1962–63 Port Vale F.C. season

March 2015 March 2015 Port Vale 1962–63 Norman Low(until 30 October)Freddie Steele(from October) Joe Machin Vale Park Football League Third Division 3rd (54 points) FA Cup Fourth Round(eliminated by Sheffield United) League Cup First Round(eliminated by Bristol Rovers) Tony Richards (13) Tony Richards (13) 22,207 vs. Sheffield United, 13 March 1963 4,673 vs. Hull City, 20 April 1962 8,130 5–1 vs. Southend United, 24 September 1962 0–3 vs. Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic, 13 May 1962 _thinblackstripes _thinblackstripes _thinblackstripes _black_thinstripe_color _color_3_stripes_black FFD700 FFD700 FFD700 000000 FFD700 1961–62 1963–64 The 1962–63 season was Port Vale's 51st season of football in the English Football League, and their fourth season in the Third Division.Kent Jeff The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale Witan Books 1990 196–226 Flattering Only to Deceive (1960–1969) 0-9508981-4-7 A season of near-glory and managerial upheaval, it began under Norman Low, who unexpectedly resigned on 30 October, with Freddie Steele returning to the helm and re-establishing his famous "Steele Curtain" defence. Vale powered their way to a third‑place finish with 54 points, just four behind promotion, although rivals Stoke City and Crewe Alexandra's promotions made Vale's strong campaign feel particularly bittersweet. In the FA Cup, Vale advanced to the Fourth Round, eventually falling 2–1 to First Division side Sheffield United in front of a home crowd of 22,207 on 13 March 1963 — their highest attendance of the season. In the League Cup, Vale were knocked out in the First Round by Bristol Rovers. Tony Richards became the club's league and overall top scorer, netting 13 goals in just 14 appearances, despite only being signed for £9,000 from Walsall in March. Earlier-season goalscoring had proven meagre until his mid-season arrival. Attendance figures reflected cautious optimism at Vale Park: an average of approximately 8,130, with the low point at 4,673 against Hull City (20 April) and the standout high during the cup clash with Sheffield United. Ultimately, the 1962–63 campaign was defined by resurgence under Steele, a haul of crucial clean sheets, and a thrilling FA Cup run — but promotion narrowly slipped through Vale's grasp. Overview Third Division The pre-season saw the arrival of John Rowland, a 'tall and skilful' outside-right from Nottingham Forest for £6,000. The season opened with six points from four games, with three clean sheets. The increasing violence in the game was in evidence, though, as trainer Eric Jones was hit with a bottle in the 1–0 victory at Wrexham. The players remained unfazed and managed to claim a goalless draw at Millwall's Den on 27 August. Rowland was dropped from the first XI following a 2–0 defeat at Ashton Gate on 1 September. Vale responded two days later with a "rip-roaring display of punchy soccer" in a 4–2 victory over Colchester United. They then became inconsistent, and so Low added young forward Terry Harkin to the squad from Coleraine, and transfer-listed Stan Steele after he began to be targeted by hecklers at Vale Park. Despite coming from a goal down to beat Southend United 5–1, the club continued to fall down the table. They then began a nine-game unbeaten streak on 20 October with a 1–1 draw with Carlisle United at Brunton Park. On 30 October, manager Norman Low tendered his resignation, to the shock of fans and pundits. Low cited disagreements with the board as the reason for his departure. The club felt they needed a marquee signing and so approached first Tom Finney and then European cup winning coach Béla Guttmann, who had just departed Benfica, both declined the role.Why Port Vale tried to sign the 60's "Mourinho" https://www.onevalefan.co.uk/2015/01/why-vale-tried-to-sign-the-60s-mourinho/ 5 June 2020 onevalefan.co.uk 5 January 2015 Low's successor instead proved to be his predecessor, Freddie Steele, in another development that took many by surprise. Roy Sproson later noted "He [Steele] had changed. He had not got the enthusiasm or drive as before, but the lads still responded to him". On 9 November, Vale beat Barnsley by a goal to nil, though a section of the Vale Park crowd threatened violence against referee Jack Pickles after he sent off Stan Steele. It took until the sixth game of Freddie Steele's reign for a goal to be conceded (525 minutes) as 'the Steele Curtain' again descended upon Vale Park. The goal was scored by former Valiant turned bogey player Ronnie Allen for Crystal Palace in a 4–1 home win for Vale. This win was followed by a 2–2 draw with Wrexham that left the Vale within two points of second place. They finished the year chasing promotion, despite losing 4–3 to Reading at Elm Park. No league games were played in January or February due to the Big Freeze. To help with finances during this spell of two months without competitive action, Bert Llewellyn was sold to Northampton Town for £7,000 and Arthur Longbottom was sold to Millwall for £2,000. Back in action in March, Steele found his offence wanting, and so purchased Tony Richards from Walsall for £9,000. Richards immediately impacted himself on the club's scoring charts, bagging a brace at Halifax Town, eventually finishing as top-scorer for his two months of work. A 2–0 victory over Carlisle United was the first game at Vale Park in 12 weeks, as the club had found themselves with up to four games in hand on their rivals. For the four weeks following 20 April, Vale recorded eight wins from their final ten