1956–57 Port Vale F.C. season

March 2015 March 2015 Port Vale 1956–57 Freddie Steele(until 15 January)Norman Low(February onwards) Fred Burgess Vale Park Football League Second Division 22nd (22 points) FA Cup Third Round(eliminated by Barnsley) Cyril Done (9) Cyril Done (9) 22,395 vs. Stoke City, 29 April 1957 7,038 vs. Rotherham United, 27 April 1957 14,046 3–0 and 4–1 0–6 and 1–7 _collarblack _white_hoops_color ffffff ffffff ffffff 000000 000000 1955–56 1957–58 The 1956–57 season was Port Vale's 45th season of football in the English Football League, and their third-successive season (thirty-second overall) in the Second Division.Kent Jeff The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale Witan Books 1990 171–196 Fame and Fortune (1950–1959) 0-9508981-4-7 It proved to be a catastrophic year as Port Vale were relegated after finishing bottom (22nd) with just 22 points from 42 matches. Manager Freddie Steele, the architect of the famed "Steele Curtain", resigned in January 1957 and was succeeded by Norman Low in February, though the change did little to reverse the club's fortunes. The season featured several still-standing, unwanted club records: a club‑worst 28 league defeats, a 22‑game run without a clean sheet (22 September 1956 to 23 February 1957), and a nine‑match losing streak (9 March to 20 April 1957). Cyril Done ended the campaign as both league and season top scorer, with just nine goals. Vale Park had an average attendance of 14,046, although the fixture against Potteries derby rivals Stoke City drew a season-high 22,395 on 29 April 1957 — just before relegation was confirmed. In the FA Cup, Vale were knocked out by Barnsley in the Third Round. Overview Second Division The pre-season saw the arrival of Harry Anders, a winger from Manchester City signed for 'a substantial fee'. The season started with Anders and Baily up front, a combination which failed during a goalless draw with Barnsley. Two losses followed in which eight goals were conceded, with Colin Askey replacing Anders after a 4–0 defeat at Lincoln City. A 4–2 loss came at Bramall Lane despite them leading Sheffield United by two goals until the 53rd-minute. Harry Poole replaced Albert Leake at right-half in what was 'one of the few rays of sunlight in an otherwise gloomy beginning'. Vale then 'clicked into gear', picking up seven points out of a possible ten in September. This included a 4–2 win over Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park on 8 September, their last away win of the campaign. Injuries then ravaged the squad as Vale went on a sequence of eight straight defeats to take them from 14th to second from bottom. These included losses at the City Ground, Victoria Ground (in the first ever floodlit game in the Potteries), and Anfield. In October, Baily was sold to Nottingham Forest for £7,000 – exactly what Vale had paid for him earlier in the year. Baily had failed to fit in with the team and was seen as too individualistic, bringing confusion to his teammates. On 10 October, Vale were beaten 3–1 at Stoke City as a Potteries derby game was played under floodlights for the first time. On 27 October, Vale fell to a 2–1 home defeat to bottom club Notts County despite having a man advantage for an hour. They lost 4–1 to Liverpool the following week at Anfield. In November, Steele bought experienced forward Billy Spurdle from Manchester City for £4,000. He scored on his debut in a 3–2 win over Bury on 24 November, and two weeks later he scored a brace in a 4–2 win over Doncaster Rovers. This temporarily took them away from relegation worries before a streak of seven games without victory. On 15 January, Steele resigned, saying "I am quite prepared to face the consequences". On 2 February, Nottingham Forest travelled to Vale Park with Eddie Baily, and demolished Vale 7–1 in a record defeat for the club at Vale Park. A week later, the "Valiants" put three past Fulham at Craven Cottage, but failed to pick up any points as Ray King conceded six goals despite a brilliant performance. On 18 February, 42-year-old Norman Low of Workington Town took the £2,000 a year job as Vale manager. Low had no interest in the tactics of the opposition, and simply told his players to 'entertain the public'. He was confident the players at his disposal could reach safety, despite the difficult situation they found themselves in. His second match in charge saw a 3–0 win over Grimsby Town which took them out of the relegation zone. Yet what followed was a club-record nine game losing streak that doomed their season, five of which were played in Burslem. On 9 March, Vale were beaten 3–1 at bottom club Notts County. Low