I am extremely grateful to those working men who have helped with small sums and to a woman mill worker who sent in her 'widows mite' of ten shillings. These sums will be refunded. Where the other association enthusiasts are I just don't know, they did not even support the club in its home matches.
"The directors deserve every sympathy for maintaining the club for long periods out of their own private funds. These gentleman and Mr John Worswick are losers to the extent of £10,000. The directors have held numerous meetings since the ultimatum was received and they deserve great credit for their heroic efforts to keep the club in the Third Division.
"The directors were asked to make a statement and they said they were sorry the club had to resign from the League owing to a lack of support. They have done all they possibly could. The wage bill was nearly £100 a week and the gates had been totally insufficient to keep the club going. The directors of Wigan Borough are Mr J (John) Greenhough (chairman), Mr John ('Jack') Culshaw, Mr Tom Culshaw, Mr H (Harold) Anderton and Mr W (William) Latham. Mr John and Mr Tom Culshaw have been members of the board since 1921."
Where then did this leave the players? The Football League allowed all the players free transfers should any other club require their services. Jack Hallam, Mick Kilhoury, Arthur Hartley, Jack Martin and Jimmy Mittell were all expected to command fees according to the Football League. Two players were already on the transfer list so fees would also have to be paid for any club to acquire their services; these players were Owen Dorrans and Leslie Russell.
The Football League Management Committee oversaw the sales of Jack Martin to Oldham Athletic and Albert Valentine to Chester and money from these sales went a long way to paying the players' outstanding wages. But their sales were an insignificant drop in the ocean as the clubs liabilities, as at the day they folded totaled £30,335, 18s, 11d.
The players to feature throughout the ill fated last three months were ...
Jimmy Cherry, Joe Clare, Ernie Cockle, Jack Hallam, Arthur Hartley, Sam Julian, Mick Kilhoury, Jack Martin, Jackie Mittell, Tommy Moon, Jimmy Murphy, Alf Oakes, Tom Pearson, Norman Rigby, Sammy Sharp, Albert Shears, Arthur Stevenson, Thomas Tebb, Albert Valentine and Bill Wade.
More information on these players can be found in the 'Players A to Z' section/s of this site. Photographs can be found in the 'Historical Photographs' section ...
Copyright © 2012 - This Northern Soul. All rights reserved