The Port Vale Miscellany E-Book

Phil Sherwin

• Herausgeber: The History Press
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 190

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Beschreibung

Port Vale Football Club – the name gives no clue to its whereabouts, but this book will tell you all of the highs, lows and downright strange happenings at a club that has been in existence in the Potteries for over 150 years. - Port Vale became the first club to defeat all of the other 91 teams in league games in the main four divisions as of 2021 and have kept up the record in every season since then. - Vale fan and player Tom Pope was the leading scorer in Britain in 2012/13 with 33 goals, none of them being penalties. - Cardiff City once offered a blank cheque for winger Colin Askey, and the club turned it down! - Vale Park once held over 49,000 fans for an FA Cup tie v Aston Villa. From an FA Cup semi-final to expulsion from the league, and from four Wembley appearances to a ten-goal home defeat when the goalkeeper lost his glasses in the mud, it's all here. Recounting the record wins, defeats and attendances, the highs of classic giant-killings and the lows of going into administration, The Port Vale Miscellany is a book on the Valiants like no other, packed with facts, stats, trivia, stories and legends.

Leseprobe

First published 2010

This edition published 2025

The History Press

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Gloucestershire, GL50 3QB

www.thehistorypress.co.uk

© Phil Sherwin, 2025

The right of Phil Sherwin to be identified as the Authorof this work has been asserted in accordance with theCopyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprintedor reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic,mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented,including photocopying and recording, or in any informationstorage or retrieval system, without the permission in writingfrom the Publishers.

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ISBN 978 0 75098 394 5

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INTRODUCTION

Writing this second edition about various things that have gone on regarding Port Vale has once again been a labour of love, as it is the club I have followed for approaching sixty years. I say second edition because some of you might remember there was a Port Vale Miscellany released in 2010, but this is a new and updated version as a lot of things have happened in the intervening fifteen years. We’ve had three promotions, a trip to Wembley, an administration and Norman Smurthwaite for a start!

Of course, some things are unchanged; spoiler alert, Roy Sproson has still played the most games, John Rudge is still the greatest manager and Gareth Ainsworth is still the record sale, although only just, as revealed in these pages. The club will be 150 years old in 2026, so a lot of things have happened over that length of time, producing many anecdotes, some quirky and some funny, but all recorded as being factually correct no matter how outrageous they may seem.

The main problem has been what to leave out, as the book could have gone on for many more pages. The cut-off was the end of the 2024/25 promotion season, so if anything has happened in the intervening months that warrants inclusion, I will keep it for the next edition in fifteen years’ time!

I would like to thank Nicola Guy, Ele Palmer and The History Press for publishing the book, Port Vale FC for their permission and also for allowing it to be sold in the club store, the Sentinel newspaper as a point of reference and likewise the various books written by Jeff Kent.

This is the sort of book that anyone can pick up, read any page and then come back to it later, and I hope that everyone finds enjoyment from reading it, as I did from writing it.

Phil Sherwin, 2025

FOREWORD

I was honoured to be asked to write the foreword for this book on Port Vale, as there is no doubt that the club will always have a place in my heart. They are the club where I began my career and undoubtedly helped me to get to where I am today.

I was devastated when Stoke City released me as a youngster after I had broken my leg, but delighted to join Port Vale under the excellent tutelage of John Rudge, for whom I had the utmost respect, and still have. I always think players can be prouder when they play for their local club – which unfortunately happens less and less nowadays – but that was certainly true of myself every time I pulled on the black and white shirt of Port Vale.

I made my debut on the wing at Swindon Town in August 1982 when aged just 17, and I soon learned the tricks of the trade from experienced professionals such as Ernie Moss and Bob Newton. A few years later, Ally Brown was my mentor when I played alongside him up front, although I later settled in midfield, usually alongside Ray Walker. There were some great days at the Vale, and beating Spurs 2–1 in the FA Cup in 1988 was definitely up there with the best.

