History Of Port Vale F.C.
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Port Vale Football Club Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in , the third tier of the English football league system. Vale are named after the valley of ports on the Trent and Mersey Canal ...
, an English association football club based in
Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England. It has an estimated population of 259,965 as of 2022, making it the largest settlement in Staffordshire ...
, began with the formation of the club, which is officially dated in 1876. However, later research has shown this event probably took place in 1879. In 1884, the club moved to the town of
Burslem Burslem ( ) is one of the six towns that along with Hanley, Staffordshire, Hanley, Tunstall, Staffordshire, Tunstall, Fenton, Staffordshire, Fenton, Longton, Staffordshire, Longton and Stoke-upon-Trent form part of the city of Stoke-on-Trent in ...
(which is located within the city of Stoke-on-Trent, just as
Stoke-upon-Trent Stoke-upon-Trent, also known as Stoke, is one of the six towns that along with Hanley, Staffordshire, Hanley, Burslem, Fenton, Staffordshire, Fenton, Longton, Staffordshire, Longton and Tunstall, Staffordshire, Tunstall form the city of Stoke-o ...
and four other towns), changing their name to Burslem Port Vale in the process. The club joined the
Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third tier ...
upon its formation in 1892 and spent 13 non-consecutive seasons in the division, punctuated by two seasons in the
Midland League The Midland Football League, officially known as the Capelli Sport Midland Football League since January 2025 for sponsorship reasons, is an English football league that was founded in 2014 by the merger of the former Midland Alliance and Midl ...
(1896–97 and 1897–98). A financial crisis resulted in the club's liquidation in 1907. However, the name of Port Vale F.C. survived as North Staffordshire Federation League side Cobridge Church took on the name and moved into the
Old Recreation Ground The Old Recreation Ground was a football stadium located in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, England, and home to Port Vale F.C. from 1913 to 1950. It was the sixth ground the club used. Structure and facilities The stadium was in rather bad conditi ...
in
Hanley Hanley is one of the Federation of Stoke-on-Trent, six towns that, along with Burslem, Longton, Staffordshire, Longton, Fenton, Staffordshire, Fenton, Tunstall, Staffordshire, Tunstall and Stoke-upon-Trent, amalgamated to form the City of Stoke- ...
, before progressing through the divisions to win re-election to the Football League in October 1919. They spent 16 non-consecutive seasons in the Second Division, punctuated by them winning the
Third Division North The Third Division North of the Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to ...
title in 1929–30; they won the division despite having sold club record goalscorer
Wilf Kirkham Wilfred Thomas Kirkham (26 November 1901 – 20 October 1974) was an English footballer who holds four goalscoring records at Port Vale. His 153 league goals and 164 goals in all competitions are both records, as are his tally of 38 goals in t ...
. The club then moved to
Vale Park Vale Park is a football stadium in the area of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, and it has been the home ground of Port Vale Football Club since its opening in 1950. It has a current capacity of 15,695, and was renovated durin ...
in 1950 after being forced to sell the Old Recreation Ground to pay off a debt. During the 1953–54 season, Vale secured the Third Division North title and a semi-final place in the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
with manager
Freddie Steele Freddie Steele (December 18, 1912 – August 22, 1984) was a boxer and film actor born Frederick Earle Burgett in Seattle, Washington. He was recognized as the National Boxing Association (NBA) Middleweight Champion of the World between 1936 ...
's "Iron Curtain" defence. After a brief decline, new manager
Norman Low Norman Harvey Low (23 March 1914 – 21 May 1994) was a Scottish football player and manager. He was the son of Scottish international footballer, Wilf Low. A central defender, he played for Newcastle United between 1931 and 1933, before three ...
led the Vale to the Fourth Division title in 1958–59. However, the 1960s proved to be a tough decade, particularly in 1968 after
Stanley Matthews Sir Stanley Matthews (1 February 1915 – 23 February 2000) was an English Association football, footballer who played as an Forward (association football)#Outside forward, outside right. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the Br ...
resigned as
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
and the club was forced to apply for re-election to the Football League after illegal payments were made to players. New manager Gordon Lee then masterminded
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in 1969–70, and the Vale would spend most of the 1970s in the third tier until
relegation Promotion and relegation is used by sports leagues as a process where teams can move up and down among divisions in a league system, based on their performance over a season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are sometimes call ...
in 1977–78. They were promoted again in 1982–83 before returning to the basement division immediately.
John Rudge John Robert Rudge (born 21 October 1944) is an English former professional football player and manager who is the president of club Port Vale. Rudge began his playing career at Huddersfield Town in November 1961, but made little impact at t ...
was appointed as manager in December 1983 and would remain in the post for the next 16 years. Overseeing a golden period for the club, Vale won promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1985–86 and into the second tier following promotions from the third tier in 1988–89 and 1993–94. They also won the
Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and U-21 teams from the Premier Le ...
in
1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
. His reign ended in January 1999, and the club entered a decline, slipping into the fourth tier whilst twice entering
administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal: the process of dealing with or controlling things or people. ** Administrative assistant, traditionally known as a se ...
in 2003 and 2012 after the chairmanships of first Bill Bell and then
Bill Bratt William Amos Bratt MBE (born 1945) is an English insurance broker and former football club chairman who was the chair of Port Vale from 2003 to 2011. After decades working in the insurance industry, Bratt turned his attention to his hometown, P ...
ended in crises.
Norman Smurthwaite Norman Smurthwaite (born 8 August 1960) is an English businessman and former football club chairman. He qualified as an engineer and built a business career and property portfolio before retiring at the age of 50. He took over as chairman of Por ...
took the club out of administration in 2012 and manager
Micky Adams Michael Richard Adams (born 8 November 1961) is an English former professional association football, footballer and football Manager (association football), manager. As a player, he was a Full-back (football), full back, and made a total of 43 ...
achieved automatic promotion from League Two in the
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season, though they were relegated back into League Two at the end of the 2016–17 season after a failed experiment with a continental staff and playing style.
Carol Shanahan Carol Ann Shanahan (born 27 December 1957) is an English businesswoman and club chairperson of Port Vale F.C., Port Vale Football Club. Business career Shanahan was born in December 1957 in Skegness. She moved to West Bromwich at the age of six ...
bought the club in 2019 and manager
Darrell Clarke Darrell James Clarke (born 16 December 1977) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who played in the English Football League. He is the head coach of club Bristol Rovers ...
secured promotion out of the League Two
play-offs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
at the end of the 2021–22 season. Vale were relegated again at the end of the 2023–24 season, though they secured an immediate promotion in 2024–25.


1876 or 1879: Founding

The precise details of the club's founding are not known. A Port Vale cricket club were in existence in 1874, which may or may not have had any relation to the football club. It had been thought that Port Vale were formed during an 1876 meeting at Port Vale House, from where the club was supposed to have taken its name. However, no evidence of such a named
public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...
ever came to light. However, comprehensive research by historian
Jeff Kent Jeffrey Franklin Kent (born March 7, 1968) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1992 to 2008 for the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, San Franci ...
indicated that the club was probably formed in 1879 as an offshoot of the Porthill Victoria football club and took its name from its location in the valley of canal ports.''The Valiants' Years: The Story of Port Vale,'' , 1990, pages 4–13, ''The Port Vale Record 1879–1993,'' , 1993, page 4, and ''What If There Had Been No Port in the Vale?: Startling Port Vale Stories,'' , pages 18–33, all by Kent, Jeff. Evidence supporting this came from Vale chairman Robert Audley writing that the club was "an organisation of twenty-eight years standing" in 1907. Also, John Hood and an 'E.Hood' were recorded as scoring goals for Porthill Victoria on 4 January 1879, which seems to have disbanded at the end of that season. The 1879 theory suggests that Porthill Victoria players broke away to found Port Vale in 1879, having tired of travelling up the hill to Wolstanton from their workplaces to play their football. Before 1926, the occasional mentions in print of the club's founding had given the year of formation as 1879, and most of the founders would not have reached adulthood by 1876.''What If There Had Been No Port in the Vale?: Startling Port Vale Stories!'' (Witan Books, 2011, ) However, the January 1926 50-year jubilee celebrations saw the 1876 date firmly established as the year of the club's founding; it is unknown what convinced the organizers at the time that the date was correct. To add to the confusion, local newspaper '' The Sentinel'' also printed 1879 as the club's founding date on 10 March 1928 and 24 August 1931, despite reporting on the jubilee celebrations in January 1926. Another theory on the club's origins is that Port Vale was formed from a merger of Wolstanton, Middleport and Burslem St. Paul's, but little evidence supports it. A further theory is that Port Vale were originally a brickworks team, mainly based on the existence of bricks with "Burslem Port Vale" and "Port Vale" marked upon them. However, these names appear to indicate their place of manufacture (in Port Vale, the valley of ports) and often have a company name upon them, so there is no hard evidence to link them to the football club. The unique name of Port Vale has attracted interest and debate. The players lived near Port Vale Wharf, Port Vale Street, Port Vale Corn Mills and Port Vale House. Also, with nearby Porthill Victoria having played upon a hill, the team of the valley below meant that the name Port Vale was "a rather natural choice." Another theory was that the name came from a shortening of 'Longport Vale'.


1879–1907: Early years

The club played football at Limekiln Lane, Longport. From 1880 at Westport, paying £1 for the use of Westport Meadows. The 1851 Ordnance Survey Map of Longport clearly shows the Port Vale Wharf and the adjacent Longport Lime Kilns, including the eponymous lane. Under its founder Enoch Hood, the club rose rapidly above the dozen or so other local Burslem clubs to become the strongest club in the town within a few years. Already in 1880, the club had a
reserve team In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players who are under contract to a club but who do not regularly play in matches for the club's primary team. Reserve teams usually include players who are part of the larger first-team squad but ...
and managed to attract the best players from their local rivals. They began to charge admission to their games and joined the Staffordshire Football Association on 6 September 1882. The first recorded line-up was on 9 December 1882 in a
Staffordshire Senior Cup The Staffordshire Senior Challenge Cup is a football cup tournament based in the county of Staffordshire in England first competed for in 1877–78 (then under Sheffield Rules. Organised by the Staffordshire Football Association, it is competed ...
second round replay at
Stoke Stoke may refer to: Places Canada * Stoke, Quebec New Zealand * Stoke, New Zealand United Kingdom Berkshire * Stoke Row Bristol * Stoke Bishop * Stoke Gifford * Bradley Stoke * Little Stoke * Harry Stoke * Stoke Lodge Bucking ...
. The match finished 5–1 to Stoke, with Enoch Hood scoring Vale's goal. On 2 February 1884, the club annihilated Middlewich 16–0 in a friendly. Later in the month, Billy Poulson and
Charlie Simpson Charles Robert Simpson (born 7 June 1985) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician from Suffolk. He is a member of the pop punk band Busted (band), Busted and the rock band Fightstar. AllMusic has noted that Simpson is "perhaps the only p ...
were selected to represent Staffordshire. The Sentinel wrote of "our two local champions – Stoke and Port Vale". From that point on, it was these two clubs that defined football in
the Potteries The Staffordshire Potteries is the industrial area encompassing the six towns Burslem, Fenton, Staffordshire, Fenton, Hanley, Staffordshire, Hanley, Longton, Staffordshire, Longton, Tunstall, Staffordshire, Tunstall and Stoke-upon-Trent, Stoke ( ...
. The club moved to
Burslem Burslem ( ) is one of the six towns that along with Hanley, Staffordshire, Hanley, Tunstall, Staffordshire, Tunstall, Fenton, Staffordshire, Fenton, Longton, Staffordshire, Longton and Stoke-upon-Trent form part of the city of Stoke-on-Trent in ...
in 1884, playing on a new ground constructed at Moorland Road. The first game at the ground was a 6–0 thrashing of Everton. Not long after the club changed its name to Burslem Port Vale. In the summer of 1885, the club moved into the Athletic Ground and started to pay their players regular wages. In
1888 Events January * January 3 – The great telescope (with an objective lens of diameter) at Lick Observatory in California is first used. * January 12 – The Schoolhouse Blizzard hits Dakota Territory and the states of Montana, M ...
, the club failed to gain inclusion for the founding of the
English Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
; rivals Stoke were one of the twelve founders. Instead, Vale joined The Second Combination, a league that lasted just one season. Their poor showing in that league meant they were not invited to join the new and short-lived
Football Alliance The Football Alliance was an association football league in England which ran for three seasons, from 1889–90 to 1891–92. History In 1888, the same year the Football League was founded, The Combination was established by clubs who had been ...
. Progress was made, however, as the club hired their first professional trainer – Joey Law, from
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
. In 1890, the club became founder members of the
Midland League The Midland Football League, officially known as the Capelli Sport Midland Football League since January 2025 for sponsorship reasons, is an English football league that was founded in 2014 by the merger of the former Midland Alliance and Midl ...
, where they played two seasons of football. A third-place finish in 1891–92 was enough to win them election to the new
Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third tier ...
in 1892. The club suffered greatly from the death of star striker Frank McGinnes. On 10 December 1892, they played in a
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, and lost 10–0 at home to
Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...
. This remains a Football League record. Vale finished eleventh out of twelve but won re-election to the league. The team fared poorly in the league for the following three seasons and failed to win re-election at the end of 1895–96. This resulted in another two seasons in the Midland League. They fared poorly, but as the Football League expanded for the 1898–99 season, Port Vale were re-elected – this came mostly thanks to their FA Cup victory over eventual
First Division 1st Division or First Division may refer to: Military Airborne divisions *1st Parachute Division (Germany) *1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom) * 1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine) * 1st Guards Airborne Division Armoured divisions *1st Armoure ...
champions Sheffield United. The club's financial troubles were not solved by their league status, they suffered indifference in the league the cup competitions for several seasons.
Adrian Capes Adrian Capes (18 April 1873 – 29 September 1955), was an English footballer. A forward, he scored a total of 135 goals in 340 league and FA Cup games in a 17-year career with Nottingham Forest, Burton Wanderers, Burton Swifts, Burslem Port ...
was top scorer for four consecutive seasons and was a rare bright light. The club survived by selling their top players (including Copes), going on cup runs and cutting costs wherever possible. The club resigned from the league on 14 June 1907. An appeal for supporters to prop the club up with donations failed; the directors did not believe the club to be viable "in any shape or form". Stoke and
Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...
took on most of the now-unemployed players.