experimented with his team by dropping King and Roy Sproson (on a run of 128 consecutive appearances), but all that resulted was a 6–0 hammering from Sheffield United. However, it was their 1–0 defeat at Gigg Lane to struggling Bury that did more damage to their prospects of survival. During this spell, Reg Potts made his 166th consecutive appearance in a defeat to Bristol Rovers, though Low put young reserves into the fray after all seemed lost. After relegation was confirmed, Vale seemed to play better with the pressure lifted, and picked up five points in their last three games, including a 2–2 draw at home to rivals Stoke City. Low also announced his plans to rebuild the club, initiating a lengthy series of schoolboy trials. They finished bottom of the table with 22 points, losing 18 of their 21 away games. They were eight points short of third-from-bottom Notts County. Their 57 goals scored was greater only than Lincoln City, whilst 'the Steele Curtain' was broken, conceding 101 goals, fewer than only two Football League clubs (Charlton Athletic and Crewe Alexandra). Top scorer Cyril Done only score nine goals, as no consistent scorer emerged all season long. Finances On the financial side, 105,000 spectators had been lost from the previous season to an average of only 14,046, leaving an income from gate receipts of £40,717. Despite this a profit of £1,268 was recorded. This occurred because of a wage budget cut of around £8,000 to £20,684 and a transfer credit of £625. The club's debts were worrying, however, causing the club's directors to funnel £2,500 of their own resources towards repaying this debt. A clear-out of players was initiated for the first time in a good while, those departing included: Cyril Done (Winsford United); Ray King (sold to Boston United for £2,500); Reg Potts and Stan Turner (Worcester City); Tommy Cheadle, Stan Smith, and Derek Mountford (Crewe Alexandra); Len Stephenson and Billy Spurdle (Oldham Athletic); and Harry Anders (Accrington Stanley). Though many of these were some of the club's best players, many had also reached retirement age. Low admitted that he would have to buy young players to fill the vacancies in the first-team. FA Cup In the FA Cup, Vale drew 3–3 with Barnsley at Oakwell, before losing the replay 1–0. Results Football League Second Division 1956–57 Football League League table Second Division y PTV Results by matchday table b Round Ground H/A/A/H/H/A/H/A/H/A/A/H/A/H/A/H/A/H/A/H/A/A/A/H/A/H/A/H/A/H/A/H/A/H/H/A/H/H/A/A/H/H Result D/L/L/D/W/W/D/L/W/L/L/L/L/L/L/L/L/W/L/W/L/D/L/L/L/L/L/W/L/W/L/L/L/L/L/L/L/L/L/D/W/D Position 8/18/20/18/16/16/16/17/14/17/18/17/18/20/20/20/20/20/20/20/20/20/20/21/21/21/21/21/21/21/21/21/22/22/22/22/22/22/22/22/22/22 Points 1p/1p/1p/2p/4p/6p/7p/7p/9p/9p/9p/9p/9p/9p/9p/9p/9p/11p/11p/13p/13p/14p/14p/14p/14p/14p/14p/16p/16p/18p/18p/18p/18p/18p/18p/18p/18p/18p/18p/19p/21p/22p Home Away green2 Win yellow2 Draw red2 Loss green1 red1 StattoPort Vale 1956–1957 : Results & Fixtures https://web.archive.org/web/20160304062213/http://www.statto.com/football/teams/port-vale/1956-1957/results 4 March 2016 . Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012. Matches 1 18 August 1956 Port Vale 0–0 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-barnsley-18-august-1956-108291/ Barnsley Vale Park Burslem 14,336 2 22 August 1956 Lincoln City 4–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/lincoln-city-v-port-vale-22-august-1956-108302/ Port Vale Sincil Bank Lincoln 11,863 3 25 August 1956 Sheffield United 4–2 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/sheffield-united-v-port-vale-25-august-1956-108313/ Port Vale Smith Bramall Lane Sheffield 21,950 4 27 August 1956 Port Vale 1–1 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-lincoln-city-27-august-1956-108318/ Lincoln City Done Vale Park Burslem 13,595 5 1 September 1956 Port Vale 3–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-bristol-city-01-september-1956-108335/ Bristol City Smith Done Vale Park Burslem 17,645 6 8 September 1956 Blackburn Rovers 2–4 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/blackburn-rovers-v-port-vale-08-september-1956-108345/ Port Vale Smith Stephenson og. Ewood Park Blackburn 20,753 7 15 September 1956 Port Vale 0–0 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-west-ham-united-15-september-1956-108370/ West Ham United Vale Park Burslem 17,582 8 22 September 1956 15:00 BST Nottingham Forest 4–2 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/nottingham-forest-v-port-vale-22-september-1956-108382/ Port Vale Morley 3 Lishman 57 Hayward 80 og. Burkitt 87 Smith Baily City Ground West Bridgford A Holland 