Even that was topped though a year later, when we returned to the second tier of league football after a spell of thirty-two years by beating Bristol Rovers in the final of the play-offs. We played some great stuff that season and I was lucky enough to score the winning goal. I remember a photograph afterwards of me just sitting on the floor in the players’ tunnel totally shattered and, I’m not ashamed to say, a bit tearful, too. Being a local boy, I knew exactly what it meant to the fans to get up into the Second Division and restore local derbies against Stoke City, and I’m pleased to say that I played my part.

After nine years with the Vale it was still a wrench to leave, but at that point in my career I just had to take the opportunity of playing First Division football with Wimbledon, which became the Premier League a year later. Of course, I will always follow the Vale’s results and try to get to see them whenever I can.

This book details many anecdotes about what is really one of the smaller clubs in league football, but no less important, and many of the tales will both surprise and amuse you. I hope it is as an enjoyable read for you as it was for me.

Robbie Earle MBE, 2010

IN THE BEGINNING

The actual details of the birth of Port Vale, the most romantically named club of them all, is shrouded in mystery with many different theories, but the following appears to be the most plausible.

In 1875 a group of men formed an athletic club with the main purpose of playing cricket, athletic in those days not just meaning track and field. A year later, they met again and decided to form a football club, a game that was becoming more and more popular. The meeting took place in an area known locally as Port Vale, although it wasn’t an official place on the map. Nearby was Port Vale Wharf on the canal, Port Vale Brickworks, Port Vale Street (which is still there), Port Vale Corn Mill, the Port Vale Inn, a Port Vale cricket club and the actual meeting took place near Port Vale House.

When trying to come up with a name for the club, it is said that they just took the name of the house, but there was plenty of ‘Port Vale’ to choose from round about. This area is around 2 miles from the club’s present home in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. When they moved grounds to Burslem in 1884, they changed the club’s name to Burslem Port Vale, dropping the prefix for the last time in 1907.

From humble beginnings they entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1885, became founder members of the Midland League in 1890, and were then founder members of the Football League Division Two in 1892.

HE’S THE ONE

The club’s most famous fan is singer Robbie Williams, who grew up a mere stone’s throw from Vale Park. His parents ran a pub in the centre of Burslem called the Red Lion, before his father, Pete Conway, became the licensee at the Port Vale Social Club on the Hamil Road end of the ground in the mid-1970s. Robbie naturally became a fan and was a regular at games before his musical career took over.

He often wears a Vale shirt at his concerts and in 2006 became the club’s biggest shareholder by investing £249,000, the maximum allowed at the time with a limit being set at 24.9% of the share’s sold, which were then £1 million.

Like all the other investors, Robbie lost his money when the club slipped into administration for a second time in March 2012. He did reconnect with the club after Carol and Kevin Shanahan bought it in 2019. That culminated in a homecoming concert held at Vale Park for charity in June 2022 that around 20,000 fans attended, and Robbie wore the team’s new shirt for the following season, giving a boost to sales.

In January 2024 Robbie was made Club President, a title he owns jointly with John Rudge.

THE ARRIVAL OF THE SHANAHANS

In May 2019 the club was struggling, it’s fair to say, having finished 20th in League Two the previous two seasons, the lowest position in their history. Then Carol and Kevin Shanahan, the owners of Synectic Solutions next door to the ground, bought the club from Norman Smurthwaite after protracted negotiations.

Since then the club has been transformed on and off the pitch with two promotions (OK, one relegation), and a trip to Wembley. The club was named EFL Community Club of the Year in 2021 for its work in the local community, providing free meals for those who are struggling via the Hubb Foundation.

Carol was awarded an OBE for services to the community in 2020 and in 2025 she was awarded the freedom of the city, as was the Football Club following promotion to League One.