1907–1919: Years in the wilderness

Burslem Port Vale was awaiting liquidation and was no longer in operation; it eventually wound up in 1909. The club's history would have ended at this point had it not been for an unexpected twist. North Staffordshire Church League champions Cobridge Church were accepted into the North Staffordshire Federation League, which was still a minor league. Joint-secretaries Millward and E.C.Brundrett had very big ambitions however. In 1907, they sought permission from
the Football Association The Football Association (the FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest footb ...
to change the club's name to Port Vale and bought the old club's ground (the Athletic Ground). To signify their roots they renamed their reserve side to Cobridge Church. Port Vale were now playing teams such as Leek United, Newchapel United and Ashwood Villa. However, their fifth-placed finish encouraged the club to apply successfully for North Staffordshire & District League membership. Financial pressures soon affected the lowly club, and in December 1908, former Vale player Sam Bennion led a buy-out consortium. Former players Adrian Copes, Bert Eardley and
Harry Croxton Harry Clement Croxton (February 1880 – February 1965) was an English footballer who played as a half-back. He made 206 appearances (116 in the Football League) and scored 11 times (7 in the football league) for Burslem Port Vale in two spel ...
were re-signed and the future looked bright. In 1909–10, the club won the North Staffordshire & District League but lost key players such as
Joe Brough Joseph Brough (9 November 1886 – 5 October 1968) was an English footballer. He was also an accomplished cycler and sprinter. Able to play at half-back or as a forward, he began his professional career with Burslem Port Vale in February 190 ...
(to
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
), Billy Cavenor (to
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
) and Bert Eardley (to Glossop). On 21 July 1911, the club re-organised, with J.H. Edwards elected chairman. The club also stepped up to the Central League. Facing another financial crisis, coupled with numerous issues with their Cobridge Ground, Vale transferred to the
Old Recreation Ground The Old Recreation Ground was a football stadium located in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, England, and home to Port Vale F.C. from 1913 to 1950. It was the sixth ground the club used. Structure and facilities The stadium was in rather bad conditi ...
in 1912, moving from Burslem to
Hanley Hanley is one of the Federation of Stoke-on-Trent, six towns that, along with Burslem, Longton, Staffordshire, Longton, Fenton, Staffordshire, Fenton, Tunstall, Staffordshire, Tunstall and Stoke-upon-Trent, amalgamated to form the City of Stoke- ...
. This allowed the club to host over 10,000 spectators regularly. At the end of the 1913–14 season, Vale agreed to stand down for re-election to the Football League, so that their stronger rivals Stoke would have a stronger chance of gaining re-election. It was understood that this favour would one day be repaid. In the meantime, former Stoke veteran and former England international
Tom Holford Thomas Holford (22 February 1878 – 6 April 1964) was an English association football, footballer who played for Stoke City F.C., Stoke, Manchester City F.C., Manchester City, Port Vale F.C., Port Vale and the England national football team, ...
was appointed as
player-manager A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...
. The club ceased activities in 1914–15 in order not to hinder the
war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
effort. During the war Frank Cannon was killed and Alf Smith was seriously wounded. In March 1919, the club failed to win re-election. However, they returned to the Football League in October 1919, taking over the fixture list of
Leeds City Leeds City Football Club was the leading professional club in Leeds, England, before the First World War. The club was highly successful in the wartime football league; however, it faced sanction for paying its players during wartime which had b ...
in the Second Division, who were disbanded because of financial irregularities.


1919–1929: Back with the big boys

The club began to take their familiar shape during this period. Around November 1920, club chairman Frank Huntbach came up with the nickname "the Valiants". In 1921 the club adopted their familiar white and black strip after having experimented with numerous colours, including; plain red, gold and black stripes,
claret Bordeaux wine (; ) is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France, around the city of Bordeaux, on the Garonne River. To the north of the city, the Dordogne River joins the Garonne forming the broad estuary called the Gironde; the Gir ...
and blue and even during 1898–1902 playing in the red and white stripes now used by rivals Stoke City for the past 100 years. However, the kit soon changed to plain red shirts with white shorts in 1923, a look which lasted until 1934, when the white shirt, black shorts and socks kit once again was adopted. In February 1921, top striker Bobby Blood was sold to
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
for an unprecedented £4,000. A January 1922 signing of Wales international
goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...
Teddy Peers Edward John Peers (31 December 1886 – 20 September 1935) was a Wales international football goalkeeper. He won 12 caps for Wales and spent 1911 to 1921 at Wolverhampton Wanderers and then from January 1922 to May 1923 at Port Vale. Caree ...
from
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
meant the club now saw one of its current players
capped In sport, a cap is a player's appearance in a game at international level. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of rugby football and association football. In the e ...
at international level for the first time. However, the club soon went into financial trouble again. In June 1923, former trainer Billy Barr reported the club to the FA for making illegal payments to its players. Found guilty, the club was punished with a £100 fine, with around £150 being fined to various officials and players. On 11 November 1923, Tom Butler died in hospital after sustaining injuries on the pitch. The cash-strapped club arranged a benefit fund; Stoke and numerous other clubs raised a total of £700 for the man's widow.
Wilf Kirkham Wilfred Thomas Kirkham (26 November 1901 – 20 October 1974) was an English footballer who holds four goalscoring records at Port Vale. His 153 league goals and 164 goals in all competitions are both records, as are his tally of 38 goals in t ...
was the club's top scorer in 1924–25 with 33 goals. He would be the club's top scorer for the next three seasons. On 16 April 1926, the club's directors agreed to amalgamate with rivals Stoke City. Citing reducing gates and a history of financial trouble, the club's hierarchy felt the merger was for the best. Vale's supporters were far from keen on the proposal and threatened to start their own club if the merger went ahead. As it happened, Stoke were
relegated Promotion and relegation is used by sports leagues as a process where teams can move up and down among divisions in a league system, based on their performance over a season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are sometimes call ...
in 1925–26, leaving Vale in the Second Division and Stoke in the Third Division (North). On 19 May, Stoke decided against the proposal and the four Vale directors, including the chairman, who had come up with the plan, tendered their resignations. In the summer of 1927, the club debated moving back to Cobridge, building a 50,000 capacity stadium. However, with the city council having a first option on repurchasing The Old Recreation Ground and offering a mere £20,000, the plan was killed. At the end of the 1928–29 season the club were relegated to the
Third Division North The Third Division North of the Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to ...
for the first time in their history. To make matters even more grim, goal machine Kirkham was sold to rivals Stoke, though the £2,800 fee was of some comfort.


1929–1939: Pre-war ups and downs

In 1929–30, only the two champions of the Third Divisions (North and South) would be promoted. The sale of Kirkham allowed for the strengthening of the team in other areas, though their talisman would still be missed. On 29 September 1929,
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
Joe Schofield died, with Vale top of the league. Reserve team
coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...
Tom Morgan Tom Morgan may refer to: Sports * Tom Morgan (rugby union) (1866–1899), Wales international rugby union player * Tom Morgan (footballer), football (soccer) manager with Wrexham and Port Vale * Tom Morgan (baseball) (1930–1987), American basebal ...
was put in charge of first-team affairs. The club's terrific form continued, and they finished the season as champions on 67 points. Their 37 goals conceded was the strongest defensive record in all four divisions. The 1930–31 was among the strongest in the club's history. A fifth-place finish in the second tier was achieved mostly thanks to a solid defence. At the end of the season, the club profited from a mini-tour of the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
, where they recorded two victories over the Dutch Southern XI and a team of international reserves. However, a loss of £800 was made on the season. Top-scorer for two seasons running,
Sam Jennings Samuel Jennings (26 December 1898 – 21 August 1944) was an English footballer and football manager. A tall player, he was a goal-scoring centre-forward, with a ratio of a goal every two games. After playing for various amateur sides, he joi ...
was transferred to
Stockport County Stockport County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in EFL League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton ...
; age was quickly catching up with the veteran striker. Jennings was one of many moved on or sold; Phil Griffiths was also moved on, sold to Everton for £6,000. The new team fared poorly and were skirting the bottom of the division by Christmas time. A major boost came, therefore, with the re-signing of Wilf Kirkham from Stoke City in January. They finished the season in 20th position, escaping relegation only on goal average. The team was reshuffled to fare better in 1932–33. The club said goodbye to long-serving custodian Bob Connelly and former England international and Villa legend
Dicky York Richard Ernest York (25 April 1899 – 9 December 1969), known as Dicky York (also spelled Dickie York), was an English footballer, who in addition to a long club career with Aston Villa in the Football League appeared twice for the England nat ...
. Manager
Tom Morgan Tom Morgan may refer to: Sports * Tom Morgan (rugby union) (1866–1899), Wales international rugby union player * Tom Morgan (footballer), football (soccer) manager with Wrexham and Port Vale * Tom Morgan (baseball) (1930–1987), American basebal ...
was also replaced, with former manager
Tom Holford Thomas Holford (22 February 1878 – 6 April 1964) was an English association football, footballer who played for Stoke City F.C., Stoke, Manchester City F.C., Manchester City, Port Vale F.C., Port Vale and the England national football team, ...
reinstated. However, the club again narrowly avoided relegation and had little cause for celebration, though a profit was made financially. The club had a clearout again. Under-performers, such as Kirkham, were let go and chose to pursue a career in education rather than football. The club had a strong 1933–34 on the pitch, finishing in eight place. Billy Tabram held strong at the back while Tom Nolan was scoring consistently. However, the season was a financial disaster. As a result, 15 players were let go, including Bill Cope, Jimmy McGrath and
Len Armitage Leonard Armitage (20 October 1899 – 24 June 1972) was an English footballer who could play both in defence and attack. He made 284 league appearances in a 15-year career in the Football League. In 1914, he signed with Sheffield Wednesday. H ...
, Tabram was sold to
Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. They compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. They play their home ...
for a good profit, as was Fred Mills and
George Poyser George Henry Poyser (6 February 1910 – 30 January 1995) was an English football player and manager. A defender, he enjoyed a lengthy playing career, the tail end of which was interrupted by World War II. He played for Wolverhampton Wandere ...
to
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
and
Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...
respectively. The 1934–35 season was largely forgettable on the pitch, apart from a close FA Cup game with eventual runners-up
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
. However, in the middle of the season there were calls for a change of name; supporters were barely in favour, with names such as 'Stoke Central' and 'Stoke United' suggested. A meeting of shareholders discussed the name of 'Stoke North End', though the eventually settled on 'Hanley Port Vale'. This new name was not favoured by the fans and talk of a name change lingered for a few years before eventually falling away. Vale suffered relegation in 1935–36. The pre-season consisted of selling top striker Tom Nolan to
Bradford Park Avenue Bradford (Park Avenue) Association Football Club, sometimes abbreviated as BPA AFC, is an association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in , at the eighth tier of the English football league ...
and manager Holford talking of a 'young players policy'. The season finished in a second-from-bottom finish and another plea for donations to survive financially.
Warney Cresswell Warneford Cresswell (5 November 1897 – 20 October 1973) was an English international footballer who was described as "The Prince of Full Backs" for his renowned tackling and positional skills in the right-back position. In a 17-year career i ...
was appointed as manager for the club's 1936–37 campaign, with the aim of promotion. Tom Nolan was also brought back from Bradford. After a mid-table finish, Creswell left the club. A young Eric Hayward was transferred to
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
, Ken Gunn moved onto
Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the c ...
, and Allan Todd went to
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founde ...
. Roger Jones also ended his 14-year association with the club. In December 1937, Tom Morgan was reinstated as manager. He could not prevent the 1937–38 season being another story of mid-table mediocrity. Jack Roberts impressive tally of 28 goals was the only ray of hope for escaping the division. At the end of the season roughly half the team were transferred or let go. Notable new faces for the 1938–39 campaign were goalkeeper
Arthur Jepson Arthur Jepson (12 July 1915 – 17 July 1997) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire before becoming an umpire. In addition to cricket he was also an accomplished football goalkeeper who played over 100 games in th ...
, defender George Collin and right-half George Hannah. The club was also transferred to the
Third Division South The Third Division South of the Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division North with clubs elected to the League or relegated from Division Two allocated to on ...
, good news as the league saw higher gate receipts. The club failed to impact the division, though, and were fighting to avoid a re-election battle rather than achieve promotion, as injuries hit the squad.