18,699 9 29 September 1956 Port Vale 2–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-fulham-29-september-1956-108394/ Fulham Askey Done Vale Park Burslem 21,281 10 6 October 1956 Middlesbrough 3–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/middlesbrough-v-port-vale-06-october-1956-108405/ Port Vale Delapenha 11 pen. 31 pen. Clough 23 Stephenson Ayresome Park Middlesbrough E Crawford 18,586 11 10 October 1956 Stoke City 3–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/stoke-city-v-port-vale-10-october-1956-108408/ Port Vale Coleman Kelly Smith Victoria Ground Stoke-upon-Trent 39,446 12 13 October 1956 Port Vale 2–3 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-leicester-city-13-october-1956-108415/ Leicester City Hayward Hogg Rowley Vale Park Burslem 21,690 13 20 October 1956 Grimsby Town 1–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/grimsby-town-v-port-vale-20-october-1956-108423/ Port Vale Blundell Park Cleethorpes 13,801 14 27 October 1956 Port Vale 1–2 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-notts-county-27-october-1956-108437/ Notts County Done Vale Park Burslem 13,137 15 3 November 1956 Liverpool 4–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/liverpool-v-port-vale-03-november-1956-108449/ Port Vale Liddell 53 Wheeler 81 82 85 Steele Anfield Liverpool 32,334 16 10 November 1956 Port Vale 1–2 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-leyton-orient-10-november-1956-108459/ Leyton Orient og. Vale Park Burslem 8,404 17 17 November 1956 Huddersfield Town 3–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/huddersfield-town-v-port-vale-17-november-1956-108468/ Port Vale Marriott Sproson og. Hickson Poole Leeds Road Huddersfield 14,044 18 24 November 1956 Port Vale 3–2 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-bury-24-november-1956-108481/ Bury Askey Spurdle Stephenson Vale Park Burslem 11,840 19 1 December 1956 Bristol Rovers 2–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/bristol-rovers-v-port-vale-01-december-1956-108486/ Port Vale Griffiths Eastville Stadium Bristol 21,268 20 8 December 1956 Port Vale 4–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-doncaster-rovers-08-december-1956-108503/ Doncaster Rovers Cunliffe Spurdle Vale Park Burslem 12,330 21 15 December 1956 Barnsley 2–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/barnsley-v-port-vale-15-december-1956-108508/ Port Vale Oakwell Barnsley 9,683 22 29 December 1956 Bristol City 3–3 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/bristol-city-v-port-vale-29-december-1956-108547/ Port Vale Poole Hayward Ashton Gate Ashton Gate, Bristol 18,561 23 1 January 1957 Rotherham United 1–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/rotherham-united-v-port-vale-01-january-1957-108559/ Port Vale Millmoor Rotherham 8,120 24 12 January 1957 Port Vale 0–3 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-blackburn-rovers-12-january-1957-108569/ Blackburn Rovers Vale Park Burslem 12,422 25 19 January 1957 West Ham United 2–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/west-ham-united-v-port-vale-19-january-1957-108582/ Port Vale Smith Dick Sproson Boleyn Ground Upton Park, London 17,229 26 2 February 1957 15:00 GMT Port Vale 1–7 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-nottingham-forest-02-february-1957-108592/ Nottingham Forest Askey Barrett 2 72 85 Imlach 67 Wilson 69 Baily 76 Imlach 78 Vale Park Burslem F Gerrard 18,185 27 9 February 1957 Fulham 6–3 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/fulham-v-port-vale-09-february-1957-108598/ Port Vale Done Cunliffe Spurdle Craven Cottage Fulham, West London 13,967 28 16 February 1957 Port Vale 2–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-middlesbrough-16-february-1957-108609/ Middlesbrough Done 51 Cunliffe 82 Clough 3 Vale Park Burslem E Crawford 20,766 29 23 February 1957 Leicester City 2–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/leicester-city-v-port-vale-23-february-1957-108621/ Port Vale McDonald Spurdle Filbert Street Leicester 12,064 30 2 March 1957 Port Vale 3–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-grimsby-town-02-march-1957-108632/ Grimsby Town Done Askey Vale Park Burslem 15,293 31 9 March 1957 Notts County 3–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/notts-county-v-port-vale-09-march-1957-108646/ Port Vale Potts Meadow Lane Nottingham 17,324 32 16 March 1957 Port Vale 1–2 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-liverpool-16-march-1957-108654/ Liverpool Spurdle Rowley 48 73 Vale Park Burslem 14,241 33 23 March 1957 Leyton Orient 3–2 