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Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in EFL League One. Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a settlement; their name being a reference to the valley of ports on the Trent and Mersey Canal. They have never played top-flight football, and hold the record for the most seasons in the English Football League (112) without reaching the first tier. After playing at the Athletic Ground in Cobridge and The Old Recreation Ground in Hanley, the club returned to Burslem when Vale Park was opened in 1950. Outside the ground is a statue to Roy Sproson, who played 842 competitive games for the club. The club's traditional rivals are Stoke City, and games between the two are known as the Potteries derby.
James Beech was an English footballer who played as a centre-half for Burslem Port Vale between 1894 and 1902, making 151 appearances in the Football League.
Edward McDonald was an English footballer who played at left half for Stoke, Burslem Port Vale, Notts County, and Portsmouth.
Alfred Edward Maybury was an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Nantwich, Burslem Port Vale, and Chesterfield.
Edward Morse was an English 19th-century footballer. He played 46 games for Burslem Port Vale in the late 1890s.
Alfred Josiah Edward Wood was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Aston Villa, Burslem Port Vale, Derby County and Stoke. He helped Villa to finish second in the First Division in 1902–03, and helped Stoke to reach the FA Cup semi-finals in 1899.
Hugh Edward Holdcroft was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Burslem Port Vale and Stoke in the early 1900s.
William Leech was an English footballer who played for Burslem Port Vale, Leicester Fosse, Plymouth Argyle, Stoke and Tottenham Hotspur. He made over 300 competitive appearances in a career lasting over 11 years. A left-half, his greatest achievement was to help Leicester to win promotion out of the Second Division in 1906–07.
George Henry Bateman was an English footballer who played for Burslem Port Vale, Stoke, and Northwich Victoria in the 1880s and 1890s.
John Edward Evans, also known as "Jammer", was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Bury, Burslem Port Vale and Stoke.
Edward Proctor (1870–1944) was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Stoke.
Edward Henry May was an English footballer who played for Notts Rangers, Burslem Port Vale, Notts County, and Nottingham Forest in the 1880s and 1890s.
William Edward Poulson was an English footballer. He was a one-club man for Port Vale, possibly also being one of its founders.
The 1968–69 season was Port Vale's 57th season of football in the English Football League, and their fourth successive season in the Fourth Division. New manager Gordon Lee used the season to consolidate the club after it was readmitted to the Football League immediately after being expelled for illegal payment of players. Managing 46 goals scored and conceded, and 46 points gained in 46 games, he had built a solid base for future progress. However the club's financial problems continued, as another loss was made to increase the club's debt levels.
The 1975–76 season was Port Vale's 64th season of football in the Football League, and their sixth successive season in the Third Division. Manager Roy Sproson brought Mick Cullerton back to Vale Park, and Cullerton was to become the top-scorer for the season with 21 goals. However the ongoing success of rivals Stoke City in winning the League Cup, playing in Europe, and competing at the top of the First Division caused Vale's support to suffer. The loyal support of a few thousand fans was not enough to balance the books, and so Brian Horton was controversially sold to Brighton & Hove Albion for £30,000.
The 1896–97 season was Burslem Port Vale's first season of football back in the Midland League following a four season stay in the Football League. The first half of the season saw low crowds and poor results, the consequence of which led to discussions about dissolving the club. However, the club returned from the brink, as a new committee was formed, with Edward Oliver installed as chairman and Sam Gleaves appointed club secretary. Good results and large crowds followed in the second half of the campaign, and the club finished in seventh-place and narrowly missed out on re-election to the Football League. Vale were beaten by Football League opposition in the fifth qualification round in the FA Cup, whilst exiting the Birmingham Senior Cup, Staffordshire Senior Cup and Wellingborough Cup in the early stages, though they did beat Football League side Walsall in the latter competition. They won the Staffordshire Senior Charity Cup after beating Dresden United 3–0.
The 1897–98 season was Burslem Port Vale's second season of football in the Midland League. Their league form proved streaky, as they lost seven of their opening nine fixtures but recovered to post nine wins in 12 games from November to March, ending the campaign in fifth-place. However they proved their worth in the cup competitions, particularly so in the FA Cup, beating Small Heath and eventual Football League First Division champions Sheffield United en route to the second round. In the Birmingham Senior Cup they took First Division side West Bromwich Albion to a second replay, whilst they beat Stoke in the semi-finals of the Staffordshire Senior Cup, losing out to West Bromwich Albion in the final. Their success earned them re-election back into the Football League.
Port Vale Football Club, an English association football club based in the town of Burslem, in Stoke-on-Trent, was founded in the late 1870s. In the club's early history, there was no league football, so matches were arranged on an occasional basis, supplemented by cup competitions organised at both local and national level. The club changed its name to Burslem Port Vale in 1884. In 1888, Burslem Port Vale joined the Combination, a league set up to provide organised football for those clubs not invited to join the Football League which was to start the same year. However, the Combination was not well organised, and folded in April 1889 with many fixtures still outstanding. Burslem Port Vale were founder members of the Midland League in 1890, and two years later were elected to the newly formed Second Division of the Football League. They failed re-election in 1896 and spent two seasons in the Midland League, before winning re-election back into the Football League Second Division. However they continued to struggle and folded in 1907. At this stage, North Staffordshire Church League champions Cobridge Church sought permission from the Football Association to change the club's name to Port Vale and bought the old club's ground. This was the start of a 12-year process that saw the newly formed club work its way through the North Staffordshire Federation League, North Staffordshire & District League and The Central League, to secure election into the Football League in October 1919. The club have remained in the Football League since that time, winning the Third Division North in 1929–30 and 1953–54 seasons and the Fourth Division title in 1958–59.
References
- 1 2 Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 311. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
- ↑ Edward Williams at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)