The 1961–62 season was Port Vale's 50th season of football in the English Football League, and their third season in the Third Division.[1] The season was most notable for the win over Sunderland in the FA Cup, which followed a goalless draw at Roker Park in which the Vale defence prevented Brian Clough from even having a shot. The club also hosted a friendly against the Czechoslovakia national football team and later took a tour of Poland. In the league, they failed to gain promotion and settled for mid-table obscurity.
1961–62 season | ||
---|---|---|
Chairman | Joe Machin | |
Manager | Norman Low | |
Stadium | Vale Park | |
Football League Third Division | 12th (45 Points) | |
FA Cup | Fifth Round (knocked out by Fulham) | |
League Cup | First Round (knocked out by Blackpool) | |
Top goalscorer | League: Arthur Longbottom (16) All: Bert Llewellyn, Arthur Longbottom (20 each) | |
Highest home attendance | 28,226 vs. Sunderland, 31 January 1961 | |
Lowest home attendance | 4,770 vs. Swindon Town, 14 April 1962 | |
Average home league attendance | 8,993 | |
Biggest win | 4–0 (twice) | |
Biggest defeat | 1–4 vs. Southend United, 16 October 1961 | |
| ||
Overview
editThird Division
editThe pre-season saw Norman Low spend some of the £10,000 in transfer funds he was allocated.[1] He spent £2,000 acquiring inside-forward Arthur Longbottom from Queens Park Rangers.[1] Low then repaid West Bromwich Albion the £10,000 for Stan Steele to bring him back to Vale Park.[1] This meant a 'shock' for the fans, as Cliff Portwood was sold to Grimsby Town for £6,000 to balance the books.[1] Another £2,000 was spent on bringing centre-half John Nicholson from Liverpool.[1] Free signings included winger Stan Edwards (Everton), goalkeeper Peter Taylor (Middlesbrough), and Joe Maloney (Shrewsbury Town).[1] Low declared that the logic behind the signings was to improve the defence and that his side was now 'capable of getting promotion'.[1] To whip the new signings into shape trainer Lol Hamlett took them on a seven-mile run.[1]
The defence began poorly, in an opening day 4–2 defeat to Shrewsbury Town at Gay Meadow.[1] Maloney was subsequently dropped and sold to Crewe Alexandra for 'a small fee'.[1] The first match at Burslem saw Vale ' casually steamroller' Hull City 4–0.[1] On 2 September, John Nicholson made the first of his club record 208 consecutive appearances, that would end on 8 September 1965. On a four-match sequence without a win, The Sentinel commented that "gloom has descended".[1] The mood lifted with a 1–0 win over Bristol City at Ashton Gate on 9 September, in the first of five wins in six games.[1]
On 2 October Czechoslovakia beat Vale 3–1 in front of 22,895 fans at Vale Park, repaying the club for their successful tour of the country at the end of the 1959–60 season.[1] Later that month Dennis Fidler was sold to Grimsby Town for £2,000, and the "Valiants" struggled.[1] Vale then signed Colin Grainger from Leeds United for £6,000, and the former England international scored on his debut.[1] In December, Low further added to his firepower by signing Ralph Hunt from Swindon Town for £3,500.[1] Hunt scored a hat-trick in his second game for the club, a 4–1 win over Shrewsbury Town.[1] He also hit the back of the net in the following two victories. Vale then struggled in the league, losing four games on the bounce.[1] Around this time rivals Stoke City faced an upsurge in support with the return of Stanley Matthews. Low attempted to tempt Tom Finney out of retirement, but was unsuccessful.[1]
By the end of February, Vale lay four points clear of relegation, and star player Grainger was injured.[1] Beating Barnsley 2–0, they picked up six points out of a possible ten.[1] They remained unbeaten throughout the opening six games of April to ensure survival.[1] At this time, Noel Kinsey's contract was cancelled, as he wished to go into the pottery business in Norwich.[1] At Vale Park, an £8,000 social club was opened, as the club management stated their intention to turn the ground into 'a real family social centre'.[1]