LIGHTEN UP

When the Vale hosted Star Soccer, ITV’s Sunday afternoon highlights programme, for a Fourth Division game against Sheffield United in October 1981, a problem occurred. It was a bit of a gloomy day and so the floodlights were switched on in the second half. Gary Newbon was in charge of the outside broadcast that day and while sitting in the directors’ box with headphones on he suddenly began to go purple. He bellowed, ‘The lights no good, the lights no good, we’re losing the pictures! Someone turn the floodlights up a notch!’

Club secretary Richard Dennison dutifully scarpered out of the door and returned minutes later. ‘Is that better, Gary?’ ‘Yes, thanks, much better!’ replied Newbon.

Actually, Richard hadn’t done a thing; the lights were already as bright as they would go!

ROY OF THE ROVERS,OR SAM OF THE VALE?

If someone was to say that on their debut for a football club they saved three penalties and then scored the winner they would be laughed at, as it sounds like a story from the Roy of the Rovers comic strip. Well, it actually happened to Vale goalkeeper Sam Johnson.

In October 2012 Vale were drawn away to Walsall in the second round of the EFL Trophy, and Sam made his debut. Vale didn’t expect too much as they hadn’t won on Walsall territory for twenty-six games. The game was going to type when a penalty from Florent Cuvelier and a goal from Will Grigg put Walsall 2-0 ahead just after half-time. However, Ryan Burge and Tom Pope levelled matters at 2-2 and the game went to a penalty shoot-out. Vale had a chance to win it with the last of the regulation five each but it was saved and the drama started.

Both sides missed three in a row, then both sides scored three in a row to tie the shoot-out at 5-5 with just the goalkeepers left. Walsall’s Karl Darlow saw his kick saved by Johnson, his third save in the shoot-out, and then Sam the Man netted his penalty to send the 1,000 Vale fans wild with delight.

UNITED OVER THE VALE

What links England international knights Sir David Beckham and Sir Bobby Charlton with Port Vale? Well, Beckham made his first senior start in a Manchester United shirt at Vale Park in a Coca-Cola Cup tie in September 1994. Vale Park was also the venue for Bobby Charlton’s last ever Football League game, when he was the player-manager of Preston North End in March 1975.

HEAVY METAL HOLOCAUST

To raise much-needed club funds, the club staged a ten-hour music marathon in August 1981 called the Heavy Metal Holocaust. Bands appearing included Mahogany Rush, Triumph, Vardis, Riot and the headline act Motorhead, who were fronted by locally born Lemmy. Black Sabbath were due to appear, but pulled out late and were replaced by the Ozzy Osbourne Band, Ozzy having recently left Sabbath. Over 20,000 turned up and even many years later it was rated as one of the loudest amplifications ever at over 100,000 watts. Lemmy, real name Ian Fraser Kilminster, died in 2015, and having been born in Burslem, had a statue unveiled in his honour in May 2025. There is a blue plaque commemorating him next to the main entrance at Vale Park.

There was no trouble at the concert, and Vale made around £25,000, but after local residents had replaced their bouncing crockery and queued up to buy new eardrums, they tried to make sure that it wouldn’t happen again. It didn’t for forty-one years, until Robbie Williams staged his homecoming concert at the ground in June 2022.

NICKNAMES

In the early years the Vale were briefly known as ‘The Wanderers’ because they moved home grounds so often, but that never really stuck. Being as the other local team, Stoke, were known as ‘The Potters’ after the main local industry, a local newspaper reporter suggested that the Vale should be known as ‘The Colliers’ to reflect the large number of pits in the area, but again it never caught on.

When the club returned to the Football League in 1919 the club president, William Huntbach, had his eureka moment by decreeing that the club should be known as ‘The Valiants’ to reflect their struggle against adversity.

This one did stick, and they are known as that to this very day.

ABANDONMENTS

The first recorded instance of Vale having a match abandoned occurred in February 1885. Over 5,000 spectators were present for a friendly against West Bromwich Albion and near the end of the game, with Vale losing 3-2, the ball burst. No one else had a ball, and so the game was abandoned.