1939–1950: World War II and the post-war revival

With the outbreak of war in Europe and Vale sitting bottom of the Third Division South after two games, the 1939–40 season was cancelled as Britain and the allies fought a brutal war against
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
and the axis. Stoke-on-Trent was deemed a 'neutral and reception area', and so football throughout the war was permitted. However, many players went off to war, and the club could not compete in the war leagues due to financial limitations and the loss of players to the war effort. They managed to sustain a
youth team In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or Sports league, league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team (a ...
, which enjoyed local success. The death of Major W.M.Huntbach, chairman of the club, left the greatly in debt. This left the club with no option but to sell The Old Recreation Ground to the city council. The deal went through on 31 October 1940 for £13,500, the council refusing the club's permission to rent the ground. The club was therefore left homeless and without any professional players in the middle of a world war. However, the council had a change of heart and decided to permit the club to rent the ground until a few seasons after the end of the war, eventually extending the deal to 20 June 1950. By the summer of 1944, the club had revived their first team, had found a location in Hamil Road, Burslem, for their new stadium and had started a fund to raise £30,000 for this purpose. Jack Diffin was appointed team manager to supervise the 1944–45 roster of games. With Germany and Japan's defeat, peace was restored, and the 1946–47 season began. Morris Jones bagged 26 goals as the club finished in a respectable tenth place. It was also the club's most successful year financially up to that point, with a net profit of over £4,000 recorded. Jones lost his scoring touch in 1947–48 and was sold to
Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded as Swindon A ...
for £2,500 in November 1947. The club finished in eighth but made a loss in the
transfer market The transfer market is the arena in which football players are available for transfer to clubs. The transfer market consists of a list of players available for transfer, and also the money moving between clubs as they contest to purchase and sell ...
and over the season as a whole. The 1948–49 was largely forgettable, though the club made record profits of just over £7,000. The five figure sum received for Bill Pointon played a big part in this profit. The club started 1949–50 with 86 players, though only 27 were full-time professionals. A pre-season acquisition of a young Ray King from
Ashington Ashington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, with a population of 27,864 at the 2011 Census. It was once a centre of the coal mining industry. The town is north of Newcastle upon Tyne, west of the A189 and bordered to the ...
would later prove significant. However, the signing of defender
Lol Hamlett Thomas Lawrence Hamlett (24 January 1917 – 22 May 1986) was an English footballer who played at right-back for Congleton Town, Bolton Wanderers, and Port Vale. He scored nine goals in 181 league appearances in the six seasons of the Footbal ...
would be of greater short-team importance. The season saw another mid-table finish, though most of the talk was on the up-and-coming stadium in Burslem. A massive £20,000 was raised for the sale of
Ronnie Allen Ronald Allen (15 January 1929 – 9 June 2001) was an English international football player and manager. He was a professional footballer for 19 years, between 1946 and 1964, making 638 appearances in the Football League and scoring 276 goals. ...
to West Brom. One major setback was the government's refusal of permission to transfer a stand from the old stadium to the new, despite the protestations of local MP Albert Davies.


1950–1959: New stadium, new triumphs

In 1950,
Vale Park Vale Park is a football stadium in the area of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, and it has been the home ground of Port Vale Football Club since its opening in 1950. It has a current capacity of 15,695, and was renovated durin ...
was completed. The 1950–51 season was the first at their new home. The stadium was impressive, but the team was not so, yet again failing to improve on mid-table. The players had to familiarise themselves with a much larger stadium and pitch. Along with their new stadium came a new player –
Roy Sproson Roy Sproson (23 September 1930 – 24 January 1997) was an English footballer and football manager for Port Vale. A one-club man, he holds the all-time appearance record for Vale, making 837 starts (and 5 substitute appearances) for Val ...
. In March,
Bill McGarry William Harry McGarry (10 June 1927 – 15 March 2005) was an England international association footballer and manager who spent 40 years in the professional game. He had a reputation for toughness, both as a player and as a manager. A right ...
was sold to
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football. Huddersfield Town we ...
for £12,000. He had moved on to better things and, after impressing at the
First Division 1st Division or First Division may refer to: Military Airborne divisions *1st Parachute Division (Germany) *1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom) * 1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine) * 1st Guards Airborne Division Armoured divisions *1st Armoure ...
club, was selected for the
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
team. Still working on the new stadium, especially trying to solve the drainage problem, the club were very quiet on the transfer front for the start of the 1951–52 campaign. In September, Alan Martin was exchanged with rivals Stoke for £10,000 and Albert Mullard. Initially against the trade, supporters eventually warmed to Mullard, the season's top scorer. The team suffered before Christmas, and manager
Ivor Powell Ivor Verdun Powell, MBE (5 July 1916 – 6 November 2012) was a Welsh football player and manager. He won eight caps for Wales. A wing half, he began his professional career with Queens Park Rangers in September 1937. His career was inter ...
was sacked – to the relief of the players. On Christmas Eve
Freddie Steele Freddie Steele (December 18, 1912 – August 22, 1984) was a boxer and film actor born Frederick Earle Burgett in Seattle, Washington. He was recognized as the National Boxing Association (NBA) Middleweight Champion of the World between 1936 ...
became manager. He managed to bring the club back into the safety of mid-table. Steele quickly established himself at the club, masterminding the celebrated '
Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. On the east side of the Iron Curtain were countries connected to the So ...
' defence. He worked largely with the players already at the club, who were quite young and, therefore, easier to mould into the players he needed. The FA switched the club to the Third Division North in 1952–53. With a haul of 58 points, the club were unfortunate to lose out only one point off champions
Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...
and therefore remain in the third tier. A remarkable 35 goals were conceded in 46 games, but the attack was disappointing, though Basil Hayward did manage 22 goals. The 1953–54 saw Vale storming to the Third Division North title as well as reaching the semi-finals of the FA Cup, losing out to eventual winners West Brom in very controversial fashion, seeing an Albert Leake goal disallowed for offside.
Villa Park Villa Park is a association football, football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, with a seating capacity of 42,918. It has been the home of Premier League club Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witt ...
saw an attendance of 68,221 for the game. The defence of Ray King,
Stan Turner Stanley Simpson Turner (21 October 1926 – 28 April 1991) was an English Association football, footballer. A tough-Tackle (football move), tackling Defender (association football), defender, he made 246 appearances (227 in the league, 18 in t ...
,
Reg Potts Reginald Potts (31 July 1927 – 28 January 1996) was an English football defender, nicknamed "Dan" after Desperate Dan. A key member of Port Vale's history, he played 301 competitive games for the club between 1945 and 1957. He helped the " ...
, Albert Mullard, Tommy Cheadle and Roy Sproson was key to the "Valiants" success, missing just ten games between them. Their league record of 21 goals conceded in 46 games is a Football League record that stands today. Just five of these were conceded at Vale Park. Champions of the Southern Division
Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The club currently competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Ipswich Town were founded in 1878 but did not turn ...
had the next-best defensive record in the Football League with a total of thirty more goals conceded than Vale. The 'no buy, no sell' policy was unsurprisingly continued into 1954–55. They fared poorly, though they were some way off relegation. Their weakness in front of goal continued, and the top scorer Cyril Done managed just 13 goals, having joined in December 1954 from
Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers Football Club are a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ...
. The average home attendance of 20,708 is a club record that still stands today. However, having spent almost £7,000 in transfer fees, the club barely broke even. The club's youth policy continued into 1955–56. However, in January 1956, the club broke their transfer record to secure the services of "Spurs" striker and former England international
Eddie Baily Edward Francis Baily (6 August 1925 – 13 October 2010) was an England international footballer. He was a 1950 FIFA World Cup squad member and scored five goals in nine international games. He was described as one of his generation's best insid ...
for £7,000. The club finished twelfth, just three points off third place
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
. The 1956–57 campaign was a disaster; the club relegated with 22 points in 22nd place.
Norman Low Norman Harvey Low (23 March 1914 – 21 May 1994) was a Scottish football player and manager. He was the son of Scottish international footballer, Wilf Low. A central defender, he played for Newcastle United between 1931 and 1933, before three ...
replaced Freddie Steele in February 1957, but the team showed little improvement. Cyril Done was the top scorer with a mere nine goals, while the team scored just four goals away from home. The 1957–58 season was unique, as the bottom twelve in both Third Divisions would be relegated to a newly created Fourth Division. Low made many changes of personal, making the team barely recognisable to that of the glory days just a few years earlier. New man
Stan Steele Stanley Frederick Steele (5 January 1937 – 15 July 2005) was an English footballer. A half-back and inside-forward, he scored 97 goals in 370 league and cup games for Port Vale between 1955 and 1968. His parents named him Stanley Frederick i ...
rifled in a total of 22 goals, but it was not enough to prevent a 15th-place finish and, therefore, a ticket to the new fourth tier. Their first season in this new division was extremely successful, as the club took the title with a club record 110 goals. Normal Low picked out three-star players: 'the supreme goalscorer' Graham Barnett, 'the find of the season'
Ken Hancock Kenneth Paul Hancock (25 November 1937 – 27 April 2025) was an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He was the younger brother of Ray Hancock, who also played as a goalkeeper. Hancock made 442 league appearances in a 15-year caree ...
and that 'model of consistency' Stan Steele. With five forwards hitting double figures, a profit being made and the gate receipts increasing optimism was high in Burslem, especially with the Bycars End terrace work being completed leading to an overall capacity of 50,000.