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/leyton-orient-v-port-vale-23-march-1957-108665/ Port Vale Askey Leake Brisbane Road Leyton, East London 14,412 34 25 March 1957 Port Vale 0–6 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-sheffield-united-25-march-1957-108670/ Sheffield United Vale Park Burslem 9,249 35 30 March 1957 Port Vale 1–2 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-huddersfield-town-30-march-1957-108677/ Huddersfield Town Spurdle Massie Taylor Vale Park Burslem 10,500 36 6 April 1957 Bury 1–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/bury-v-port-vale-06-april-1957-108683/ Port Vale Gigg Lane Bury, Greater Manchester 10,524 37 13 April 1957 Port Vale 2–3 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-bristol-rovers-13-april-1957-108699/ Bristol Rovers Steele Done pen. Vale Park Burslem 9,006 38 19 April 1957 Port Vale 0–2 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-swansea-town-19-april-1957-108712/ Swansea Town Vale Park Burslem 12,729 39 20 April 1957 Doncaster Rovers 4–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/doncaster-rovers-v-port-vale-20-april-1957-108715/ Port Vale Belle Vue Doncaster 7,626 40 22 April 1957 Swansea Town 2–2 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/swansea-town-v-port-vale-22-april-1957-108732/ Port Vale Cunliffe Leake Vetch Field Swansea 11,629 41 27 April 1957 Port Vale 2–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-rotherham-united-27-april-1957-108740/ Rotherham United Leake Vale Park Burslem 7,038 42 29 April 1957 Port Vale 2–2 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-stoke-city-29-april-1957-108742/ Stoke City Cunliffe Steele Graver King Vale Park Burslem 22,395 FA Cup 1956–57 FA Cup R3 5 January 1957 Barnsley 3–3 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/barnsley-v-port-vale-05-january-1957-210927/ Port Vale Poole Stephenson Oakwell Barnsley 17,720 Replay 7 January 1957 Port Vale 0–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-barnsley-07-january-1957-210959/ Barnsley Vale Park Burslem 15,718 Squad statistics Appearances and goals Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; FB – Full back; HB – Half back; FW – Forward Second Division FA Cup GK ENG Ray King 37 0 2 0 GK ENG John Poole 3 0 0 0 GK ENG Leslie Wood 2 0 0 0 FB ENG Reg Potts 39 1 2 0 FB ENG David Raine 1 0 0 0 FB ENG Stan Turner 27 0 2 0 FB ENG Selwyn Whalley 6 0 0 0 FB ENG Frank Wintle 1 0 0 0 HB ENG Tommy Cheadle 14 0 0 0 HB ENG Albert Leake 22 4 0 0 HB ENG Terry Miles 5 0 0 0 HB ENG Derek Mountford 9 0 2 0 HB ENG Roy Sproson 39 1 2 0 FW ENG Harry Anders 3 0 0 0 FW ENG Colin Askey 37 5 2 0 FW ENG Alan Bennett 2 0 0 0 FW ENG John Cunliffe 31 6 2 0 FW ENG Cyril Done 16 9 0 0 FW ENG Ken Griffiths 17 1 0 0 FW ENG Basil Hayward 42 3 2 0 FW ENG Harry Poole 30 3 2 2 FW ENG Stan Smith 17 8 0 0 FW GGY Billy Spurdle 21 7 2 0 FW ENG Stan Steele 12 3 0 0 FW ENG Len Stephenson 20 3 2 1 |- |colspan="14"|Players who featured but departed the club during the season: FW ENG Eddie Baily 9 1 0 0 |} Top scorers PlacePositionNationNameSecond DivisionFA CupTotal1FWEnglandCyril Done9092FWEnglandStan Smith8083FWGuernseyBilly Spurdle7074FWEnglandJohn Cunliffe6065FWEnglandColin Askey505–FWEnglandHarry Poole3257HBEnglandAlbert Leake404–FWEnglandLen Stephenson3149FWEnglandStan Steele303–FWEnglandBasil Hayward30311FWEnglandKen Griffiths101–FWEnglandEddie Baily101–HBEnglandRoy Sproson101–FBEnglandReg Potts101–––Own goals202TOTALS57360 Transfers Transfers in Date from Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref. June 1956 GK ENG Leslie Wood Barrow 'Reasonable' Kent Jeff Port Vale Personalities Witan Books 1996 0-9529152-0-0 July 1956 FW ENG Harry Anders Manchester City 'Substantial' November 1956 FW Guernsey Billy Spurdle Manchester City £4,000 Transfers out Date from Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref. October 1956 FW ENG Eddie Baily Nottingham Forest £7,000 May 1957 FW ENG Cyril Done Winsford United Free transfer May 1957 FB ENG Frank Wintle Crewe Alexandra Free transfer June 1957 FW ENG Harry Anders Accrington Stanley 'Small' June 1957 FW ENG Len Stephenson Oldham Athletic £1,025 July 1957 HB ENG Tommy Cheadle Crewe Alexandra Free transfer July 1957 GK ENG Ray King Boston United £2,500 July 1957 HB ENG Derek Mountford Crewe Alexandra Released July 1957 FB ENG Reg Potts Worcester City Undisclosed July 1957 FW ENG Stan Smith Crewe Alexandra Undisclosed July 1957 FB ENG Stan Turner Worcester City Free transfer Summer 1957 FW Guernsey Billy Spurdle Oldham Athletic £1,000 References Specific General Kent Jeff The Port Vale Record 1879-1993 Witan Books 1993 0-9508981-9-8 Category:Port Vale F.C. seasons Port Vale