Selwyn Whalley
Encyclopedia
Selwyn Davies Whalley is a former English
footballer. He was a one club man with a fifteen year career at Port Vale
.
, Stoke-on-Trent
, and grew up supporting Port Vale
. He joined his boyhood club as a professional in August 1953, he made his debut at right-half in a 3–2 defeat by Bristol Rovers
on 13 April 1957 at Vale Park
. However after taking up a teaching
position in September 1957 his opportunities were limited. An example of this was on Monday 8 September 1958 when he played in the 5-0 win at Hartlepool United
, arriving back the next morning just in time to start his first class at Hanley High School. He was a first team regular from August 1961 to April 1962 and April 1963 to September 1964. After 196 appearances (178 in the Football League
) and 8 goals (7 league and 1 FA Cup
) he retired in May 1966 due to a foot injury.
. He was survived by wife Lesley, son Martyn, daughters Joanne and Philippa and grandson Daniel. He died days apart from former teammate Ken Griffiths
.
|1953–54
||Port Vale
||Third Division North
||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|1954–55
||Port Vale
||Second Division
||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|1955–56
||Port Vale
||Second Division
||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|1956–57
||Port Vale
||Second Division
||6||0||0||0||0||0||6||0
|-
|1957–58
||Port Vale
||Third Division South
||13||1||0||0||0||0||13||1
|-
|1958–59
||Port Vale
||Fourth Division
||11||0||0||0||0||0||11||0
|-
|1959–60
||Port Vale
||Third Division
||12||2||0||0||0||0||13||2
|-
|1960–61
||Port Vale
||Third Division
||13||3||0||0||0||0||14||3
|-
|1961–62
||Port Vale
||Third Division
||40||1||7||0||1||0||48||1
|-
|1962–63
||Port Vale
||Third Division
||20||0||1||0||0||0||21||0
|-
|1963–64
||Port Vale
||Third Division
||41||0||5||1||1||0||47||1
|-
|1964–65
||Port Vale
||Third Division
||15||0||1||0||0||0||16||0
|-
|1965–66
||Port Vale
||Fourth Division
||7||0||0||0||0||0||7||0
|-
178||7||14||1||2||0||196||8
178||7||14||1||2||0||196||8
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
footballer. He was a one club man with a fifteen year career at Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
.
Playing career
Whalley was born in TunstallTunstall, Staffordshire
Tunstall is an area in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. It was one of the original six towns that federated to form the city. Tunstall is the most northern town of the city of Stoke-on-Trent....
, Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
, and grew up supporting Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
. He joined his boyhood club as a professional in August 1953, he made his debut at right-half in a 3–2 defeat by Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
on 13 April 1957 at Vale Park
Vale Park
Vale Park is a football stadium in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England. It is the home ground of Port Vale F.C., who have played at the ground since 1950....
. However after taking up a teaching
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
position in September 1957 his opportunities were limited. An example of this was on Monday 8 September 1958 when he played in the 5-0 win at Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool 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...
, arriving back the next morning just in time to start his first class at Hanley High School. He was a first team regular from August 1961 to April 1962 and April 1963 to September 1964. After 196 appearances (178 in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
) and 8 goals (7 league and 1 FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
) he retired in May 1966 due to a foot injury.
Death
Whalley died on on 8 August 2008, at the age of 74, following an 18-month battle against prostate cancerProstate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
. He was survived by wife Lesley, son Martyn, daughters Joanne and Philippa and grandson Daniel. He died days apart from former teammate Ken Griffiths
Ken Griffiths
Kenneth James Griffiths is an English former football forward. He scored 59 goals in 221 games in the Football League....
.