1959–1969: The Sixties

On 9 January 1960, Port Vale gave 'one of the finest performances in their history', beating high-flying Second Division club
Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...
2–0 at
Ninian Park Ninian Park was a association football, football stadium in the Leckwith, Cardiff, Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales, that was the home of Cardiff City F.C. for 99 years. Opened in 1910 with a single wooden stand, it underwent numerous renovatio ...
, and 'thoroughly deserved' their Third Round victory. In round four, 'the defence took the honours' in a 1–0 win at second-tier
Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The club was formed in ...
. The fifth round held eventual Second Division champions
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
, who ran out 2–1 winners at Vale Park. However, their fine cup form did not transfer over to the league, and a mid-table position finished the 1959–60 season. Stan Steele was an ever-present for the third season running. The club meant business in 1960–61, as proven by a £10,000 attempt to sign Villa's
Gerry Hitchens Gerald Archibald Hitchens (8 October 1934 – 13 April 1983) was an English footballer who played as a centre forward. Early career Hitchens was born in the village of Rawnsley, Staffordshire, near Cannock, and began his career as a coal miner. ...
. In January,
Albert Leake Albert George Leake (17 April 1930 – 24 July 1999) was an English footballer who played as a half-back. He spent the entire 1950s with Port Vale, as the club enjoyed an exciting period of their history. He helped the "Valiants" to the Thir ...
left for
Macclesfield Town Macclesfield Town Football Club was an association football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England. Initially known as Macclesfield F.C., the club was formed in 1874 and from 1891 played home games at Moss Rose. It competed in the short ...
, leaving Roy Sproson the only surviving member of the legendary 1953–54 club. After Stan Steele was 'rested' following 195 consecutive appearances and consequently put in a transfer request. In March 1961 he moved to West Brom for a £10,000 fee.
Cliff Portwood Clifford Portwood (17 October 1937 – 10 January 2012) was an English footballer and later singer and television personality. A winger and inside forward, he scored 96 goals in 252 league games in a 14-year career in the Football League. He ...
's 26 goals helped the club achieve a seventh-place finish. In preparation for 1961–62, Steele was bought back from
The Hawthorns The Hawthorns is an All-seater stadium, all-seater association football, football stadium in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England, with a capacity of 26,688. It has been the home of EFL Championship, Championship club West Bromwich Albion F.C. ...
for the same price he was sold for. However, a 'shock' came with the same Cliff Portwood to
Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "the Mariners", the club was f ...
for £6,000. Manager Low believed the team could be promoted. On 2 October, 22,895 witnessed
Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
defeat Port Vale 3–1. Later in the month £6,000 was spent on bringing Colin Grainger from Leeds United. On 27 January, Vale visited Second Division
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
in the FA Cup fourth round, almost 50,000 fans witnessed £50,000
Brian Clough Brian Howard Clough ( ; 21 March 1935 – 20 September 2004) was an English football player and manager, primarily known for his successes as a manager with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. He is one of four managers to have won the Englis ...
effectively contained by the Vale defence as a goalless draw saw the "Mackems" pay a visit to Vale Park. In the replay, Vale recorded a 3–1 win in 'a magical piece of soccer history'. In the fifth round the club were defeated 1–0 by top-flight
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
. Another mid-table finish and small profit ended the season. The club's poor start to 1962–63 left a heckled Stan Steele transfer listed. On 30 October Low shocked the fans with his resignation, even more surprisingly old boss Freddie Steele was reinstated. The "Steele curtain" returned to Vale Park, as the team went 525 minutes without conceding a goal ironically this run was ended by Ronnie Allen, now with
Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...
scored an otherwise meaningless consolation goal. The previous season's top scorers
Bert Llewellyn Herbert Arthur Llewellyn (5 February 1939 – 8 September 2016) was an English footballer. A centre-forward, he scored 114 goals in 239 league and cup appearances in a nine-year career in the Football League. He began his career at Everton i ...
and Arthur Longbottom were sold to
Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the c ...
for £7,000 and
Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Poplar, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east of ...
for £2,000 respectively. On 13 March, the club went out of the FA Cup in the fourth round and defeated 2–1 by the top tier
Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...
. Tony Richards was bought for £9,000 in March and amazingly became the season's top scorer with 13 goals in three months and 14 games. With rivals Stoke promoted from the second tier and
Crewe Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, the parish had a population of 55,318 and the built-up area had a population of 74,120. ...
from the fourth, Vale finished in third, four points off the Second Division. Determined to win promotion in 1963–64, the club spent £15,000 a piece on Northern Ireland international
Billy Bingham William Laurence Bingham (5 August 1931 – 9 June 2022) was a Northern Ireland international footballer and manager. As a player, his first professional club was Glentoran, for whom he played between 1948 and 1950. Making a move to England, ...
and Englishman Albert Cheesebrough.
Tim Rawlings Charles John "Tim" Rawlings (4 November 1932 – 28 September 2014) was an English footballer. A half-back, he made 231 league appearances in a 15-year career in the Football League. He made the bulk of these appearances for Walsall between 19 ...
was also bought for £4,000 from nearby
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...
. Soon into the season, winger Ron Smith was also purchased from Crewe for £6,500. Scotsmen
Jackie Mudie John Knight Mudie (10 April 1930 – 2 March 1992) was a Scottish international footballer who played as a forward. He won 17 caps for his country, helping the Scotland national team to qualify for the 1958 FIFA World Cup. Starting his ...
and Ron Wilson were transferred from Stoke City for around £12,000. The club did well in the FA Cup, taking
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
to a fourth round replay, However, the season was a disaster in the league. It was 'the season that misfired', having spent a massive amount of money (nearly £50,000 alone in transfer fees), they finished a whole ten places lower than the previous season. The club made a net loss of £42,650, even with the regular donation from the Supporters Association of close to £20,000. The club flopped completely in 1964–65. Goalkeeper
Ken Hancock Kenneth Paul Hancock (25 November 1937 – 27 April 2025) was an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He was the younger brother of Ray Hancock, who also played as a goalkeeper. Hancock made 442 league appearances in a 15-year caree ...
was sold to
Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The club currently competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Ipswich Town were founded in 1878 but did not turn ...
at Christmas time, raising £10,000. Freddie Steele departed in February, as Jackie Mudie was appointed
caretaker manager In association footballing terms, a caretaker manager or interim manager is somebody who takes temporary charge of the management of a football team, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caret ...
. Mudie created 'a punchier attack and a far more stable defence' as the club managed four home wins in a row. However, the club were relegated in 22nd place, five points away from safety. No club in the Football League had scored less than Vale's tally of 41, with top scorer Cheesebrough managing just seven strikes. To slash the wage bill, Stan Steele, Ron Smith, Ron Andrew, Tim Rawlings and Stan Trafford all left on free transfers. The season saw a financial loss of around £15,000, with home attendance averaging around 5,500.
Stanley Matthews Sir Stanley Matthews (1 February 1915 – 23 February 2000) was an English Association football, footballer who played as an Forward (association football)#Outside forward, outside right. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the Br ...
was made general manager in preparation for the 1965–66, his emphasis was strongly on nurturing young talent. As a demonstration of this, over 700 boys were given trials with the club. Centre-half John Nicholson made a club record 208 consecutive appearances before being dropped in favour of
Terry Alcock Terrence Alcock (born 9 December 1946) is an English former footballer. A defender, he played 330 league games in a 15-year career in the English Football League. He played for Port Vale from 1963 to 1967 before spending nine years with Bla ...
. This unsettled Nicholson, who was soon sold to
Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...
for £5,000. That money was spent on bringing former Northern Ireland international
Jimmy Hill James William Thomas Hill, Order of the British Empire, OBE (22 July 1928 – 19 December 2015) was an English football in England, footballer and later a television personality. His career included almost every role in the sport, including pla ...
to Vale Park. In a nod to the youth policy, in one game four teenagers made their débuts: Alex Donald,
Roddy Georgeson Roderick Bruce Georgeson (born 31 July 1948) is an Egyptian former footballer, described by football historian Jeff Kent as "flamboyant". He scored 107 goals in 429 league games in a 17-year career in the Football League and Scottish Football L ...
,
Mick Cullerton Michael Joseph Cullerton (born 25 November 1948) is a Scottish former Association football, footballer. He is noted for his two spells with Port Vale F.C., Port Vale, as well as for being Stafford Rangers F.C., Stafford Rangers' star Forward (a ...
and Paul Ogden. At the age of 15 years 347 days,
Malcolm MacKenzie Malcolm John Mackenzie (born 30 September 1961) is an English professional golfer. Mackenzie was born in Sheffield. He turned professional in 1980 and has spent most of his career playing on the European Tour. His best Order of Merit ranking wa ...
made his debut against Newport County on 12 April 1966, the youngest player ever to play for the club. The club finished just two points away from re-election, in 19th position; they could hardly sink any deeper. Nearly £30,000 was lost that season; an average home gate of 6,000 would have to double for the club to break even. After a good start to 1966–67, the previous season's top scorer John Rowland was sold to
Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third level of the English football league system. The club was formed in 1897 as Mans ...
for £6,500. A 'gloom' descended, multiplied by matters such as debt and the death of ex-player John Nicholson. The season tailed off, especially with new signing, former Wales international
Mel Charles Melvyn Charles (14 May 1935 – 24 September 2016) was a Welsh international footballer. Charles played as both a centre-half and centre-forward, with his preferred position being at right-half. After a short stint on the Leeds United gro ...
failing to impress. Just before the season ended, John Ritchie was sold to
Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...
for £17,500, to help pay off an £80,000 overdraft. On 8 May, Mudie resigned as
player-manager A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...
due to 'personal reasons'. The club finished in mid-table with a financial loss despite making a profit in the transfer market. It was noted that 'the weekly income is insufficient to maintain the club. On a more positive note, the club awarded Roy Sproson the first
Player of the Year award Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year. In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award. Association football In association football, this award is held on b ...
. Numerous players were let go before the 1967–68 campaign began; a young
Ray Kennedy Raymond Kennedy (28 July 1951 – 30 November 2021) was an English Association football, footballer who won every domestic honour in the game with Arsenal F.C., Arsenal and Liverpool F.C., Liverpool in the 1970s and early 1980s. Kennedy playe ...
's departure would be bitterly regretted over the next two decades. The club also 'reluctantly' accepted a £25,000
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
bid for Terry Alcock. Two new signings were
Roy Chapman Roy Clifford Chapman (18 March 1934 – 21 March 1983) was an English professional football player and manager. He was the father of former Arsenal and Leeds United striker Lee Chapman. An inside-forward, he started his career at Aston Villa ...
and Mick Morris, both free transfers. The club took a pre-season tour of
Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
. In November, the FA launched an investigation into alleged breaches of rules on payments to players by the club. By January, the investigation became a commission, looking at charges of weekly wages for '
amateurs An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, self-taught, user-generated, DIY, and hobbyist. History H ...
', playing schoolboys, extra bonuses for victories, and an illegal signing on bonus and other bonuses paid to John Ritchie, as well as bonuses to Clint Boulton and Gordon Logan, as well as gifts to young players that broke FA rules. In February, the club admitted to the charges and were fined £2,000, later doubled, and told that irrespective of where they finished in the table, they would be made to apply for re-election to the Football League at the end of the season. On 8 June they were readmitted to the league by 39 votes to 9. Stanley Matthews 'gradually drifted out of the picture' and Gordon Lee was appointed as manager. It was later revealed that Matthew's left being owed money by the club, which they never paid him, a key reason as to why he never managed in England again. In 1968–69, Lee won respect for his 'honesty and enthusiasm' as the club consolidated their league status.
Bill Asprey William Asprey (11 September 1936 – 25 May 2025) was an English football player and manager. A defender, he made 418 league appearances in a 15-year career in the Football League. He then had a 25-year career as a coach. Asprey spent 1953 t ...
retired to go into coaching in a quiet season for the club.
Football hooliganism Football hooliganism, also known as soccer hooliganism, football rioting or soccer rioting, constitutes violence and other destructive behaviors perpetrated by spectators at association football events. Football hooliganism typically involves ...
started to take its grip on the game, and Vale's early experience of it consisted of witnessing the Chester City team coach smashed with bricks. At the end of the season, the club were in debt to the tune of £178,277, with a £10,900 loss being made on the season. Already strict economies were tightened by the club hierarchy.


