Wikipedia

1963–64 Port Vale F.C. season

The 1963–64 season was Port Vale's 52nd season of football in the English Football League, and their fifth season in the Third Division.[1] Freddie Steele spent big on transfers, bringing in players such as Billy Bingham, Albert Cheesebrough, and Jackie Mudie. However, it was a disappointing season in the league and a disaster financially. The highlights of the season came in the FA Cup, where Vale beat top-flight Birmingham City at St Andrew's, and drew 0–0 with Liverpool at Anfield.

Port Vale
1963–64 season
ChairmanTom Talbot
ManagerFreddie Steele
StadiumVale Park
Football League Third Division13th (46 Points)
FA CupFourth Round
(knocked out by Liverpool)
League CupFirst Round
(knocked out by Southend United)
Top goalscorerLeague: Tony Richards (12)
All: Tony Richards (13)
Highest home attendance42,179 vs. Liverpool, 27 January 1964
Lowest home attendance4,497 vs. Wrexham, 25 April 1964
Average home league attendance10,056
Biggest win5–0 vs. Wrexham, 25 April 1964
Biggest defeat0–3 (twice) and 1–4

Overview

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Third Division

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The pre-season saw manager Freddie Steele spend unprecedented sums of money – though Vale's spending was insignificant to the standard of many of their rivals.[1] Steele brought in Northern Ireland international Billy Bingham from Everton for £15,000; Albert Cheesebrough from Leicester City for another £15,000; as well as Walsall's Tim Rawlings for £4,000.[1] Chairman Tom Talbot approved these signings despite the club's financial problems.[1] The club also took a tour of Northern Ireland, though a friendly with Benfica (arranged to match rivals Stoke City's match with Real Madrid) was cancelled due to fixture congestion.[1]

The season opened with a 1–0 defeat to Shrewsbury Town at Gay Meadow.[1] This was followed with two victories, including a 4–1 win over Bristol City in which Tony Richards bagged a hat-trick.[1] After another three poor away games came, followed by a 3–0 win over Brentford in which Cheesebrough scored a hat-trick, and a 4–0 win over nearby Crewe Alexandra in front of 17,118 fans.[1] Richards sustained a bad leg injury in this win over Crewe.[1] In the beginning of October, Steele bought winger Ron Smith from Crewe for £6,500.[1] Vale improved as a consequence, and three successive victories followed, leaving Vale in fifth spot.[1] However, with Richards' return came a downturn in form, as Vale's impressive strikers failed to find the net in a run of one win in nine league games.[1] This one win was a 1–0 victory over struggling Barnsley at Vale Park. However, a subsequent pitch invasion by youths emphasised a growing hooligan culture that would plague the club and the sport itself for decades.[1]

In November, Vale paid Stoke City £12,000 for both ex-Scotland striker Jackie Mudie and left-back Ron Wilson.[1] The defeats kept coming, and so Steele experimented with a 4–2–4 formation, dropping Richards from the first XI.[1] Vale then went six league games unbeaten, including a 4–4 draw with Bristol Rovers at the Eastville Stadium.[1] However, a 1–0 home loss inflicted by Notts County sent Vale on a run of seven defeats and two draws in nine league games.[1] By March, the club was in a relegation battle, though results then began to go Vale's way.[1] Only one defeat in their final eleven games ensured safety, as the season ended with a 5–0 drubbing of relegated Wrexham.[1]

They finished in thirteenth place with 46 points, a poor finish for the money spent on transfers.[1] Only 53 goals were scored, as Richards and Cheeseborough were affected with injuries, and Bingham struggled to find his footing in the third tier.[1] Their 49 goals conceded was an excellent record though.[1]

Finances

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On the financial side, good attendance figures failed to prevent a massive loss of £42,650, resulting from a £45,567 deficit in transfer fees.[1] A donation of £19,867 from the Sportsmen's Association and the social club could not disguise the disaster of poor finances.[1] The wage bill had also risen by 20% to over £40,000.[1] Leaving the club were Colin Grainger to Doncaster Rovers and Terry Harkin to Crewe Alexandra for a £3,000 fee.[1]