On New Year’s Day 1887, an FA Cup tie against Leek was abandoned because the pitch was deemed too dangerous! There was a game against South Shields abandoned at the Old Recreation Ground on Christmas Day 1923, when a snowstorm made conditions impossible just after half-time with the score 0-0.

Only three competitive games have ever been abandoned at Vale Park, with the first two occurring in the ground’s inaugural season, the first being in December 1950. A monster of a snowstorm left vision impossible during a league game against Plymouth Argyle and the referee had had enough with the score at 0-0 after 56 minutes. A couple of months later, in February 1951, Vale were thrashing Crystal Palace 5-1 in a Third Division (South) game, having gone 3-0 ahead after only ten minutes, but the referee called a halt to proceedings after an hour with everyone ankle deep in mud.

The player with the biggest gripe was striker Len Barber, who had scored four goals in the game! When it was replayed, two months later, the game ended 2-2.

The only other Vale Park abandonment occurred in November 1988, when the home side were 3-1 ahead against Aldershot with just 13 minutes left when the fog became too thick to see properly. Being as it was Guy Fawkes Night, there was some blame attached to locally lit bonfires. At least when this one was replayed Vale won 3-0.

There was a friendly abandonment in August 1996. A pre-season game against Wimbledon at Vale Park kicked off in a monsoon of biblical proportions and when a violent thunderstorm raged overhead the referee had understandably had enough after 33 minutes. The visitors were 1-0 ahead at the time.

PITCH INVASION

The strangest abandonment away from home was in January 2024 at Reading. There was nothing wrong with the weather but the Reading fans had been protesting for a while against owner Dai Yongge and rumours circulated in social media that the game against the Vale would be halted by a peaceful pitch invasion. The game was halted early on as tennis balls were thrown on to the pitch and after 16 minutes around 1,000 Reading supporters invaded the pitch and refused to move. Considering the rumours, there were few police on the scene to clear the fans and the few stewards seemed powerless to do anything. Over an hour later, with around forty or so fans still refusing to move, the referee abandoned the game.

As the Vale supporters chanted against the Reading owner, the two sets of fans became friendly and in the ensuing weeks Reading fans gratefully donated over £9,000 to the proposed statue for John Rudge.

PLAYED FOR BOTH SIDES

One abandonment that is missing from the above list is arguably the most significant of them all. It was a Second Division game played at Charlton Athletic on Boxing Day 1932.

The game began in a light fog, with the referee only giving the go ahead ten minutes before the kick-off and as conditions worsened the referee cancelled the half-time break and the teams turned straight round! Vale had played some great stuff and led 4-1 when the fog got even worse and the ref was forced to abandon the game in the 63rd minute. Jimmy Oakes was left back for Vale and he also played the next day as Vale defeated Charlton 2-1 in the reverse fixture at the Old Recreation Ground. (Yes, you read that right, the NEXT day!) Oakes was transferred to Charlton a month later for £3,000 and subsequently played for Charlton when the postponed game was replayed in April 1933, Vale losing 2-1. That made him the first footballer to technically play for both sides in the same league game and after extensive research this appears to be unique.

FAN, PLAYER AND RECORD SCORER

There’s only one person that could be and yes, it’s Tom Pope. Tom grew up locally as a Vale fan and went to games with his father and grandfather. He first came up against the Vale on the pitch in a pre-season friendly in July 2005, playing for Biddulph Victoria, and he scored, before Vale won 7-1. He turned professional with Crewe Alexandra and played for Rotherham before originally joining the Vale on loan in January 2011.

The move became a permanent one and in 2012/13 he was the leading scorer in the whole country with 33 goals, more impressive in that it didn’t include any penalties. Apart from two years with Bury, he remained with the Vale until being released in 2021, having achieved a host of records with the club he supports:

- Scored 115 goals (in 343 games), the second highest in the club’s history.