They finished the season in twelfth position with 45 points, closer to the drop than promotion. A weak attack did not support a strong defence.[1] Llewellyn and Longbottom scored twenty goals each in all competitions but received little support.[1]
Finances
editOn the financial side, declining attendance failed to prevent a profit of £1,261.[1] This profit came thanks to a hefty £16,250 donation from the Sportsmen's Association and Vale's daily pools.[1] Gate receipts stood at £44,388, whilst expenditures rose to £73,059 despite wages being kept at around £31,000.[1] Peter Taylor was allowed to leave for Burton Albion as he failed to dislodge Ken Hancock; Taylor later became acquainted with Brian Clough at Burton. Low also sold three players for £2,000 each: Brian Jackson to Peterborough United, Ralph Hunt to Newport County, and David Raine to Doncaster Rovers.[1]
In May, the team took a tour of Poland, playing four friendlies, climbing the Tatra Mountains, and sailing on the Tatras River.[1] When one boat capsized, 'the lads told the attendant in colourful Potteries language what they thought of him'.[1] The final game of the tour was a goalless draw with Legia.[1]
Cup competitions
editIn the FA Cup, Vale brushed past Bradford Park Avenue with a 1–0 win at Horsfall Stadium. In the second round, they faced Crewe Alex, who beat 3–0 in a replay, following a 1–1 draw at Gresty Road. Vale then beat Northampton Town 3–1, all the goals coming from Bert Llewellyn.[1] In the Fourth Round, they travelled to Sunderland's Roker Park, holding the "Mackems" to a goalless draw in front of 49,468 noisy Sunderland fans - not even £50,000 star striker Brian Clough could master the Vale defence.[1] For the return, 28,226 witnessed a 3–1 victory for the Vale over the Second Division side in 'a magical piece of soccer history'.[1] The club won the Giant Killers' Cup for the season.[2] The Vale had 'spat and hissed like angry alley cats' for their win, intimidating tricky winger Harry Hooper.[1] In the Fifth Round they were beaten by First Division Fulham at Craven Cottage with a disputed late penalty.[1] The referee also gave the "Cottagers" a goal kick when the ball had in fact crossed the line for a goal – to the fury of the Vale supporters.[3]
In the League Cup, First Division Blackpool took a 2–1 win at Bloomfield Road to dump Vale out of the competition.
League table
edit
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 | Hull City | 46 | 20 | 8 | 18 | 67 | 54 | 1.241 | 48 |
11 | Bradford Park Avenue | 46 | 20 | 7 | 19 | 80 | 78 | 1.026 | 47 |
12 | Port Vale | 46 | 17 | 11 | 18 | 65 | 58 | 1.121 | 45 |
13 | Notts County | 46 | 17 | 9 | 20 | 67 | 74 | 0.905 | 43 |
14 | Coventry City | 46 | 16 | 11 | 19 | 64 | 71 | 0.901 | 43 |
Results
editPort Vale's score comes first
Football League Third Division
editResults by matchday
editMatches
editDate | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
19 August 1961 | Shrewsbury Town | A | 2–4 | 8,632 | Fidler, Longbottom |
21 August 1961 | Hull City | H | 4–0 | 11,480 | Poole (2), Llewellyn, Jackson |
26 August 1961 | Peterborough United | H | 0–1 | 18,797 | |
31 August 1961 | Hull City | A | 1–3 | 8,095 | Longbottom |
2 September 1961 | Northampton Town | A | 1–1 | 9,573 | Llewellyn |
4 September 1961 | Southend United | H | 0–0 | 10,317 | |
9 September 1961 | Bristol City | A | 1–0 | 10,670 | Poole |
16 September 1961 | Bradford Park Avenue | H | 3–2 | 9,279 | Steele, Llewellyn, Longbottom |
21 September 1961 | Notts County | A | 3–2 | 8,676 | Jackson, Llewellyn, Poole |
23 September 1961 | Grimsby Town | A | 1–1 | 8,910 | Poole |
25 September 1961 | Notts County | H | 1–0 | 11,707 | Whalley |
30 September 1961 | Coventry City | H | 2–0 | 9,821 | Longbottom, Poole |
4 October 1961 | Reading | A | 0–0 | 11,779 | |
7 October 1961 | Watford | H | 1–3 | 10,120 | Steele |
9 October 1961 | Reading | H | 2–1 | 7,208 | Steele, Longbottom |
14 October 1961 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | A | 0–1 | 13,675 | |
16 October 1961 | Southend United | A | 1–4 | 8,090 | Nicholson |