1969–1983: Just getting by

Over the summer of 1969 there were talks of bringing
speedway Speedway may refer to: Racing Race tracks *Daytona International Speedway, a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida. *Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta. *Indianapolis Motor Spe ...
to Vale Park, introducing a new team to the
British League Division Two The British League Division Two was created in 1968 and was the second tier of motorcycle speedway, speedway racing in the United Kingdom until the restructuring of British speedway in 1995. It was renamed the New National League in 1975 and the Na ...
. However, many were opposed to the idea, and a 2,600 strong
petition A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to an officia ...
was given to local MP John Forrester. The idea was killed when the council failed to grant
planning permission Planning permission or building permit refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. House building permits, for example, are subject to buil ...
, despite a 3,000 strong petition in favour of the proposal. Port Vale dragged themselves out of the fourth tier and into the third in 1969–70, finishing in fourth place, three points away from the nearest competition. They had done this on the back of a solid defence, just about scoring enough goals to gather the necessary points. The club's chairman was arrested in February in a non-football matter and consequently resigned; he was replaced by Mark Singer. The most notable fresh face for 1970–71 was
Brian Horton Brian "Nobby" Horton (born 4 February 1949) is an English former footballer and manager. He spent 16 years as a professional player and 22 years as a manager, making 689 appearances and managing 1,098 matches. In addition to this, he spent four ...
, though at first, there was little to suggest how important the 21-year-old from
non-League Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...
Hednesford Town Hednesford Town Football Club is a football club based in Hednesford, Staffordshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Keys Park. They won the FA Trophy in 2004. History The club was established in 1880 as a merger of t ...
would be. Soon into the campaign, four of the club's five directors resigned, claiming 'the club is being controlled by outsiders'. Long serving player Ron Wilson also left, emigrating to South Africa to look after his son, who was suffering with
bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...
. The club made a rare profit, though the fans were restless with a lower mid-table finish, despite Lee having built the squad on free transfers. Young hopeful Sammy Morgan was persuaded to stay on for the 1971–72 campaign, as Lee largely stuck with the same squad. However, he warned supporters that low attendance would force him to sell his best players. The season was largely forgettable, though increasing violence from hooligans was a cause for concern. £30,000 was raised by sale of some land and £10,000 was gained from
Tony Lacey Anthony John Lacey (born 18 March 1944) is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder for Stoke City, Port Vale, Rochdale, and Stafford Rangers. He made 288 league appearances in a ten-year career in the Football League. He won p ...
's move to
Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wid ...
. 'Troubles at the top' were eventually settled with the re-election of old chairman Mark Singer. Only 2,743 turned up for the final appearance of club legend Roy Sproson, as Lee became increasingly angered by low turnouts. Only eleven points were won at home, as the club finished in mid-table yet again. Long-serving players Mick Morris and
Keith Ball Keith Ball (26 October 1940 – 5 July 2023) was an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He made 145 league and cup appearances for Port Vale and enjoyed three spells with Walsall. He also played non-League football for Worcester Ci ...
were released, as was John Flowers. Numerous new signings were made for
1972–73 Year 197 ( CXCVII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Magius and Rufinus (or, less frequently, year 950 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 197 for this y ...
, most notable Ray Williams. After a 7–0 thrashing by
Rotherham United Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional association football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. The team plays in EFL League One, the third tier of English football, after suffering relegation fr ...
– blamed largely on Alan Boswell, the side went on a run of five wins. Lee continued to bemoan the fans, saying 'the people here are not genuinely interested in league football', though he turned down a job offer at
Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1886, the club were inaugur ...
out 'of loyalty to the players'. Vale went out of the FA Cup 1–0 to
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
in the third round,
Ron Greenwood Ronald Greenwood (11 November 1921 – 9 February 2006) was an English football player and manager. He is best known for being manager of the England national football team from 1977 until 1982, as well as being manager of West Ham United for ...
claimed 'we were lucky to come out alive' after Vale gave a physical display, though Lee defended his players 'enthusiasm'. What was indefensible However, was the violence of a minority of supporters, leaving two Londoners nursing stab wounds. In January John James went to
Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...
for £5,000. They finished the season in sixth, four points away from promotion. Before 1973–74 was underway, Sammy Morgan was sold to Aston Villa for just over £20,000. The defence was strengthened with the signings of David Harris,
Keith Chadwick Keith Michael Chadwick (born 10 March 1953) is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder. After impressing at non-League Nantwich Town, he joined Third Division side Port Vale via Crewe Alexandra in August 1972. He played 46 ga ...
and
John Ridley John Ridley IV (born October 1, 1964) is an American screenwriter, television director, novelist, and showrunner, known for '' 12 Years a Slave'', for which he won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He is also the creator and showrunn ...
. In January, Lee took the job at
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
. The appointment of Roy Sproson as his replacement marked a great change for the dressing room atmosphere, as Sproson was more relaxed and insisted upon a more 'entertaining' style of play. Ill discipline on the pitch caused Sproson to arrange a lecture by a local
referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other title ...
to calm his players down and avoid bookings. The club finished poorly, though avoided relegation. New signings for 1974–75 included
Terry Bailey Terence Bailey (born 18 December 1947) is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder. His son Mark Bailey also played professional football. After a brief association with Winsford United, he joined Stafford Rangers in 1968. He s ...
, Frank Sharp and
John Connaughton Patrick John Connaughton (23 September 1949 – 12 November 2022) was an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played 387 league and cup games in a 16-year career. On three occasions, he also represented England at you ...
. The club pushed for promotion but registered another sixth-place finish, again four points from promotion. This time it was their away form that cost them. A dire financial situation meant seven players were released for 1975–76:
John Woodward John Woodward or ''variant'', may refer to: Sports *John Woodward (English footballer) (born 1947), former footballer *John Woodward (Scottish footballer) (born 1949), former footballer *Johnny Woodward (1924–2002), English footballer *John D ...
, Tony Lacey, Roy Cross, Bill Summerscales, Frank Sharp and Reg Edwards. Attempts to sign Wales internationals
Mike England Harold Michael England (born 2 December 1941) is a Welsh former footballer and manager. Playing career Playing as a central defender, England began his career at Blackburn Rovers in 1959, before moving to Tottenham Hotspur in July 1966, ult ...
and
Wyn Davies Ronald Wyn Davies (born 20 March 1942) is a Welsh former professional footballer who made over 550 Football League appearances in the 1960s and 1970s, and who was also capped by Wales. Domestic career Although he began his career with Wrexham, ...
failed, and so
Mick Cullerton Michael Joseph Cullerton (born 25 November 1948) is a Scottish former Association football, footballer. He is noted for his two spells with Port Vale F.C., Port Vale, as well as for being Stafford Rangers F.C., Stafford Rangers' star Forward (a ...
,
Terry Lees Terence Lees (born 30 June 1952) is an English former footballer who played in the Football League for Stoke City, Crewe Alexandra, Port Vale, Birmingham City, Newport County and Scunthorpe United, in the North American Soccer League for San J ...
and Geoff Morris were the only new signings. Cullerton was in fine scoring form, though the promotion campaign fell away, and Horton was sold to
Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
for £30,000, which led to a healthy profit on the season. For the club's centenary celebrations a match was held with Stoke City, which finished 1–1, an impressive result considering the "Potters" were going through one of the most successful periods in their history. The small squad barely changed for 1976–77;
Kevin Kennerley Kevin Robert Kennerley (born 26 April 1954) is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder. An FA Youth Cup winner with Arsenal, he played professional football for Burnley, Port Vale and Swansea City of Wales. Kennerly, in his foot ...
and
Ian Osborne Ian Leonard Osborne (born 28 October 1952) is an English former professional footballer who played in the Football League for Birmingham City and Port Vale. Career Osborne was born in Leicester. When he left school in 1968, he joined Birmingh ...
replacing an outgoing Geoff Morris. The FA slapped the club with a £400 fine for poor discipline, the club therefore began fining players for unacceptable behaviour on the pitch. Terry Lees was sold to
Sparta Rotterdam Sparta Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club based in Rotterdam. Established on 1 April 1888, Sparta Rotterdam is the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands. Sparta currently competes in the Eredivisie, the top flig ...
for £25,000. £12,000 this money was spent on striker Ken Beamish. Former England international
Bobby Thomson Robert Brown Thomson (October 25, 1923 – August 16, 2010) was an American professional baseball player, nicknamed "the Staten Island Scot". He was an outfielder and right-handed batter for the New York Giants (1946–53, 1957), Milwaukee Brave ...
was also brought in and quickly made
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