- Was the club’s leading scorer on five occasions, more than any other player.

- Won the supporters’ Player of the Year award three times, the only player to do so.

- Scored more goals at Vale Park than any other player: 64. Not bad for a lad from Sneyd Green!

- As of the end of the 2024/25 season he was player-manager at Kidsgrove Athletic.

WE’VE BEATEN THE LOT

Port Vale became the first team in the top four divisions (as of the 2020/21 season) to have beaten all of the other ninety-one teams in a Football League game when they won 2-0 at Harrogate Town in April 2021. It’s a moving target as two teams enter the Football League from the National League every season, and Vale have ended every campaign since then still having beaten the other 91, having defeated newcomers Sutton United and Bromley. We still keep the record for 2025/26, having already beaten promoted Barnet and Oldham Athletic. It’s a surprising achievement being as we have never played in the top division, but all the teams have dropped down the leagues at some time or other to be beaten by the mighty Vale!

TIME FOR A DUCKING

In 1910 Port Vale were not in the Football League, and played in the North Staffs and District League. They just needed a draw to win the championship in the final game of the season, but it was away to their local rivals, Stoke reserves, who themselves could take the title with a victory.

To make sure of their chances, the Vale introduced four ‘ringers’, very good amateur footballers, including a goalkeeper by the name of Leigh Richmond Roose, known as ‘Dickie’. Dickie was a flamboyant, sometimes eccentric man, who had won twenty-four international caps for Wales, and had previously played for Everton, Sunderland and, most importantly, Stoke.

This not surprisingly angered the Stoke supporters, and probably the Vale supporters as well when he played in a Stoke shirt under his goalkeeper’s jersey during the game! The crowd of over 7,000 roared their disapproval as Vale went 2-0 ahead and Roose saved all that was thrown at him. During the second half, a large section of the crowd invaded the pitch, surrounded Roose and started to push him towards the nearby River Trent. The Stoke forward, Vic Horrocks, later to rejoin the Vale, was knocked unconscious in the melee and the Stoke chairman, the Reverend Hurst, appealed for calm.

Fortunately, calm was restored before a ducking ensued but there was no alternative but to abandon the game. Roose claimed that he thought the game was a friendly and not a competitive fixture! The Staffs FA ordered the game to be replayed, but Vale refused and the championship was left unfilled, with Stoke having to close their ground for a fortnight.

Dickie went on to play for Huddersfield, Aston Villa and Arsenal. During the First World War he enlisted in the army, and was killed at the Battle of the Somme in 1916.

PENALTY KING

The most successful Port Vale player from the penalty spot was striker Andy Jones, who managed twenty from a possible twenty-three attempts between January 1986 and September 1987. He took over the spot kick duties after Paul Maguire had missed a couple on the trot.

Not surprisingly, Jones holds the record for scoring penalties in a season as well, netting twelve in the 1986/87 campaign, when he also missed three!

THE ONES THAT GOT AWAY

During the reign of Sir Stanley Matthews between 1965 and 1968 Port Vale put their future very much in the hands of a youth policy and had many trialists, particularly from the North-East and Scotland. Sir Stan told one young lad by the name of Ray Kennedy that he was to be released just after his sixteenth birthday in 1967 as he was ‘too slow to be a footballer’.

Crestfallen, he returned to his native North-East and worked in a sweet factory, but a year later he was signed by Arsenal. During a career with the Gunners and later Liverpool, he became one of the most decorated players in the game!

Another young North-Easterner by the name of Brian Little had a short trial in the late 1960s and he too was rejected before joining Aston Villa.

YOUNG BOYS OF BURSLEM

Football traditionally used to be played with five forwards in a team: two wingers, two inside forwards and a centre forward. Before the style disappeared in the early 1970s, Vale went down in history as fielding the youngest ever forward line for a game at Bradford City in January 1966.