Old Recreation Ground

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Old Recreation Ground
The Rec
Old Recreation Ground
Full nameThe Old Recreation Ground
Location Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, England
Coordinates 53°01′38.16″N2°10′32.88″W / 53.0272667°N 2.1758000°W / 53.0272667; -2.1758000
Capacity 20,000
Field size110 yards (100 m) by 70 yards (64 m)
Surface Grass
Construction
Opened1913
Closed1950
Demolished1954/55
Tenants
Port Vale F.C. (1913–1950)

The Old Recreation Ground was a football stadium located in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, England, and home to Port Vale F.C. from 1913 to 1950. It was the sixth ground the club used. [1]

Contents

Structure and facilities

Average attendances, 1913-1950. The Old Recreation Ground attendances.JPG
Average attendances, 1913–1950.

The stadium was in rather bad condition, especially following years of neglect during World War II. The dressing rooms were bare, there were no toilet facilities throughout the entire ground, and racing pigeons were kept by The Sentinel and some supporters to relay the scoreline to different parts of the city. [2]

History

Port Vale F.C. opened the ground in 1913, and six years later were admitted into the English Football League. The visit of Potteries derby rivals Stoke on 6 March 1920 saw a crowd of 22,697 turn up to see an away victory. [3] Other big matches for Port Vale went more favourably in later years though, as they drew 2–2 with Arsenal in the FA Cup on 29 January 1927 and beat Sunderland 2–0 on 13 January 1936, again in the FA Cup. [3]

Port Vale were forced to sell the land to the city council, under the chairmanship of Tom W.Flint after suffering a financial crisis; they received £13,500. [4] This came after the club's president Major William Huntbach died in 1943, leaving £3,000 of loans to be repaid to his estate. [5] The council initially refused to allow the club to play at their ground. Eventually, it relented to rent for £400 a year. [5] In 1950, the city council decided to construct a shopping centre on the site, forcing the club to move to their current home of Vale Park. Ironically, the club raised £50,000 to construct the new stadium, leading some to question why the directors did not simply attempt to raise a much smaller sum of £3,000 to pay off the Huntbach family. [6] The final match at the Old Recreation Ground was described as an "uninspiring finale" as Vale lost 1–0 to Aldershot in front of a crowd of 9,645 on 22 April 1950. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Vale F.C.</span> Association football club in Stoke-on-Trent, England

Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. 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 of 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vale Park</span>

Vale Park is a football stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, England. It has been the home ground of Port Vale F.C. since 1950.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potteries derby</span> Football rivalry in England

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Port Vale F.C.</span> UK football team history

The history of Port Vale Football Club, an English association football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, began with the formation of the club, which is officially dated in 1876. However, later research has shown this event probably took place in 1879. In 1884, the club moved to the town of Burslem, changing their name to Burslem Port Vale in the process. The club joined the Football League Second Division upon its formation in 1892 and spent 13 non-consecutive seasons in the division, punctuated by two seasons in the Midland League. A financial crisis resulted in the club's liquidation in 1907. However, the name of Port Vale F.C. survived as North Staffordshire Federation League side Cobridge Church took on the name and moved into the Old Recreation Ground in Hanley, before progressing through the divisions to win re-election to the Football League in October 1919.

Thomas Lawrence Hamlett was an English footballer who played at right-back for Congleton Town, Bolton Wanderers, and Port Vale. He scored nine goals in 181 league appearances in the six seasons of the Football League immediately following World War II. He later spent 25 years on the coaching staff at Port Vale, from July 1958 to March 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1919–20 Port Vale F.C. season</span> Port Vale 1919–20 football season

The 1919–20 season was Port Vale's first season of football back in the English Football League. It was their first Football League season at The Old Recreation Ground, and their first season in which they were in the same division as rivals Stoke. The club were also referred to as "the Valiants" for the first time, a nickname coined by chairman Frank Huntbach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1920–21 Port Vale F.C. season</span> Port Vale 1920–21 football season

The 1920–21 season was Port Vale's second consecutive season of football in the English Football League. The season peaked early with a double victory in the league over rivals Stoke, however, any sense of euphoria evaporated in February with the sale of star striker Bobby Blood. The club failed to find another reliable goalscorer until the arrival of Wilf Kirkham in 1923. The Vale finished at the bottom end of the table, though they did finish higher in the league than Stoke for the first time in their history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1921–22 Port Vale F.C. season</span> Port Vale 1921–22 football season

The 1921–22 season was Port Vale's third consecutive season of football in the English Football League. Another difficult season, both on and off the pitch, the club finished with 36 points for the second season in a row. The club were without a reliable goal scorer following their sale of Bobby Blood the previous season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1925–26 Port Vale F.C. season</span> Port Vale 1925–26 football season

The 1925–26 season was Port Vale's seventh consecutive season of football in the English Football League. They improved on their previous season's success by two points. They finished in a higher league position than rivals Stoke City for only the second time in their history, and with Stoke relegated in 21st-place, they guaranteed playing in a higher league than Stoke for the first time in their history. With seven games left to play, April 1926 would be arguably the club's best ever chance at reaching the top flight; however, they tallied just two points from their remaining games to finish in eighth place. Despite all of this, the Vale board proposed a merger with Stoke City, and were forced to resign en-masse when the scheme failed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1926–27 Port Vale F.C. season</span> Port Vale 1926–27 football season

