Albert Finch Valentine (3 June 1907-1990) was a footballer who played as a forward in
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
during the 1920s and 1930s.
Club record
Valentine was a prolific striker who still holds the club record for scoring the most league goals in a single season at
Halifax TownHalifax Town Association Football Club were an English football team who most recently played in the Conference National, although prior to that they participated in the Football League for over eighty years...
and
Macclesfield TownMacclesfield Town Football Club is an English football team. The club was formed in 1874 and is based in the town of Macclesfield in Cheshire. The team play its home games at the 6,355 capacity Moss Rose stadium...
. His early professional career was unspectacular and in his mid twenties he had dropped into
non-league footballNon-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
. His record breaking started off in the
Cheshire County LeagueThe Cheshire County League was a football league founded in the north west of England in 1919, drawing its teams largely from Cheshire, surrounding English counties and North Wales....
with Macclesfield, where he scored an astonishing 83 goals in the 1933/1934 season. The following season he moved back into the Football League joining Halifax and during his first campaign he netted 34 goals in 37 games. His contribution helped the team to finish 2nd in Division Three North.
A good investment
He joined Halifax for a fee of £500 from
Macclesfield TownMacclesfield Town Football Club is an English football team. The club was formed in 1874 and is based in the town of Macclesfield in Cheshire. The team play its home games at the 6,355 capacity Moss Rose stadium...
. During that first season, success on the field helped the club to make a rare profit totaling £1100. The much needed funds paid off a chunk of their £3500 debts.
His scoring feats at Halifax
He scored on his league debut at Halifax on 25 August 1934 in the 2-1 victory over
Mansfield TownMansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
at
The ShayThe Shay is a multi-use sports stadium in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England near Shaw Hill. FC Halifax Town and Halifax both play their home games at the Shay....
. The highpoint of his first season was on 9 March 1936 when bagged 5 goals in the 6-2 home victory over New Brighton. Over the next two seasons he scored 4 goals in a game on 2 occasions, against
Oldham AthleticOldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league...
and
Rotherham UnitedRotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history...
, and a hat-trick against
Hartlepool UnitedHartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...
. In his time at
The ShayThe Shay is a multi-use sports stadium in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England near Shaw Hill. FC Halifax Town and Halifax both play their home games at the Shay....
he continued to prosper and his goals tally for 1935/1936 was 30 and 25 for 1936/1937.
Moving on
In view of his achievements it was somewhat of a surprise when Valentine was released from the club in 1937. He played his last game for Halifax on 1 May 1937 in their 4-1 thrashing of
Crewe AlexandraCrewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
and in true fashion he signed of with 2 goals. He went on to play for
Stockport CountyStockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...
,
Accrington StanleyAccrington Stanley is an English association football club from Accrington in Lancashire, in the North West of England, who play in Football League Two, the fourth-highest division in the English football league system....
and
Doncaster RoversDoncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...
- all within 12 months of leaving
The ShayThe Shay is a multi-use sports stadium in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England near Shaw Hill. FC Halifax Town and Halifax both play their home games at the Shay....
.