Cup competitions

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In the FA Cup, Vale conquered Fourth Division Bradford City with a 2–1 win at Valley Parade. They defeated Workington 2–1 in a 'slipshod affair'.[1] The Third Round held First Division Birmingham City at St Andrew's. Three thousand of the 21,652 spectators were Vale fans, who 'sung and chanted their way through' a 2–1 victory.[1] In the Fourth Round Vale were drawn against top-flight giants Liverpool at Anfield. The "Reds" had inflicted a 6–1 thrashing of Stoke on Boxing Day, in an ominous sign of the challenge the "Valiants" faced.[1] Vale achieved a goalless draw in front of 52,327 fans – 8,000 of them Vale supporters – in a fantastic team performance.[1] The replay at Vale Park ended in a 2–1 loss in front of 42,179 paying fans (as well as an additional 6,000 or so Liverpool supporters who 'mob stormed' the gates to enter the Railway Paddock).[1] Crowd trouble ate into the £8,000 worth of gate receipts, and more significantly caused the death of a Leek man (Harold Birch), and saw serious injuries inflicted to Liverpool fans Harry Taylor and James McDonough, as well as Vale supporter Billy Poulson.[1]

In the League Cup, a First Round exit came with a 2–1 defeat at Southend United's Roots Hall.

League table

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Main article: 1963–64 Football League

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
11 Shrewsbury Town 46 18 11 17 73 80 0.913 47
12 Bristol Rovers 46 19 8 19 91 79 1.152 46
13 Port Vale 46 16 14 16 53 49 1.082 46
14 Southend United 46 15 15 16 77 78 0.987 45
15 Queens Park Rangers 46 18 9 19 76 78 0.974 45
Source: [citation needed]

Results

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Port Vale's score comes first

Football League Third Division

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Results by matchday

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Round12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546
GroundAHHAAAHHAAHAHHAAHHAHHAHAHAHHAHAAHAAAHHAAHHHAAH
ResultLWWLDLWWLWDLWWWLDDLWLDDDWDWLLLLDLLLDWDDWWDWLDW
Position219411101676108912965677121010121313109810111313151516171716171615141413141413
Source: Statto[2]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

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Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
24 August 1963 Shrewsbury Town A 0–1 9,710
26 August 1963 Mansfield Town H 1–0 14,451 Richards
31 August 1963 Bristol City H 4–1 10,363 Richards (3), Rowland
7 September 1963 Oldham Athletic A 0–1 14,730
9 September 1963 Mansfield Town A 1–1 12,064 B.Hancock
14 September 1963 Notts County A 0–2 7,309
16 September 1963 Brentford H 3–0 11,539 Cheesebrough (3)
21 September 1963 Crewe Alexandra H 4–0 17,118 Cheesebrough, Bingham, Steele, Richards
28 September 1963 Crystal Palace A 0–2 15,044
1 October 1963 Brentford A 2–1 11,914 Poole, Cheesebrough
5 October 1963 Walsall H 2–2 12,760 Bingham, o.g.
9 October 1963 Luton Town A 0–1 5,914
12 October 1963 Southend United H 4–1 10,306 Rowland, Smith, Harkin, Miles
14 October 1963 Luton Town H 1–0 11,449 Rawlings
19 October 1963 Wrexham A 2–1 6,781 Bingham (2)
23 October 1963 Reading A 0–1 8,731
26 October 1963 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic H 0–0 12,402
28 October 1963 Reading H 0–0 9,492
2 November 1963 Hull City A 1–4 8,460 Richards
9 November 1963 Barnsley H 1–0 9,083 Steele
23 November 1963 Colchester United H 0–2 11,108
30 November 1963 Watford A 1–1 9,890 Poole
14 December 1963 Shrewsbury Town H 1–1 6,906 Mudie
21 December 1963 Bristol City A 0–0 6,021
26 December 1963 Bristol Rovers H 1–0 11,442 Mudie
28 December 1963 Bristol Rovers A 4–4 12,954 Richards (2), Mudie (2)
11 January 1964 Oldham Athletic H 1–0 12,322 Richards
18 January 1964 Notts County H 0–1 7,337
31 January 1964 Crewe Alexandra A 0–1 9,425
8 February 1964 Crystal Palace H 1–2 8,204 Richards
15 February 1964 Walsall A 1–2 7,056 Mudie
22 February 1964 Southend United A 1–1 7,612 Smith
29 February 1964 Peterborough United H 1–2 6,613 Poole
7 March 1964 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic A 0–3 7,584
16 March 1964 Millwall A 1–3 8,312 Mudie
23 March 1964 Peterborough United A 1–1 10,408 Steele
28 March 1964 Millwall H 1–0 5,385 Bingham
30 March 1964 Coventry City H 1–1 17,567 Steele
31 March 1964 Coventry City A 1–1 29,641 Smith
4 April 1964 Colchester United A 2–1 3,263 Miles, Rowland
6 April 1964 Queens Park Rangers H 2–0 7,167 Steele, Smith
11 April 1964 Watford H 0–0 7,698
13 April 1964 Hull City H 1–0 6,090 Rowland
18 April 1964 Queens Park Rangers A 0–3 4,955
20 April 1964 Barnsley A 0–0 4,918
25 April 1964 Wrexham H 5–0 4,497 Richards (2), Bingham (pen), Smith, Cheesebrough