. The club continued in their physical footballing ways, opposition manager Jimmy McGuigan describing it as 'the worst example of football thuggery I have ever seen' and Burnley captain
Peter Noble Peter Noble may refer to: * Peter Noble (footballer) (1944–2017), British footballer * Peter Noble (academic) (1899–1987), British academic * Peter Noble (music promoter), Australian entrepreneur * Fin (comics), a fictional character See also * ...
calling Vale 'a bunch of kickers'. In the FA Cup, they lost to a crowd of nearly 50,000 at Villa Park in the Fifth Round. they clung to their third-tier status in the league, safe by only three points. Before the 1977–78 season began,
Tommy McLaren Thomas McLaren (1 June 1949 – 23 July 1978) was a Scottish footballer who played as a midfielder. He moved from Berwick Rangers to Port Vale in November 1967. He spent ten years at Vale Park, making 369 league and cup appearances. He helped ...
was released, as was
Eric Skeels Eric Thomas Skeels (born 27 October 1939) is an English former footballer. He played 512 games in the Football League, 507 for Stoke City. He is Stoke's record appearance holder having played in 597 matches in all competitions. Skeels joined ...
, Ian Osborne and coach
Roy Chapman Roy Clifford Chapman (18 March 1934 – 21 March 1983) was an English professional football player and manager. He was the father of former Arsenal and Leeds United striker Lee Chapman. An inside-forward, he started his career at Aston Villa ...
. David Harris also refused a new
contract A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...
, for the same reason Sammy Morgan's £12,000 return did not go through. The club's hierarchy displayed their dissatisfaction with manager Roy Sproson. He was sacked in October and never returned to Vale Park. After a spell under caretaker manager
Colin Harper Colin Harper (born 1968, in Belfast) is an Irish non-fiction author and composer. Background Harper was born in Belfast and graduated in Modern History 1989 from Queen's University, Belfast, later acquiring a postgraduate diploma in Information ...
, ex-Bury manager Bobby Smith was appointed to the job. He made
Dennis Butler Dennis Anthony Butler (born 24 June 1944) is an English former professional football player and manager. He played as a winger for Bolton Wanderers between 1959 and 1968 before ending his playing career following five years at Rochdale. Later ...
his assistant. In January,
Neville Chamberlain Arthur Neville Chamberlain (; 18 March 18699 November 1940) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from ...
became the club's first
black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
professional.
Colchester United Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1937, the club spent its ea ...
's John Froggatt was also brought in for £10,000. With frugal spending out of the window, the club still almost broke even. The club was relegated to the Fourth Division in 21st place. Seven players were let go before the 1978–79 campaign. Manager Bobby Smith left to take up the vacant management position at
Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded as Swindon A ...
, leaving his replacement Dennis Butler to take over the reins at Vale. Forward
Bernie Wright Bernard Peter Wright (born 17 September 1952), nicknamed Bernie the Bolt, is an English former footballer. A tough centre-forward, he scored 78 goals in 320 league games in a nine-year career in the Football League. A youth team player at Birm ...
came in from
Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The club competes in , the third tier of English football, and is managed by Graham Alexander. The club was founded in 1903 and ...
for £9,000. In August, the club broke their transfer record for
Wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though gr ...
midfielder
Ken Todd Kenneth Todd (born 24 August 1957) is an English former footballer who scored 11 goals in 52 games in the English Football League for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Port Vale, and Portsmouth in the late 1970s. Despite being bought for £37,000 by Val ...
, paying £37,000 for a youngster with just five league appearances to his name. John Frogatt was sold for £8,000, Terry Bailey for £2,000 and
Mick Moore Michael Moore is an American filmmaker and author. Michael Moore may also refer to: Academia * Michael G. Moore (fl. 1970s–2020s), professor of education * Michael S. Moore (academic) (fl. 1960s–2020s), American law professor * Michael Mo ...
for £2,000. Ken Beamish also was sold to Bury for £35,000, whereas Vale bought his teammate Gerry Keenan for £15,000. £8,000 was also spent on Irishman
Felix Healy Felix Healy (born 27 September 1955 as Patrick Joseph Healy) is a Northern Irish former international footballer and singer who played for Coleraine and then became a football manager. He has also worked as a media pundit. Starting his career ...
. In late October, the club received a record £55,000 from Leicester City F.C., Leicester City for John Ridley. Another club record was set when £40,000 was spent on Bury's Peter Farrell (footballer, born 1957), Peter Farrell. The new signings did not bed down well, the fans were restless and Butler retaliated by calling them 'a bunch of yobbos'. The club recorded a loss of £52,000 in the hectic season, wages being doubled from £113,000 to £259,000 and the club's liabilities were now at £187,000. The club chairman stood down and was replaced by Arthur McPherson. The 1979–80 Port Vale F.C. season, 1979–80 season started with six straight defeats, including an early exit from the League Cup. Poor discipline also resulted in a £500 fine from the FA. Dennis Butler's short reign came to an end and Alan Bloor was made caretaker manager. In an attempt to shake things up, he dropped
Bernie Wright Bernard Peter Wright (born 17 September 1952), nicknamed Bernie the Bolt, is an English former footballer. A tough centre-forward, he scored 78 goals in 320 league games in a nine-year career in the Football League. A youth team player at Birm ...
in favour of young Neville Chamberlain. A satisfactory upturn in fortunes saw Bloor handed the management position permanently. In December, the club became the first in their division to strike a shirt sponsorship deal– with T.I.Creda. However, Bloor resigned, saying he 'did not have what it takes', reserve coach Gordon Banks was also dismissed. John McGrath (footballer, born 1938), John McGrath was given the top job and appointed Torquay United F.C., Torquay United coach
John Rudge John Robert Rudge (born 21 October 1944) is an English former professional football player and manager who is the president of club Port Vale. Rudge began his playing career at Huddersfield Town in November 1961, but made little impact at t ...
as his number two. To battle against indiscipline in the squad, McGrath issued two fines in his first fortnight. In February, he transfer-listed 15 players. At the end of the season, the club narrowly avoided facing re-election, and a loss of £82,069 was reported. Their 20th-place finish in the Fourth Division (88th overall) was the club's worst ever finish. However, local rivals Crewe Alex were three places below them, comforting the supporters. Despite a massive clear-out, only two new signings were made in preparation for 1980–81 Port Vale F.C. season, 1980–81; John Allen (footballer, born 1955), John Allen and Trevor Brissett both came in on free transfers. Little progress was made on the previous season, as the club finished 19th. The club also 'died in shame' in the FA Cup third round, defeated 3–0 by Isthmian League side Enfield 1893 F.C., Enfield. Nevertheless, McGrath noted 'the attitude is slowly changing [for the better]'. Record low average home attendance figures of 2,738 inevitably caused a financial loss on the season, though costs were being reduced. McGrath tried and failed to re-sign Brian Horton for 1981–82 Port Vale F.C. season, 1981–82, with £12,000 Ernie Moss being the most high-profile transfer, along with £15,000 midfielder Geoff Hunter (footballer), Geoff Hunter. McGrath pointed out that 'forwards are much more important now' as the Football League changed the system so that wins were rewarded with three points instead of two. For the first time in a decade, the club made it into the second round of the League Cup. Colin Tartt was re-signed from Chesterfield for £15,000 as the club made a push for promotion. Injury problems eventually made promotion unattainable, though 70 points and a 7th-place finish gave cause for optimism, despite a club record low attendance for a league game of 1,924 in a goalless draw with York City F.C., York City on 1 May. Twelve home draws resulted in McGrath's observation that 'we blew it at Burslem'. Financially, a loss of £65,000 was recorded to bring the club's overdraft close to £250,000. Another clear-out left eleven professionals on the books for the 1982–83 Port Vale F.C. season, 1982–83 season. Four of the more important newcomers were
John Ridley John Ridley IV (born October 1, 1964) is an American screenwriter, television director, novelist, and showrunner, known for '' 12 Years a Slave'', for which he won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He is also the creator and showrunn ...
, Wayne Cegielski, Les Lawrence and Steve Waddington. In August, Mark Chamberlain and Mark Harrison (footballer), Mark Harrison were sold to rivals Stoke for a combined fee of £180,000. There was little option to sell due to the financial situation, though McGrath's plans were heavily disrupted. As a result, five players made their débuts on the season's opening game. A bold attempt to sign Mick Channon failed, forcing McGrath to settle for dedicated forward Bob Newton (footballer, born 1956), Bob Newton. The season finished with promotion, third place with seven points to spare. A profit of just over £100,000 was also made, reversing a seven-year trend of losses. In preparation for 1983–84 Port Vale F.C. season, 1983–84, Eamonn O'Keefe was signed for £10,000 from Wigan Athletic F.C., Wigan Athletic. The summer was dominated by reports that several players failed to sign contracts and were unhappy with the club. McGrath's Association football tactics and skills, tactics at the start of the season were more attacking than usual, and the results were poor as the club went 18 games without a victory. McGrath bemoaned the board's lack of support and was consequently 'gagged', only being permitted to talk to the press on team matters. On 26 November, Vale suffered a humiliating 7–0 loss at Burnley F.C., Burnley in front of the television cameras, all goals being scored in the first half. By December, Port Vale were nine points off safety, paying £9,000 a week in wages (the third highest sum in the division) and with home gate receipts averaging at £3,000. On the 6th, McGrath was suspended on full pay, despite a flurry of letters in support of him being sent into the club, 'some just abusive'.