21 October 1961 | Torquay United | H | 4–1 | 10,383 | Jackson (2), Grainger, Llewellyn |
28 October 1961 | Lincoln City | A | 1–1 | 4,708 | Llewellyn |
11 November 1961 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 1–2 | 7,087 | Llewellyn |
18 November 1961 | Halifax Town | H | 1–1 | 9,374 | Longbottom |
2 December 1961 | Crystal Palace | H | 0–1 | 9,761 | |
9 December 1961 | Portsmouth | A | 0–1 | 11,925 | |
16 December 1961 | Shrewsbury Town | H | 4–1 | 8,837 | Hunt (3), Jackson |
23 December 1961 | Peterborough United | A | 3–1 | 9,294 | Hunt (2), Llewellyn |
26 December 1961 | Newport County | H | 3–0 | 12,182 | Llewellyn, Longbottom, Hunt |
13 January 1962 | Northampton Town | H | 1–1 | 8,229 | Llewellyn |
20 January 1962 | Bristol City | H | 0–2 | 7,262 | |
3 February 1962 | Bradford Park Avenue | A | 1–2 | 9,294 | Sproson |
10 February 1962 | Grimsby Town | H | 0–2 | 10,071 | |
24 February 1962 | Watford | A | 0–2 | 7,778 | |
5 March 1962 | Barnsley | H | 2–0 | 4,958 | Longbottom, Steele |
10 March 1962 | Torquay United | A | 0–2 | 4,565 | |
12 March 1962 | Newport County | A | 1–1 | 2,524 | Longbottom |
17 March 1962 | Lincoln City | H | 4–0 | 6,239 | Steele (2), Longbottom, Edwards |
19 March 1962 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | H | 1–0 | 8,993 | Llewellyn |
24 March 1962 | Barnsley | A | 1–2 | 4,670 | Longbottom |
31 March 1962 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 2–3 | 4,936 | Longbottom (2) |
7 April 1962 | Halifax Town | A | 3–3 | 2,938 | Steele, Longbottom, Llewellyn |
14 April 1962 | Swindon Town | H | 1–1 | 4,770 | Longbottom |
16 April 1962 | Coventry City | A | 1–0 | 5,907 | Edwards |
20 April 1962 | Brentford | A | 2–1 | 11,175 | o.g., Llewellyn |
21 April 1962 | Crystal Palace | A | 0–0 | 10,519 | |
23 April 1962 | Brentford | H | 3–0 | 5,928 | Longbottom, Edwards, Steele |
28 April 1962 | Portsmouth | H | 2–3 | 6,186 | Llewellyn (2) |
30 April 1962 | Swindon Town | A | 0–1 | 7,331 |
FA Cup
editRound | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R1 | 4 November 1961 | Bradford Park Avenue | A | 1–0 | 12,127 | Jackson |
R2 | 25 November 1961 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 1–1 | 13,081 | Longbottom |
R2 Replay | 27 November 1961 | Crewe Alexandra | H | 3–0 | 19,029 | Longbottom (2), Llewellyn |
R3 | 6 January 1962 | Northampton Town | H | 3–1 | 19,444 | Llewellyn (3) |
R4 | 27 January 1962 | Sunderland | A | 0–0 | 49,468 | |
R4 Replay | 31 January 1962 | Sunderland | H | 3–1 | 28,226 | Jackson, Poole, Llewellyn |
R5 | 17 February 1962 | Fulham | A | 0–1 | 29,559 |
League Cup
editRound | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R1 | 13 September 1961 | Blackpool | A | 1–2 | 10,494 | Llewellyn |
Player statistics
editAppearances
editPos. | Name | Football League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
GK | Ken Hancock | 44 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 0 |
GK | John Cooke | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
GK | Peter Taylor | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
DF | Roy Sproson | 46 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 54 | 1 |
DF | David Raine | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
DF | Selwyn Whalley | 40 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 1 |
DF | Terry Lowe | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
MF | John Nicholson | 42 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50 | 1 |
MF | Terry Miles | 44 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 0 |
MF | Brian Jackson | 34 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 7 |
MF | Peter Ford | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
MF | Dennis Fidler | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
MF | Roy Gater | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
MF | Joe Maloney | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
MF | Colin Grainger | 11 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 |
MF | Stan Edwards | 22 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 3 |
