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 First edition | |
| Author | Michael Hardcastle |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Methuen |
Publication date | 1973 |
| Pages | 128 pp (paperback) |
| ISBN | 0-416-79840-3 |
United! is a 1973 children's novel by prolific British author Michael Hardcastle. It is the second in a series of books focusing on the fortunes of fictitious youth football team Bank Vale United.
United! follows youth football team Bank Vale United's attempts to improve their fortunes by buying a player from a rival team. Despite the fact that their team is amateur, United's impetuous striker Kevin Ripley believes there is no reason why they cannot pay for someone to come and join them. Kevin's teammates Keith Nash and Gary Ansell, although sceptical, agree to the plan and the boys manage to raise the princely sum of £1 to purchase the talents of Nick Abel-Smith.
Despite Nick's obvious ability he is an unsettling influence and the Bank Vale players have to make a tough choice between success and loyalty. In addition to the usual football action Hardcastle includes a section on another of his interests, Motocross. [1]
Michael Robert Brown is an English former professional footballer and football manager who now works as a pundit.
Roy Sproson was an English footballer and football manager for Port Vale. A one-club man, he holds the all-time appearance record for Vale, making 837 starts for Vale between 1950 and 1972. This includes a run of 128 consecutive appearances between April 1954 and March 1957. He is also fourteenth on the all time Football League appearance list.
Darrell James Clarke is an English professional football manager and former player who played in the English Football League. He is the manager of EFL League One club Port Vale.
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Andrew Michael Porter is an English former professional footballer turned coach and manager who is now a first-team coach at Northern Premier League Premier Division club Nantwich Town. His playing career spanned from 1986 to 2006 and for the majority of his career he played for Port Vale. His successes with the club include winning promotion out of the Third Division via the play-offs in 1989, lifting the Football League Trophy in 1993, and playing in the final of the Anglo-Italian Cup in 1996. He later played for Wigan Athletic, Mansfield Town, Chester City, Northwich Victoria, and Kidsgrove Athletic.
Michael Hardcastle was a British author of sports fiction for children. He has written more than one hundred and forty books on a range of sporting subjects but is probably best known for his books about Association Football. In 1988 he was appointed an MBE in recognition of his services to children's literature. He died in January 2019 at the age of 85.
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The 1966–67 season was Port Vale's 55th season of football in the English Football League, and their second successive season in the Fourth Division. Again hopeful of escape from the basement division, Vale could only manage a mid-table finish. Player-manager Jackie Mudie resigned at the end of the season. Veteran defender Roy Sproson became the club's first ever Player of the Year winner.
The 1987–88 season was Port Vale's 76th season of football in the English Football League, and second successive season in the Third Division. John Rudge's side started the season well, but then suffered following the sale of star striker Andy Jones. Just as Rudge seemed to be struggling, the Vale earned a memorable 2–1 victory over top-flight Tottenham Hotspur at Vale Park in the FA Cup Fourth Round. They exited the competition at the next stage at the hands of Watford, following a replay. Vale's league form also improved, as they finished in eleventh place, helped by midfielders Ray Walker and Robbie Earle, defenders Phil Sproson and Bob Hazell, and goalkeeper Mark Grew. Darren Beckford and David Riley were joint-top-scorers with ten goals each. Vale exited the League Cup and the Associate Members' Cup at the First Round.
The 2006–07 season was Port Vale's 95th season of football in the English Football League, and third successive season in League One. Martin Foyle's side again finished in mid-table, whilst exiting the FA Cup and the League Trophy at the Second Round. Vale, notoriously poor performers in the League Cup, managed to reach the Fourth Round for the first time, at which point they were beaten by top-flight Tottenham Hotspur. Strike partners Leon Constantine and Akpo Sodje put in a 42-goal partnership, with Sodje picking up the club's Player of the Year award. At the end of the season top-scorer Constantine left the club, as did senior midfielder Danny Sonner, scuppering Foyle's long-term plans.
Soccer Comes First is a 1966 children's novel by prolific British author Michael Hardcastle. It is the first in a series of books focusing on the fortunes of fictitious English football team Scorton Rovers.
Half a Team is a 1980 children's novel by prolific British author Michael Hardcastle.
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Lewis James Hardcastle is an English football manager and former footballer who played as a midfielder. He is the head coach at North West Counties League Division One North club Daisy Hill.
The 2019–20 Port Vale F.C. season was the club's 108th season of football in the English Football League, and third consecutive season in EFL League Two. It is the first full season under manager John Askey and new owners Carol and Kevin Shanahan. The season covers the period from 1 July 2019 through to 30 June 2020.