1983–1999: The Rudge era

John Rudge John Robert Rudge (born 21 October 1944) is an English former professional football player and manager who is the president of club Port Vale. Rudge began his playing career at Huddersfield Town in November 1961, but made little impact at t ...
took over the management reins at Vale Park in December 1983, after the sacking of John McGrath following the club's form upon Vale's promotion to the Football League Third Division, Third Division. Rudge said that 'we cannot change things overnight', though it did spark 'an amazing transformation of form' to oversee four consecutive home wins. The gap from safety was closed from nine to four points, and by March, he had 'achieved mission impossible' as the club escaped the relegation zone. However, a poor end to the season saw the club relegation in 23rd place. Positive signs for the future included a £50,601 profit and the rise to prominence of young striker Mark Bright. Yet Bright left in the summer, moving to Leicester City F.C., Leicester City for £33,000. Top scorer Eamonn O'Keefe also requested a transfer but did not get one. Rudge steadied the ship, slashing the wage bill by £20,000. A young Robbie Earle began to show his promise, though it was veteran Alistair Brown (footballer, born 1951), Alistair Brown who was the season's top scorer, with 21 strikes. Considering Rudge's rebuilding effort with the squad, a mid-table finish was acceptable. In May 1985, young Welshman Andy Jones (footballer, born 1963), Andy Jones was purchased from Rhyl F.C., Rhyl for £3,000. He was soon joined by £12,000 defender John Williams (footballer, born 1960), John Williams and numerous others. Vale were promoted back to the third tier in 1985–86 Port Vale F.C. season, 1985–86, finishing in fourth place, losing just once at Vale Park. they went on an 18-match unbeaten run during the season, building their record largely on a solid defence. Jones and Earle scored 18 and 17 goals respectively. The only downside was the finances, as a loss of £79,474 was recorded, partly due to promotion bonus payouts. In the summer of 1986, new signings included
Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The club currently competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Ipswich Town were founded in 1878 but did not turn ...
's reserve goalkeeper Mark Grew on a free,
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
midfielder Ray Walker (footballer, born 1963), Ray Walker for £12,000,
Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...
winger Paul Smith (footballer, born 1964), Paul Smith for £10,000 and
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...
striker Richard O'Kelly for £6,000. Rudge also turned down the management position at Preston North End. He also attempted to bring a young Steve Bull to Vale Park. After an unconvincing start to 1986–87 Port Vale F.C. season, 1986–87, Rudge sold John Williams to A.F.C. Bournemouth, Bournemouth for £30,000 and brought in Bob Hazell from Reading F.C., Reading on a free. This helped transform the club's defence, while Andy Jones' fantastic record of 37 goals helped win the Vale a 1986–87 Port Vale F.C. season, twelfth-place finish. The only worrying sign was a £53,373 loss, increasing the club's debt to £363,878. A major change occurred before the start of the 1987–88 Port Vale F.C. season, 1987–88 season, as chairman Jim Lloyd stood down and was replaced by hard-nosed businessman Bill Bell. Ten-year man Russell Bromage went to Bristol City F.C., Bristol City in exchange for £25,000 and Lawrie Pearson, also Jon Bowden went to Wrexham A.F.C., Wrexham for £12,500. Coming in was striker Darren Beckford for £15,000. Going into the season, Paul Smith went to Lincoln City F.C., Lincoln City for £40,000 before Andy Jones was sold for a then-club-record fee of £350,000 to Charlton Athletic F.C., Charlton Athletic. £35,000 of this went towards new full-back Simon Mills (footballer), Simon Mills. The campaign was boosted by a 'famous' 2–1 victory over top-flight Tottenham Hotspur in the fourth round of the FA Cup. The cup run and sale of Jones had helped to pull in a record £410,239 profit. A boost for 1988–89 Port Vale F.C. season, 1988–89 came with the sale of an unused Training ground (association football), training ground at Cobridge for £164,800. Halfway through the season, veteran Phil Sproson was advised to retire following a serious knee injury; to replace him, defender Dean Glover was signed from Middlesbrough F.C., Middlesbrough for a club-record £200,000. The club finished third, failing to gain automatic promotion because of their worse goal difference. However, they found success in the
play-offs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
, defeating Bristol Rovers F.C., Bristol Rovers in 1989 Football League Third Division play-off final, the play-offs 2–1 on aggregate. Back in the Second Division for the first time in over twenty years, Rudge strengthened the side with £150,000 signing Neil Aspin from Leeds United, £125,000 striker Nicky Cross from Leicester City F.C., Leicester City and veteran campaigner Ian Miller (footballer, born 1955), Ian Miller on a free. The 1989–90 Port Vale F.C. season, 1989–90 saw many improvements to Vale Park, as on the pitch, the team did well to establish themselves in the division. They also triumphed in the FA Cup, putting three past Derby County F.C., Derby County's Peter Shilton in a third round replay victory. However, in the next round 'Villa went on a rampage', as they 'outclassed' the Vale with a 6–0 victory. They finished eleventh in the league, and the supporters were given much to cheer about as rivals Stoke City were relegated to the third tier, leaving Vale as 'the top team in
the Potteries The Staffordshire Potteries is the industrial area encompassing the six towns Burslem, Fenton, Staffordshire, Fenton, Hanley, Staffordshire, Hanley, Longton, Staffordshire, Longton, Tunstall, Staffordshire, Tunstall and Stoke-upon-Trent, Stoke ( ...
' for only the second time in their history. Only one change was made to the squad in preparation for the 1990–91 Port Vale F.C. season, 1990–91 campaign: Irishman Derek Swan coming in from Bohemian F.C., Bohemians for £15,000 on a recommendation. The club considered building a new ground at Stoke-on-Trent Garden Festival, Festival Park, but Bill Bell was 'frightened to death by the cost' and the idea was scrapped. The club finished in 15th place, with Darren Beckford once again the top scorer with 23 goals. They then went into a slump, leading to their relegation on the final day of the 1991–92 Port Vale F.C. season, 1991–92 league campaign. In 1992–93 Port Vale F.C. season, 1992–93, Vale narrowly missed out on promotion as runners-up to Reading F.C., Reading when Bolton Wanderers F.C., Bolton Wanderers pipped them on the final day. Vale then lost in the play-off final to
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
. Vale were able to bounce back with Rudge's next two bargain buys becoming important players. Ian Taylor (footballer, born 1968), Ian Taylor, whom Vale had signed for £15,000 from non-League Moor Green F.C., Moor Green, and Dutch import Robin van der Laan (signed for £80,000) came to the fore. With Martin Foyle back fit and experienced Bernie Slaven up front, Vale surged to second place, confirming promotion on the final day with a 3–1 win at Brighton's Goldstone Ground in front of 6,000 travelling fans. Vale also notched another
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
scalp, beating then–Premier League, Premiership side Southampton F.C., Southampton 1–0 at Vale Park in a third-round replay. Taylor became Rudge's first £1,000,000 sale when Sheffield Wednesday F.C., Sheffield Wednesday invested in the midfielder. The money was spent on bringing Steve Guppy and Gareth Griffiths (footballer), Gareth Griffiths to the club during the 1994–95 Port Vale F.C. season, 1994–95 campaign. Vale finished 17th in 1994–95, avoiding relegation by ten points, and again despite the pre-season sale of van der Laan, who Derby County F.C., Derby bought for £475,000. Jon McCarthy and Lee Mills also joined before the 1995–96 Port Vale F.C. season, 1995–96 season began. During the 1995–96 season, Vale struggled to find their form. Ten games into the league season, they had recorded only one win (in the local derby against
Stoke Stoke may refer to: Places Canada * Stoke, Quebec New Zealand * Stoke, New Zealand United Kingdom Berkshire * Stoke Row Bristol * Stoke Bishop * Stoke Gifford * Bradley Stoke * Little Stoke * Harry Stoke * Stoke Lodge Bucking ...
) and were struggling near the bottom of the table. Early home form was also the worst for years, and it took the Valiants until 2 December to finally notch a win at Vale Park, when Martin Foyle scored to beat Huddersfield Town 1–0. A 5–1 defeat at Ipswich Town F.C., Ipswich on New Year's Day saw Vale slip to second from bottom, with just five wins all season, but the FA Cup was again to prove the tonic. The draw had done Vale no favours, with a trip to promotion-chasing
Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...
, but a goalless draw brought the tie back to Vale Park. Vale eventually won the tie on a freezing January night, with Ray Walker scoring the winner in Overtime (sports), extra time to seal a 4–3 win and set up a trip to cup-holders Everton in the fourth round. In the tie with Everton, Vale twice came from behind at Goodison Park to draw 2–2, with Ian Bogie scoring from virtually the last kick of the match. The replay saw Vale Park full to witness Vale win 2–1, with Jon McCarthy netting the winner. The victory saw Vale enter the fifth round, where they would play Leeds United away. Leeds were then a top-ten Premiership side. The match at Elland Road took place on a Tuesday, thanks to various cancellations due to inclement weather. The game finished goalless, and the tie went to a replay in Burslem. The Valiants' cup exploits were to come to an end as Leeds won the replay 2–1, with Gary McAllister scoring twice in the closing stages despite Vale leading 1–0 at half-time through Tony Naylor. However, Vale's cup exploits were to earn them the The Football Association, FA's Giantkillers award for the 1995–96 FA Cup, 1995–96 season. The cup run seemed to inspire Vale to do better things in the league, with five wins in a row pushing them up to twelfth as the season drew to a close. Vale also had some success in the Anglo-Italian Cup, as they qualified for the final at Wembley Stadium (1923), Wembley, in the competition's final season. Vale secured a 5–3 win at Italian side A.C. Perugia Calcio, Perugia in which Lee Mills netted a hat-trick. The English semi-final draw pitted Vale away to
Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The club currently competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Ipswich Town were founded in 1878 but did not turn ...
, to whom they had already lost 5–1. Tony Naylor scored a hat-trick as Vale recorded a 4–2 win at Portman Road, the first victory in their history at the ground. A 3–1 victory in the second leg of the English final at Vale Park against West Brom confirmed a 4–2 aggregate score, aggregate success and a game against Italian winners Genoa C.F.C., Genoa in the final. The Italians ran out 5–2 winners, with Martin Foyle netting both Vale goals. Again, Vale made a slow start to the 1996–97 Port Vale F.C. season, 1996–97 campaign, with only two wins from their opening ten league games. They enjoyed some success in the EFL Cup, League Cup, however, beating local rivals Crewe Alexandra F.C., Crewe Alexandra 5–1 at their Gresty Road home. A protest against chairman Bill Bell after a poor home defeat to Crystal Palace seemed to see an upturn in the Valiants' performances. A second win at Wolves' Molineux Stadium, Molineux ground (1–0), in two seasons, was followed by a mixed period. In December they achieved three wins on the bounce, against ex-Premiership sides Charlton Athletic F.C., Charlton 3–1 at The Valley (London), The Valley, 6–1 at home to Norwich City F.C., Norwich City and concluding in a single-goal Boxing Day success at Manchester City F.C., Manchester City in front of more than 30,000. Despite the sale of Steve Guppy to Leicester City F.C., Leicester City for £800,000, Vale's form remained steady from then on, until five wins from six, from mid-March to mid-April, put them in with a chance of making the play-offs and, ultimately, a place in the Premiership. However, with three games remaining, Vale were to lose to Stoke City before
Wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though gr ...
came away from Vale Park with a 2–1 victory to end their hopes. Vale's final finishing position of eighth was their highest in the pyramid since 1931, when they had finished fifth in the old Second Division. The eighth-placed finish was to be the height of Vale's powers under John Rudge, and the following season, 1997–98 Port Vale F.C. season, 1997–98, saw a more familiar mid-table and, eventually, relegation battle. Another FA Cup tie was to see Vale hold eventual winners Arsenal F.C., Arsenal to a goalless draw at Arsenal Stadium, Highbury and 1–1 at Vale Park (Wayne Corden equalising a Dennis Bergkamp goal) before the Gunners eventually prevailed 4–3 on penalties, despite Lee Dixon missing their opening kick. After three straight defeats, Vale found themselves in deep relegation trouble going into the final match at Huddersfield. Goals from Martin Foyle, Jan Jansson (footballer), Jan Jansson (two) and Lee Mills saw Vale claim a 4–0 win and an escape at the expense of Manchester City and Stoke City. 1998–99 Port Vale F.C. season, 1998–99 saw Port Vale fare a little better, with an early League Cup defeat to Chester City setting the tone. After 16 years as Port Vale manager, John Rudge was sacked in January 1999 after one of Vale's most successful eras.


