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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 but will play in EFL League Two in the 2024–25 season after suffering relegation. Vale are named after 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.
John Smith was an English footballer and football manager. A forward, he scored 119 goals in 216 league games during nine seasons of peacetime football in the Football League.
Robert William Smith is an English former footballer and football manager. He was capped by England at Schoolboys and Youth level. He is the son of Conway Smith and grandson of Billy Smith, from whom he gets his middle name.
Thomas Holford was an English footballer who played for Stoke, Manchester City, Port Vale and the England national team. His primary position was wing-half, but over the course of his career he played in many different positions. He later managed Port Vale on two separate occasions, serving throughout World War I, before a three-year spell from 1932 to 1935. He also served the club for many years as a trainer and a scout. In 1924 he turned out for the Vale at the age of 46 years and 68 days, making him one of the oldest ever players in the English Football League.
Dennis Anthony Butler 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 a five-year spell at Rochdale. Later working as a coach and assistant manager, he spent an unsuccessful time as Port Vale manager between 1978 and 1979.
In English football, the Potteries derby is the local derby between the two major clubs in the city of Stoke-on-Trent – Port Vale and Stoke City, first contested in 1882. Port Vale plays at Vale Park whilst Stoke play at the bet365 Stadium, the two grounds are separated by roughly 4.3 miles (6.9 km). The fans of each club both consider the other to be their main rivals; this has led to a heated atmosphere at these matches. One study in 2019 ranked it as the joint-28th biggest rivalry in English professional football, level with the Manchester derby. The two teams have met in 92 competitive first-team fixtures, including 44 English Football League, six FA Cup and two Football League Trophy fixtures, with the remaining 40 meetings coming in regional cup competitions.
Edward Critchley was an English footballer. A First Division championship winner with Everton, he has been described as "the finest 'home grown' player ever produced by Stockport County".
Allan Calderwood McKinstrey Todd was a Scottish footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played for Scottish clubs Leith Athletic and Cowdenbeath, and represented English sides Port Vale, Nottingham Forest, and Darlington.
John William Cope was an English footballer who played at left-back, and was noted for his tough-tackling ability. He played a total of 200 league games in a nine-year career in the Football League with Bolton Wanderers and Port Vale. He helped the "Valiants" to win the Third Division North title in the 1929–30 season. He returned to Port Vale shortly after World War II, and remained as a coach at the club until shortly before his death.
John Simms was an English footballer who played on the left-wing for Stoke, Leek Alexandra, Port Vale, Swansea Town, Winsford United, Macclesfield, Northwich Victoria and Stafford Rangers. He helped Port Vale to win the Third Division North title in 1929–30.
William Wootton was an English footballer who played as a full-back for Stoke, Congleton Town, Port Vale, and Southend United. He later managed Northwich Victoria, Oldham Athletic, and Halifax Town. He won the Third Division North title with Port Vale in 1929–30, and led Northwich Victoria to victory in the Cheshire Senior Cup in 1937.
John Stanley Sherlock was an English footballer who played at right-half for Port Vale between 1929 and 1933. He helped the "Valiants" to win the Third Division North title in 1929–30.
Robert Edwin Firth was an English footballer who played for Birmingham, Wellington Town, Nottingham Forest, Port Vale, and Southend United. He scored 22 goals from 242 appearances in the Football League. He later coached Spanish La Liga teams Racing de Santander and Real Madrid, leading Santander to a second-place finish in 1930–31 and Madrid to two Campeonato Regional Centro titles and to a first-place finish in La Liga in 1932–33 and a second-place finish in 1933–34.
John Arthur Frederick Poole was an English football goalkeeper who made 33 league appearances for Port Vale in the Football League between 1953 and 1961. He later played for non-League sides Macclesfield Town and Werrington.
John Mandley was an English footballer, he was noted for his pinpoint crosses. He spent eight years in the English Football League, playing for Port Vale from 1926 to 1930 and top flight Aston Villa from 1930 to 1934. He helped Vale to the Third Division North title in 1929–30, and helped Villa to finish second in the First Division in 1930–31 and 1932–33.
Charles John "Tim" Rawlings 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 in between 1956 and 1963, but also had six years without a game at West Bromwich Albion, and also spent two years at Port Vale. He helped Walsall to win two consecutive promotions from the Fourth Division to the Second Division in 1959–60 and 1960–61.
William John Aitken was a Scottish football player and manager.
Nathan James Smith is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for EFL League One club Port Vale. He has won praise for mental attributes such as bravery, consistency and commitment, as well as for his pace and strength.
References
- 1 2 3 Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 272. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
- ↑ John Smith at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)