The 1926–27 season was Port Vale's eighth consecutive season of football in the English Football League. Vale finished in eighth position for the third season running, obtaining 45 points, this time coming nine points off promotion to the top tier in English football. For the first time in the club's history, they played in a league above rivals Stoke City. Wilf Kirkham broke a club record by scoring 38 league goals, and 41 goals in all competitions. He scored six braces, four hat-tricks, and also scored four goals in one game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1932–33 Port Vale F.C. season</span> Port Vale 1932–33 football season

The 1932–33 season was Port Vale's 27th season of football in the English Football League, and their third-successive season in the Second Division. The season is notable as the last season of football for legendary striker Wilf Kirkham – who finished as top scorer for the sixth time in his Vale career. It is also notable for a 9–1 thrashing of Chesterfield in which Stewart Littlewood scored six goals – both feats are still standing club records. Otherwise an unremarkable season, the club limped to 17th in the league and exited the FA Cup at the Third Round, whilst rivals Stoke City were promoted as champions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1946–47 Port Vale F.C. season</span> Port Vale 1946–47 football season

The 1946–47 season was Port Vale's 35th season of football in the English Football League, and their second full season in the Third Division South. It was their first full season following the outbreak of war in Europe, they thus continued where they left off in 1938–39, albeit after seven seasons of wartime football. Starting its post-war period modestly on the pitch with a tenth-place finish, the club still handed débuts to future legends Tommy Cheadle and Ronnie Allen, whilst work continued to complete 'The Wembley of the North'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1949–50 Port Vale F.C. season</span> Port Vale 1949–50 football season

The 1949–50 season was Port Vale's 38th season of football in the English Football League, and their fifth full season in the Third Division South. It was the last season to be played at The Old Recreation Ground – despite numerous clashes with the authorities over the construction of the new stadium. The sale of Ronnie Allen raised a massive £20,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1950–51 Port Vale F.C. season</span> Port Vale 1950–51 football season

The 1950–51 season was Port Vale's 39th season of football in the English Football League, and their sixth full season in the Third Division South. It was the first season to be played at Vale Park, and Roy Sproson also made his debut for the club. In the FA Cup there was excitement as the Vale took rivals Stoke City to a replay in the Fourth Round, only to lose 1–0. It was the last season in the reign of Gordon Hodgson, who died in the summer after long suffering from cancer.

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 1985–86 season was Port Vale's 74th season of football in the English Football League, and second-successive season in the Fourth Division. John Rudge achieved his first success as manager, leading Vale to promotion into the Third Division with a fourth-place finish. The club also reached the Second Round in both the FA Cup and League Cup, as well as the Northern Section Semi-finals of the Associate Members' Cup. Rudge signing Andy Jones excelled to become the club's top-scorer, whilst Robbie Earle had another impressive season. However, the promotion campaign was built on the strength of the Vale defence, and goalkeeper Jim Arnold was made Player of the Year.

The 1939–40 season was Port Vale's 34th season of football in the Football League, and second-successive season in the Third Division South. All competitive football was suspended upon the breakout of war in Europe, just two games into the regular season. These two games were expunged form official records and the regional war leagues which replaced them are not recognised by the Football League and thus not included in official records. Port Vale went on to finish eighth in the West League of the regional wartime league.

The 1944–45 season was Port Vale's second season of football in the wartime league system of World War II. First-team football was reinstated at the Old Recreation Ground for the first time since the 1939–40 season, however, success was limited as they finished in the lower reaches of the North Championship and the League North Cup.

The 1916–17 season was Port Vale's first season of football after going into abeyance during World War I. They were admitted into the Football League's Lancashire Region, going up against some of the country's biggest clubs after years of playing non-League football. Losing 16 of their 30 league games, they still managed a remarkable 11–1 victory over Blackpool.

The 1888–89 season was Burslem Port Vale's first season and only season of football in The Combination. The league was abandoned before the fixture list was completed, though Vale were in poor form regardless. They exited the FA Cup, Staffordshire Senior Cup and North Staffordshire Challenge Cup in their opening rounds and also struggled in friendlies, the low point being a 3–1 defeat to village team Oswaldtwistle Rovers at the Athletic Ground.

References

  1. ↑ "Port-Vale.co.uk: Vale Park". Port-Vale.co.uk. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
  2. ↑ Kent, Jeff (December 1991). Port Vale Tales: A Collection of Stories, Anecdotes And Memories. Witan Books. p. 274. ISBN   0-9508981-6-3.
  3. 1 2 3 Ault, Richard (12 September 2017). "Rec was 'den of old-style football without any frills'". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  4. ↑ Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 103. ISBN   0-9529152-0-0.
  5. 1 2 Sherwin, Phil (24 August 2010). "Port Vale: 60-years ago today, Vale came back home to play". The Sentinel. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
  6. ↑ What If There Had Been No Port in the Vale?: Startling Port Vale Stories! (Witan Books, 2011, ISBN   978-0-9529152-8-7)
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