1999–2011: Valiant 2001 and two administrations

Rudge was replaced by former player
Brian Horton Brian "Nobby" Horton (born 4 February 1949) is an English former footballer and manager. He spent 16 years as a professional player and 22 years as a manager, making 689 appearances and managing 1,098 matches. In addition to this, he spent four ...
, who had been working at Brighton. Dwindling fortunes, both on the pitch and financially, put relegation on the cards. Horton made five transfer-deadline day signings costing £1,000,000, and Vale managed a second consecutive final-day escape after losing just two of their remaining eight games. Although Vale lost by a single goal at Bury, the Valiants stayed up (at Bury's expense) by having scored more goals (this was the last of three seasons where 'goal difference' replaced 'goals scored' as the Football League's separator for teams on equal points; Port Vale's goal difference was substantially worse than that of Bury, but Bury had the lowest goals scored total in the entire Football League, consigning them to relegation). There was no escape in 1999–2000 Port Vale F.C. season, 1999–2000, however. Huddersfield eventually sealed Vale's fate with a 2–1 win at Vale Park, with Vale ultimately going down 13 points adrift. A worsening financial crisis jeopardised the club's future by the end of 2000. Vale were in the relegation zone of the Second Division. After a FA Cup first-round defeat to Ryman Leaguers Canvey Island F.C., Canvey Island, the team seemed to be heading towards another relegation, with fans once again protesting against chairman Bill Bell. However, there was a change in fortunes after the turn of the year, as Brian Horton's team transformed their league form to pull up to a top-half finish while also gaining silverware by beating
Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...
in 2001 Football League Trophy final, the final of the
Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and U-21 teams from the Premier Le ...
. This included a post–World War II, war record of 16 matches unbeaten in all competitions, with Vale eventually finishing eleventh. After the League Trophy-winning season, the Valiants lost the services of veterans Tony Naylor and Allen Tankard. Still, young prospects Steve Brooker, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson and new signings Stephen McPhee and Ian Armstrong (footballer), Ian Armstrong were waiting in the wings. However, Vale suffered from inconsistency and finished the 2001–02 Port Vale F.C. season, 2001–02 campaign in 14th place. With further discontent at the running of the club, a supporters' trust under the banner "Valiant 2001" started moves towards attaining ownership of the club, including several offers that were rejected by chairman Bell. The next season, 2002–03 Port Vale F.C. season, 2002–03, was to see Vale's financial problems come to a head. With first-round exits in both cup competitions and another mediocre season in the league on the cards, Bill Bell eventually called in the administrators with the club around £1.5 million in debt. Valiant 2001 eventually secured control of the club after a long and drawn-out process as the season neared its close.
Bill Bratt William Amos Bratt MBE (born 1945) is an English insurance broker and former football club chairman who was the chair of Port Vale from 2003 to 2011. After decades working in the insurance industry, Bratt turned his attention to his hometown, P ...
became the new chairman, and even though the finances were slim for quite a while, Vale was relatively buoyant. On the pitch, a brief cameo from veteran striker Brett Angell had kept the club above the relegation zone before Christmas with seven goals in 15 games, and prodigy Billy Paynter helping out with five goals in a young-and-old partnership. However, due to financial problems, the funds were not found to keep Angell until November, and after a run of poor form, Vale slipped into the bottom four in March. With the concern of immediate extinction over and Horton's resourceful signing of experienced Adrian Littlejohn (who scored three goals), the final ten games saw an upturn in form, and Vale eventually finished in 17th place. 2003–04 Port Vale F.C. season, 2003–04 was a new era for the club off the pitch, with the club coming out of administration under a new board of fan ownership. A reduction in match- and season-ticket prices saw around 3,000 season tickets sold. On the pitch, the club had ridden out
administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal: the process of dealing with or controlling things or people. ** Administrative assistant, traditionally known as a se ...
by avoiding relegation (the ten-point penalty did not apply in 2003) with Brian Horton building a young, pacey side. The club made their best start to a season for many a year and found themselves top of the table at the end of September. Vale remained on course to at least be challenging for the Football League play-offs, play-offs come May. Their position in the table was based largely on the goals of an attacking front four: Billy Paynter and Adrian Littlejohn played on the right and left, while Steve Brooker and Stephen McPhee formed a partnership up front. Despite a modicum of success, Horton left in February 2004 after the board revealed he would not be given a new contract on the same terms and his budget would be slashed due to cost-cutting after administration. He was to be replaced by former player Martin Foyle, who had been a success as the club's youth team manager. Horton left the team in seventh place, just outside the play-offs, and this was ultimately where the club would finish after a final day at Rushden & Diamonds F.C., Rushden & Diamonds' Nene Park. Going into the game, Vale needed a win to overtake either Swindon Town F.C., Swindon or Hartlepool United F.C., Hartlepool in the play-off places and hope one or the other lost. However, the twist was that both these teams were playing each other and needed just a point to deny Vale a play-off place – unless, that is, Vale won by seven clear goals. Vale dispatched Rushden with a 2–0 win (Steve McPhee scoring both and taking his tally to 27 for the season), but Swindon and Hartlepool played out a 1–1 draw at the County Ground (Swindon), County Ground, thus meaning Vale missed out on goal-difference. Foyle spent almost four years as manager after this, but the style of football the team played did him a few favours as Vale finished 17th and 13th in his first two full campaigns despite promising starts. Arguably the club's best recent achievements came in the two major cup competitions in 2006. Vale made it to the 4th round of the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
in 2005–06 Port Vale F.C. season, 2005–06, which was the club's first appearance at that stage since the club's giant-killing exploits a decade earlier. Vale were drawn away to Premier League
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
but were defeated 3–1, holding the Birmingham side well into the 2nd period before succumbing to 2 Milan Baroš strikes and although Nathan Lowndes pulled one back, Steven Davis scored Villa's third. The following season, the club set a record for progression in the League Cup, beating three EFL Championship, Championship sides at home to set up a tie at Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Spurs (the first time the sides had met since Vale's infamous win 19 years beforehand). Vale again gave Spurs more than a run for their money, taking the lead through Leon Constantine, and were eleven minutes from a major upset before Spurs equalised to force extra time and eventually prevailed 3–1. The signing of Constantine was to prove a big success as he set a post-war record by scoring 19 goals before Christmas 2006. Coupled with exciting strike partner Akpo Sodje, Vale was up with the early pacesetter for EFL League One, League One in 2006–07 Port Vale F.C. season, 2006–07. However, several runs of poor form saw the side fade away to finish 12th despite a striking partnership, which contributed 42 goals (Constantine 26, Sodje 16). This added to a shocking 4–0 F.A. Cup defeat to then League Two Hereford United F.C., Hereford United saw fans start to lose patience with Foyle, although he remained in charge before the 2007–08 Port Vale F.C. season, 2007–08 campaign. A poor start to the 2007–08 season, in which several of Foyle's major signings did not live up to expectation, resulted in his dismissal on 4 November 2007, with Vale in deep relegation trouble. He was succeeded by Lee Sinnott, but Sinnott was unable to prevent the club from sliding into League Two after a 23rd-place finish, as well as crashing out to Chasetown F.C., Chasetown (an 8th-tiered club) in the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
Second Round. Financially, the club also suffered, recording losses of £383,738. 2008–09 Port Vale F.C. season, 2008–09 was Vale's first season in the bottom tier of the Football League in over twenty years. Despite relegation, a positive pre-season once again followed, and a cut-price season ticket initiative took place to boost attendance and bring cheaper football to the masses. This saw Vale fans snap up 6,400 season tickets in readiness for what the club hoped would be a more successful season. However, it did not materialise, and Sinnott was sacked on 22 September 2008, after an unsuccessful start to their League Two campaign with the Valiants in 16th place, Dean Glover taking over as caretaker manager for the second time in twelve months. He was appointed as manager permanently on 6 October. Glover did initially oversee a slight upturn in form as Vale won at previously unbeaten (at home)
Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1886, the club were inaugur ...
, which instigated a run of four away wins out of five. After these highs, However, the poor form returned, with the club losing in the FA Cup second round to Macclesfield and ultimately losing out on a home tie with Premier League, Premiership Everton. This was coupled with the club sliding back into the lower mid-table, which was a similar position to when Sinnott was sacked. 2009 began with fans starting to seriously question the board's motives and the direction the club was going in, especially when it was revealed former manager Lee Sinnott was taking court action against the club for a breach of contract after his dismissal. The 2008–09 season finished with the club in 18th place in League Two, only a final day win at Barnet F.C., Barnet ensuring the club avoided its worst ever points tally in the bottom tier of the Football League. After months of speculation, it was announced on 1 May 2009 that a new manager would be found for the 2009–10 Port Vale F.C. season, 2009–10 season, with Dean Glover standing down from the role. Off the field, the club recorded a loss of £280,000 – £100,000 less than the previous campaign, having slashed the player wage bill by more than £600,000 to £1.12 million. On 4 June 2009, it was announced that
Micky Adams Michael Richard Adams (born 8 November 1961) is an English former professional association football, footballer and football Manager (association football), manager. As a player, he was a Full-back (football), full back, and made a total of 43 ...
would become the club's new manager. Adams made a solid start to his tenure impressing the Vale faithful with his honest attitude on the club's situation and did not take long to write himself into the club's history books. In his second match, a League Cup tie at Championship side
Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...
, Vale ran out 2–1 winners. This became only the third time in the club's history that they had won away at a side two leagues above their status (the others were in 1954 and 1964, both in the FA Cup). In the second round, it was a case of deja vu, as Steel City derby, Sheffield rivals Sheffield Wednesday F.C., Wednesday were dispatched 2–0. After a period of three defeats in seven days, including being knocked out of the League Cup in the third round, Adams decided to place his whole squad on the transfer list, saying of his team's performance: "We looked like a woman who had a big fur coat on but underneath she’s got no knickers on". He later admitted he merely played "a psychological game with them... [and] I don't think they fell for it – I don't think anybody fell for it". Nevertheless, they stormed into the play-off places for the first time in the season with just two games left to play. However, a loss and a draw saw them finish the season in tenth place. History repeated itself for the start of 2010–11 Port Vale F.C. season, 2010–11, with Adams leading Vale to their fifth-ever win over opposition two tiers higher than themselves, new signing Justin Richards (footballer), Justin Richards scoring a brace in a 3–1 win at Queens Park Rangers F.C., Queens Park Rangers in the 2010–11 Football League Cup, League Cup first round. Adams left the club in December 2010, with Vale second in the table, after his hometown club Sheffield United chose him as their new manager. Jim Gannon was appointed to finish the promotion job, having already masterminded
Stockport County Stockport County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in EFL League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton ...
's escape from the division some years previous. Vale lost ground during the transition phase, though hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons in February, after Gannon and assistant Geoff Horsfield had a bust-up during a pre-match coach trip, which resulted in both men leaving the bus to return to Burslem. This argument proved to be just the tip of the iceberg, and Gannon was sacked in March after alienating most of the fans, players and staff. This ten-week reign was the shortest in the club's history for a permanent appointment. Mark Grew failed to lift the club back into the play-offs, though at the end of the season supporters were delighted to learn that Micky Adams would be returning as manager. Adams took up a position as director, while chairman Bill Bratt resigned as chairman and was replaced by Mike Lloyd. This, combined with promised investment into the club, quelled growing fan unrest. In September 2011, the investors were revealed to be sports construction firm Blue Sky International, who planned to plough £5 million into the club in twelve months and a further £2.5 million by 2016. This sum would secure the long-term future of the club. Bratt resigned as a director in October 2011, as the Valiant2001 era drew to a close. However, it quickly emerged that the deal was in jeopardy due to unforeseen 'contractual issues', and new chairman Peter Miller and CEO Perry Deakin came in for criticism from the fans after it was revealed that they had not purchased shares in the club as previously stated. In December, Blue Sky CEO Hank Julicher confirmed that neither his company or his family had invested any money into the club, and claimed that the £8 million deal the club had announced was pure fantasy. Supporters showed their disapproval against the board by displaying red cards in the home fixture against Aldershot Town F.C., Aldershot Town, a game in which Loan (sports), loanee Guy Madjo scored a hat-trick. By the end the year, Deakin had resigned from his post and the board decided to end Miller's reign as chairman.


2012–2019: Smurthwaite's ownership

Genuine hopes of promotion in 2011–12 Port Vale F.C. season, 2011–12 were brought to an end after the club were issued with a Liquidation, winding up petition by HM Revenue and Customs on 29 February 2012; the club were by this time unable to pay tax bills, creditors, or staff wages. The club entered
administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal: the process of dealing with or controlling things or people. ** Administrative assistant, traditionally known as a se ...
on 9 March; the administrators appointed were Begbies Traynor. On 6 July, it was reported that Keith Ryder had completed his takeover of the club. However, after two months of being told Ryder would complete the deal "tomorrow", the administrators opened negotiations with other parties, as the new season drew ever closer. Instead, Paul Wildes completed his takeover of the club on 20 November 2012. The
2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
season was a resounding success, with Tom Pope scoring 33 goals to fire Vale to promotion back to League One with a third-place finish. Paul Wildes stepped down as chairman and was replaced by
Norman Smurthwaite Norman Smurthwaite (born 8 August 1960) is an English businessman and former football club chairman. He qualified as an engineer and built a business career and property portfolio before retiring at the age of 50. He took over as chairman of Por ...
in May 2013. The club continued to progress in the league during the 2013–14 Port Vale F.C. season, 2013–14, consolidating their League One status with a ninth-place finish. Adams left the club following a poor start to the 2014–15 Port Vale F.C. season, 2014–15 campaign, and his assistant, Rob Page, stepped up to lead Vale to mid-table finishes in 2014–15 and 2015–16 Port Vale F.C. season, 2015–16, before quitting the club to take charge at league rivals
Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the c ...
. Smurthwaite appointed the club's first foreign manager, Bruno Ribeiro, in June 2016. A virtually new squad of foreign recruits arrived and the result was relegation back into League Two at the end of the 2016–17 season under caretaker manager Michael Brown (footballer, born 1977), Michael Brown, who succeeded Ribeiro on Boxing day. Smurthwaite issued a statement apologising for relegation, and stated that he would be stepping down as chairman and would no longer attend games as he looked to sell the club. An atrocious start to the 2017–18 Port Vale F.C. season, 2017–18 season saw Brown sacked on 16 September with the club bottom of the Football League. Stepping in to replace Brown, with the club now 22nd in League Two, was former defender Neil Aspin, with John Rudge returning as director of football. They managed to prevent another relegation, though the 20th-place finish at the end of 2017–18 Port Vale F.C. season, 2017–18 was still the joint-lowest in the club's history. Aspin resigned in January 2019, leaving the club 18th in League Two. John Askey came in and steered the club clear of the relegation zone despite losing his first four games in charge. Smurthwaite threatened to put the club into administration if a buyer was not found by May 2019, a fate which was avoided when Carol Shanahan, Carol and Kevin Shanahan completed their takeover.


2020–present: Shanahan's ownership

The 2019–20 Port Vale F.C. season, 2019–20 was ended prematurely with the entire club staff on furlough due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom; now sole chairperson, Carol Shanahan voted to end the league early for the future financial health of other clubs in the division, even though it would cost the club a chance to improve on their eighth-place position and reach the play-offs. John Askey departed as manager with the team sitting 17th in the table in January 2021. David Flitcroft became the club's first ever director of football the following month and
Darrell Clarke Darrell James Clarke (born 16 December 1977) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who played in the English Football League. He is the head coach of club Bristol Rovers ...
was appointed as manager. Port Vale's game against Harrogate Town A.F.C., Harrogate Town on 5 April 2021 was the first in the English Football League where a woman referee was appointed to officiate. Though 2020–21 Port Vale F.C. season, 2020–21 saw the team finish in mid-table, the club impressed off the pitch by being named as Community Club of the Year at the EFL Awards for "a staggering 300,000 food parcels and 6,000 phone calls delivered to those in need during the pandemic". Despite losing Clarke to bereavement leave for nearly three months, Port Vale finished fifth and qualified for the 2022 English Football League play-offs, play-offs at the end of the 2021–22 season and defeated
Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded as Swindon A ...
on Penalty shoot-out (association football), penalties to progress through the semi-finals. Promotion was secured with a 3–0 victory over
Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third level of the English football league system. The club was formed in 1897 as Mans ...
in 2022 EFL League Two play-off final, the final and Clarke dedicated the victory to his recently deceased daughter. Clarke was sacked in April 2023 following a long spell of poor results in the calendar year. He was succeeded by his assistant, Andy Crosby, who kept the club up, only to sacked on 5 February 2024. Darren Moore signed a five-and-half-year deal to manage the club eight days later. Vale were relegated to League Two at the end of the 2023–24 season. Moore took them straight back into League One as runners-up to
Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...
at the end of the 2024–25 season.


References


Books

* Kent, Jeff: "Back To Where We Once Belonged!: Port Vale Promotion Chronicle 1988–1989" (Witan Books, 1989, ). * Kent, Jeff: "The Valiants' Years: The Story of Port Vale" (Witan Books, 1990, ). * Kent, Jeff: "Port Vale Tales: A Collection of Stories, Anecdotes And Memories" (Witan Books, 1991, ). * Kent, Jeff: "The Port Vale Record 1879–1993" (Witan Books, 1993, ). * Kent, Jeff: "Port Vale Personalities: A Biographical Dictionary of Players, Officials and Supporters" (Witan Books, 1996, ). * Kent, Jeff: "The Potteries Derbies" (Witan Books, 1998, ). * Kent, Jeff: ''What If There Had Been No Port in the Vale?: Startling Port Vale Stories!'' (Witan Books, 2011, ). {{Stoke-on-Trent History of football clubs in England, Port Vale History of Stoke-on-Trent Port Vale F.C., History