Wilf Kirkham
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Wilfred Thomas Kirkham | ||
| Date of birth | 26 November 1901 | ||
| Place of birth | Cobridge, Stoke-on-Trent, England | ||
| Date of death | 20 October 1974 (aged 72) | ||
| Place of death | Bournemouth, England | ||
| Playing position | Centre-forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Cobridge Church | |||
| Congleton Town | |||
| 1920–1923 | Port Vale | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1923–1929 | Port Vale | 211 | (134) |
| 1929–1932 | Stoke City | 51 | (30) |
| 1932–1933 | Port Vale | 49 | (19) |
| Total | 311 | (183) | |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Wilfred Thomas Kirkham (26 November 1901 – 20 October 1974) was an English football player who holds four goalscoring records at Port Vale. His 153 league goals and 164 goals in all competitions are both records, as his tally of 38 goals in the 1926–27 season and his total tally of 13 competitive hat-tricks. A cousin of Tom Holford, he was noted for his "Kirkham Special" hook shots, intelligent football and prolific scoring record.
After spending time with Cobridge Church and Congleton Town, he graduated as a teacher. Splitting his time between teaching and playing football, he turned professional with Port Vale in 1923. After six prolific seasons with the "Valiants", he was sold on to rivals Stoke City for a £2,800 fee after the Vale suffered relegation out of the Second Division. He scored 30 goals in 51 games for the "Potters", before returning to Port Vale in January 1932, who had now regained their Second Division status. He added 19 goals in 51 appearances, before announcing his retirement in summer 1933. His combined tally in his ten years at both Stoke-on-Trent clubs is 194 goals in 327 games. He later advanced his teaching career when he became a headmaster.
Kirkham was born in Cobridge, Stoke-on-Trent, and progressed from a promising schoolboy footballer through Cobridge Church and Congleton Town, before heading to Sheffield to go through teacher training. Upon his return numerous clubs approached him, but Kirkham chose local side Port Vale.
He turned professional in 1923, making his debut on 27 October at Elland Road in 3–0 defeat by Leeds United. He scored his first senior goal on 19 January 1924, in a 3–1 win over Coventry City at Highfield Road. On 8 March, he scored twice in a 3–1 win over Fulham at The Old Recreation Ground. He went on to finish the 1923–24 season with seven goals in 21 Second Division games.
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