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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.
Thomas Baddeley was an England international footballer who played as a goalkeeper. In his playing career, Baddeley made over 350 league appearances, and also earned five caps. After starting his career in the English Football League with Burslem Port Vale, he spent 1896 to 1907 at Wolverhampton Wanderers, and then ended his career with spells at Bradford Park Avenue and Stoke.
William Levi Draycott was an English footballer who played as a right half for Burslem Port Vale, Stoke, Burton Wanderers, Newton Heath, Bedminster, Bristol Rovers, Wellingborough, and Luton Town in the 1890s and early 1900s.
William Henry Heames was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Burslem Port Vale and Stoke. A left-winger, he had an eleven-year career, scoring 28 goals in 249 games in all competitions. His sole honour was a Staffordshire Senior Cup win with Vale in 1898.
Arthur Rowley was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Burslem Port Vale and Stoke, and in the Southern League with Bristol Rovers. He was the first player to score a goal straight from a direct free kick in the Football League.
Edward McDonald was an English footballer who played at left half for Stoke, Burslem Port Vale, Notts County, and Portsmouth.
Daniel Simpson was an English footballer who scored 53 goals in 151 competitive games for Burslem Port Vale between 1896 and 1903. A centre-forward, he was twice the club's top-scorer, and scored the only goal of the 1898 Staffordshire Senior Cup final.
Lucien Emile Boullemier was an English footballer and ceramic designer. A right-half, he played competitively for Stoke, Burslem Port Vale, Philadelphia Hibernian, Northampton Town, and Northern Nomads. He was the younger brother of Leon Boullemier, also an accomplished sportsman.
Thomas Davies was an English footballer who played 65 league and cup games at left-back for Burslem Port Vale between 1899 and 1903.
James H. Ditchfield was an English footballer who played at inside-left for Burslem Port Vale between 1886 and 1896.
William George Eardley (1871–?) was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Burslem Port Vale and Stoke. A pacey, quality player he was also prone to sulking.
James H. Holdcroft was a footballer who played for Burslem Port Vale in the mid-1890s
Ralph Barlow was an English footballer who played for Burslem Port Vale in the mid-1890s.
Frederick Belfield (1876–1921) was an English footballer who played 51 games and scored 10 goals for Burslem Port Vale.
Joseph Benton Sandham (1871–1948) was an English footballer who played at centre-forward for Stoke, Crewe Alexandra, Burslem Port Vale, and Dresden United.
James Downie was a 19th-century footballer who played for Blackburn Rovers and Burslem Port Vale.
William Spencer Rowley was an English footballer who played as goalkeeper for Stoke in the 1880s and 1890s, also making two appearances for England. He later became Stoke's manager between 1895 and 1897.
John Edward Evans, also known as "Jammer", was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Bury, Burslem Port Vale and Stoke.
George Hewitt was an English footballer who played as an inside-forward for Burslem Port Vale and Luton Town.
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 3 Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 98. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
- ↑ John Fallows at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)