FA Cup

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Main article: 1963–64 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R1 16 November 1963 Bradford City A 2–1 8,189 Whalley, Richards
R2 7 December 1963 Workington H 2–1 10,286 Steele, Bingham
R3 4 January 1964 Birmingham City A 2–1 21,652 Sproson, Mudie
R4 25 January 1964 Liverpool A 0–0 52,327
R4 Replay 27 January 1964 Liverpool H 1–2 42,179 Cheesebrough

League Cup

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Main article: 1963–64 Football League Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R2 25 September 1963 Southend United A 1–2 6,126 Harkin

Player statistics

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Appearances and goals

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Pos. Name Football League FA Cup League Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK   Ken Hancock 44 0 5 0 1 0 50 0
GK   John Cooke 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
DF   Roy Sproson 46 0 5 1 1 0 52 1
DF   Selwyn Whalley 41 0 5 1 1 0 47 1
DF   Terry Lowe 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
DF   Terry Alcock 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
DF   Ron Wilson 24 0 4 0 0 0 28 0
DF   John Nicholson 46 0 5 0 1 0 52 0
MF   Terry Miles 24 2 2 0 1 0 27 2
MF   Colin Grainger 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
MF   Tim Rawlings 19 1 3 0 0 0 22 1
MF   Ron Smith 34 5 5 0 0 0 39 5
FW   Harry Poole 26 3 2 0 1 0 29 3
FW   Stan Steele 44 5 5 1 1 0 50 6
FW   Barry Hancock 5 1 0 0 0 0 5 1
FW   John Rowland 23 4 4 0 1 0 28 4
FW   Tony Richards 30 12 4 1 0 0 34 13
FW   Terry Harkin 10 1 0 0 1 1 11 2
FW   Jackie Mudie 18 6 3 1 0 0 21 7
FW   Mick Porter 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
FW   Billy Bingham 35 6 2 1 1 0 38 7
FW   Albert Cheesebrough 25 6 1 1 1 0 27 7

Top scorers

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Place Position Nation Name Third Division FA Cup League Cup Total
1 FW   England Tony Richards 12 1 0 13
2 FW   Scotland Jackie Mudie 6 1 0 7
– FW   Northern Ireland Billy Bingham 6 1 0 7
– FW   England Albert Cheesebrough 6 1 0 7
5 FW   England Stan Steele 5 1 0 6
6 MF   England Ron Smith 5 0 0 5
7 FW   England John Rowland 4 0 0 4
8 FW   England Harry Poole 3 0 0 3
9 MF   England Terry Miles 2 0 0 2
– FW   Northern Ireland Terry Harkin 1 0 1 2
11 FW   England Barry Hancock 1 0 0 1
– FW   England Tim Rawlings 1 0 0 1
– DF   England Roy Sproson 0 1 0 1
– DF   England Selwyn Whalley 0 1 0 1
– – – Own goals 1 0 0 1
TOTALS 53 7 1 61

Transfers

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Transfers in

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Date from Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref.
June 1963 MF   Tim Rawlings Walsall £4,000 [3]
August 1963 FW   Albert Cheesebrough Leicester City £20,000 [3]
August 1963 FW   Billy Bingham Everton £15,000 [3]
October 1963 MF   Ron Smith Crewe Alexandra £6,500 [3]
November 1963 FW   Jackie Mudie Stoke City £12,000 [3]
November 1963 DF   Ron Wilson Stoke City £12,000 [3]

Transfers out

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Date from Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref.
May 1964 GK   John Cooke Macclesfield Town Free transfer [3]
July 1964 MF   Terry Harkin Crewe Alexandra £3,000 [3]
July 1964 MF   Jim Watton Doncaster Rovers Free transfer [3]
Summer 1964 FW   Barry Hancock Crewe Alexandra Released [3]

References

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Specific
  1. ^ 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 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.
  2. ^ Port Vale 1963–1964 : Results & Fixtures Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
General
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