MF | Colin Corbishley | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
FW | Harry Poole | 39 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 45 | 7 |
FW | Stan Steele | 35 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 8 |
FW | Bert Llewellyn | 42 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 50 | 20 |
FW | Barry Hancock | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
FW | Ralph Hunt | 14 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 6 |
FW | Arthur Longbottom | 42 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 20 |
FW | Derek Edge | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Top scorers
editPlace | Position | Nation | Name | Third Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | FW | England | Arthur Longbottom | 16 | 4 | 0 | 20 |
– | FW | England | Bert Llewellyn | 15 | 4 | 1 | 20 |
3 | FW | England | Stan Steele | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
4 | FW | England | Harry Poole | 6 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
– | MF | England | Brian Jackson | 5 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
6 | FW | England | Ralph Hunt | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
7 | MF | England | Stan Edwards | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
8 | MF | England | Colin Grainger | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
– | MF | England | John Nicholson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
– | DF | England | Selwyn Whalley | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
– | MF | England | Dennis Fidler | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
– | DF | England | Roy Sproson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
– | – | – | Own goals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
TOTALS | 65 | 11 | 1 | 77 |
Transfers
editTransfers in
editDate from | Position | Nationality | Name | From | Fee | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
May 1961 | MF | Stan Edwards | Everton | Free transfer | [5] | |
May 1961 | FW | Arthur Longbottom | Queens Park Rangers | £2,000 | [5] | |
June 1961 | MF | Joe Maloney | Shrewsbury Town | Free transfer | [5] | |
June 1961 | GK | Peter Taylor | Middlesbrough | £750 | [5] | |
July 1961 | FW | Stan Steele | West Bromwich Albion | £10,000 | [5] | |
July 1961 | MF | Colin Grainger | Leeds United | £6,000 | [5] | |
August 1961 | DF | John Nicholson | Liverpool | £2,000 | [5] | |
December 1961 | FW | Ralph Hunt | Swindon Town | £3,500 | [5] |
Transfers out
editDate from | Position | Nationality | Name | To | Fee | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
June 1961 | MF | Joe Maloney | Crewe Alexandra | 'small' | [5] | |
October 1961 | MF | Dennis Fidler | Grimsby Town | £2,000 | [5] | |
April 1962 | FW | Noel Kinsey | Mutual consent | [5] | ||
May 1962 | MF | Colin Corbishley | Chester | Released | [5] | |
May 1962 | FW | Derek Edge | Crewe Alexandra | Free transfer | [5] | |
May 1962 | GK | Peter Taylor | Burton Albion | Free transfer | [5] | |
June 1962 | MF | Roy Gater | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | 'small' | [5] | |
June 1962 | MF | Brian Jackson | Peterborough United | £2,000 | [5] | |
July 1962 | FW | Ralph Hunt | Newport County | £2,000 | [5] | |
July 1962 | DF | David Raine | Doncaster Rovers | £2,000 | [5] | |
Summer 1962 | FW | Stan March | Macclesfield | Released | [5] |
References
edit- Specific
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an Kent, Jeff (1990). "Flattering Only to Deceive (1960–1969)". The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale. Witan Books. pp. 196–226. ISBN 0-9508981-4-7.
- ^ Baggaley, Mike (21 April 2024). "Apologies and pledges as Vale are relegated". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ Kent, Jeff (December 1991). Port Vale Tales: A Collection Of Stories, Anecdotes And Memories. Witan Books. p. 109. ISBN 0-9508981-6-3.
- ^ Port Vale 1961–1962 : Results & Fixtures Archived 11 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
- General
- Kent, Jeff (1993). The Port Vale Record 1879-1993. Witan Books. ISBN 0-9508981-9-8.