Statistics
|-|1953–54
1953–54 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1953–54 season was Port Vale's forty-second season of football in the Football League, and their second season back in the Third Division North. Quite possibly the greatest season in the club's history, Freddie Steele's side were crowned Third Division North champions with 69 points out of a...
||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
||Third Division North
Football League Third Division North
The Third Division North of The Football League was a tier in the English association football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran parallel to Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to one or the other according to geographical position...
||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|1954–55
1954–55 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1954–55 season was Port Vale's forty-third season of football in the Football League, and their first season back in the Second Division following their promotion from the Third Division North...
||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
||Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|1955–56
1955–56 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1955–56 season was Port Vale's forty-fourth season of football in the Football League, and their second successive season in the Second Division. Gaining ten points on their previous season's total, the club progressed well, achieving their best finish since 1933–34...
||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
||Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|1956–57
1956–57 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1956–57 season was Port Vale's forty-fifth season of football in the Football League, and their third successive season in the Second Division. An unmitigated disaster from start to finish, they were relegated in bottom place with just 22 points from 42 games...
||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
||Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
||6||0||0||0||0||0||6||0
|-
|1957–58
1957–58 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1957–58 season was Port Vale's forty-sixth season of football in the Football League, and their first full season back in the Third Division South following their relegation from the Second Division...
||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
||Third Division South
Football League Third Division South
The Football League Third Division South was a level of English professional football which ran in parallel to Third Division North from 1921 to 1958....
||13||1||0||0||0||0||13||1
|-
|1958–59
1958–59 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1958–59 season was Port Vale's forty-seventh season of football in the Football League, and their first season in the newly created Fourth Division following their relegation from the Third Division South. They scored a club-record 110 goals in 46 league matches to storm to the Fourth Division...
||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
||Fourth Division
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
||11||0||0||0||0||0||11||0
|-
|1959–60
1959–60 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1958–59 season was Port Vale's forty-eighth season of football in the Football League, and their first season in the Third Division following their promotion from the Fourth Division. Progressing to the Fifth Round of the FA Cup, there they set a Vale Park and club-record attendance of 49,768,...
||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
||Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
||12||2||0||0||0||0||13||2
|-
|1960–61
1960–61 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1960–61 season was Port Vale's forty-ninth season of football in the Football League, and their second season in the Third Division. Aiming for promotion, the club were disappointed with their eventual seventh place finish. The first season of the League Cup ended for Vale at the Second Round,...
||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
||Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
||13||3||0||0||0||0||14||3
|-
|1961–62
1961–62 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1961–62 season was Port Vale's fiftieth season of football in the Football League, and their third season in the Third Division. The season was most notable for the win over Sunderland in the FA Cup, which followed a goalless draw at Roker Park in which the Vale defence prevented Brian Clough...
||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
||Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
||40||1||7||0||1||0||48||1
|-
|1962–63
1962–63 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1962–63 season was Port Vale's fifty-first season of football in the Football League, and their fourth season in the Third Division. An impressive season saw them finish in third position, one away from promotion. However promotions for both their rivals Stoke City and Crewe Alexandra meant...
||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
||Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
||20||0||1||0||0||0||21||0
|-
|1963–64
1963–64 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1963–64 season was Port Vale's fifty-second season of football in the Football League, and their fifth season in the Third Division. Freddie Steele spent big on transfers, bringing in players such as Billy Bingham, Albert Cheesebrough, and Jackie Mudie. However it was a disappointing season in...
||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
||Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
||41||0||5||1||1||0||47||1
|-
|1964–65
1964–65 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1964–65 season was Port Vale's fifty-third season of football in the Football League, and their sixth season in the Third Division. They went on a club record streak of 13 home games without a clean sheet from 26 September to 15 March...
||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
||Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
||15||0||1||0||0||0||16||0
|-
|1965–66
1965–66 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1965–66 season was Port Vale's fifty-fourth season of football in the Football League, and their first season back in the Fourth Division following their relegation from the Third Division. For the first time in their Football League history they played three divisions below rivals Stoke City...
||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
||Fourth Division
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
||7||0||0||0||0||0||7||0
|-
178||7||14||1||2||0||196||8
178||7||14||1||2||0||196||8