Alfred Valentine "Val or Vic" Rouse (14 February 1897 – 1961) was an English footballer who played for Crewe Alexandra, Port Vale, Stoke, Swansea Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers and was described as a 'gentleman' player.[1]
 Rouse in 1928 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alfred Valentine Rouse[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 14 February 1897[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Hoddesdon, England[1] | ||
| Date of death | 1961 (aged 63–64)[1] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1.74 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Left half | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Llanelly | |||
| Pontypridd | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1921–1922 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 5 | (0) |
| 1922–1926 | Stoke | 92 | (2) |
| 1926 | Swansea Town | 4 | (0) |
| 1926–1929 | Port Vale | 95 | (0) |
| 1929–1931 | Crewe Alexandra | 83 | (1) |
| Connah's Quay & Shotton | |||
| Total | 279 | (3) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
Rouse was born in Hoddesdon and played for Welsh sides Llanelly and Pontypridd before joining Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1921.[1] He played five Second Division games for "Wolves" in the 1921–22 campaign, before joining First Division club Stoke in August 1922.[1] He played in 38 matches in 1922–23 as Stoke suffered relegation back to the Second Division.[1] Manager Tom Mather kept faith with Rouse at left-half in 1923–24, and made him captain for the 1924–25 campaign. He scored his first senior goal in a 1–1 draw with Barnsley at the Victoria Ground on 1 November 1924. Despite possessing a strong squad, overall performances on the pitch were below standard, and the team went 12 matches without a win (1 January 1925 to 21 March 1925) and was almost relegated.[1] Four wins and three draws in their last eight matches ensured survival by the narrowest of margins, a single point.[1] Rouse was sold to Swansea Town but featured just four times for the "Swans" in 1925–26. He left Vetch Field and joined Port Vale in June 1926.[3] He played 29 Second Division matches in the 1926–27 season and then 39 league games in the 1927–28 season, as Vale posted top ten finishes. However, he lost his first-team place at The Old Recreation Ground in February 1929 and was given a free transfer in May 1929. He spent the 1929–30 and 1930–31 seasons in the Third Division North with Crewe Alexandra, before joining Connah's Quay & Shotton.
Career statistics
Source:[4]
| Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1921–22 | Second Division | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Stoke | 1922–23 | First Division | 37 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 0 |
| 1923–24 | Second Division | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 0 | |
| 1924–25 | Second Division | 31 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 2 | |
| Total | 92 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 95 | 2 | ||
| Swansea Town | 1925–26 | Second Division | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Port Vale | 1926–27 | Second Division | 29 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| 1927–28 | Second Division | 38 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 41 | 0 | |
| 1928–29 | Second Division | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 0 | |
| Total | 95 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 102 | 0 | ||
| Crewe Alexandra | 1929–30 | Third Division North | 42 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 0 |
| 1930–31 | Third Division North | 41 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 1 | |
| Total | 83 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 87 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 279 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 293 | 3 | ||