matches, though this would prove to be too little too late regarding promotion. Hopes of promotion were extinguished with a 3–0 home defeat to Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic on 13 May. They finished in third spot with 54 points, four short of promotion, though enough to earn them £500 in talent money. Their 58 goals conceded total was fewer only than Swindon Town. Finances On the financial side, a profit of £2,275 was made despite an operating loss of £20,557. A donation from the Sportsmen's Association and social club stood at a highly impressive £22,832. Whilst wages remained fairly constant at £33,120, gate receipts had fallen by £8,000. The club's overdraft stood at £41,000, leading to a discussion over whether or not to take out a mortgage on Vale Park. The club management decided to replace the black and amber kit with the traditional white shirts, black shorts and black and white socks – the kit Steele's men triumphed in almost ten years previously. On the playing front, Peter Ford's departure to Macclesfield Town was the only transfer of note. Cup competitions In the FA Cup, Vale took their revenge upon Bristol Rovers, dumping them out of the competition at the first stage with a 2–0 win at Burslem on 21 November. Three weeks later, Aldershot suffered the same fate in Sproson's 500th appearance for the club. In the third round they beat Fourth Division side Gillingham 4–2 at Priestfield. The tie had been postponed 12 times due to consistently freezing conditions. They then lost 2–1 to First Division club Sheffield United in front of 22,207 rain-soaked supporters. In the League Cup, Bristol Rovers won the first round clash at the Memorial Stadium 2–0. Results Football League Third Division 1962–63 Football League League table Third Division y PTV Results by matchday table b Round Ground A/H/H/A/A/H/H/A/A/A/H/H/A/H/A/A/H/A/H/H/A/A/H/H/A/A/H/A/A/H/A/A/H/H/A/A/H/H/A/H/A/H/H/H/A/H Result W/D/W/D/L/W/L/W/L/L/W/W/L/D/D/L/L/D/W/W/D/W/W/D/L/L/W/W/L/W/L/W/W/D/L/L/W/W/L/W/W/W/W/L/W/W Position 1/2/1/2/8/4/8/4/8/11/8/4/7/6/8/10/13/12/11/5/9/9/8/8/8/13/12/10/11/9/10/10/8/7/9/10/9/8/10/6/6/5/3/6/4/3 Points 2p/3p/5p/6p/6p/8p/8p/10p/10p/10p/12p/14p/14p/15p/16p/16p/16p/17p/19p/21p/22p/24p/26p/27p/27p/27p/29p/31p/31p/33p/33p/35p/37p/38p/38p/38p/40p/42p/42p/44p/46p/48p/50p/50p/52p/54p Home Away green2 Win yellow2 Draw red2 Loss green1 red1 StattoPort Vale 1962–1963 : Results & Fixtures https://web.archive.org/web/20160304063132/http://www.statto.com/football/teams/port-vale/1962-1963/results 4 March 2016 . Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012. Matches 1 18 August 1962 15:15 BST Wrexham 0–1 W https://www.wrexhamafcarchive.co.uk/matchdetails.php?id=3078 Port Vale Llewellyn 21 Racecourse Ground Wrexham H.P. Hackney W.S. Castle, B.W. Porter 14,042 2 20 August 1962 Port Vale 1–1 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-millwall-20-august-1962-127539/ Millwall Longbottom Vale Park Burslem 12,469 3 25 August 1962 Port Vale 2–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-reading-25-august-1962-127558/ Reading Llewellyn Grainger Vale Park Burslem 9,506 4 27 August 1962 Millwall 0–0 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/millwall-v-port-vale-27-august-1962-127563/ Port Vale The Den New Cross, Lewisham 20,553 5 1 September 1962 Bristol City 2–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/bristol-city-v-port-vale-01-september-1962-127578/ Port Vale Ashton Gate Ashton Gate, Bristol 9,626 6 3 September 1962 Port Vale 4–2 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-colchester-united-03-september-1962-127587/ Colchester United Longbottom 4 Grainger 15 Poole 26 Ford 28 King 27 52 Vale Park Burslem 11,719 7 8 September 1962 Port Vale 1–3 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-watford-08-september-1962-127604/ Watford Grainger pen. Brown Gregory Vale Park Burslem 11,108 8 10 September 1962 Colchester United 0–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/colchester-united-v-port-vale-10-september-1962-127608/ Port Vale Wright Layer Road Colchester 5,919 9 15 September 1962 Bradford (Park Avenue) 2–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/bradford-park-avenue-v-port-vale-15-september-1962-127621/ Port Vale Llewellyn Park Avenue Bradford 8,935 10 17 September 1962 Southend United 2–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/southend-united-v-port-vale-17-september-1962-127635/ Port Vale Roots Hall Southend-on-Sea 10,963 11 22 September 1962 Port Vale 2–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-coventry-city-22-september-1962-127652/ Coventry City og. Grainger Hugh Barr Vale Park Burslem 9,816 12 24 September 1962 Port Vale 5–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-southend-united-24-september-1962-127659/ Southend United Edwards Harkin Ford Vale Park Burslem 9,618 13 29 September 1962 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic 2–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/bournemouth-and-boscombe-athletic-v-port-vale-29-september-1962-127662/ Port Vale Dean Court Bournemouth 9,715 14 1 October 1962 Port Vale 1–1 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-notts-county-01-october-1962-127676/ Notts County Edwards Vale Park Burslem 9,245 15 6 October 1962 Bristol Rovers 1–1 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/bristol-rovers-v-port-vale-06-october-1962-127688/ Port Vale Poole Eastville Stadium Bristol 12,374 16 11 October 1962 Notts County 1–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/notts-county-v-port-vale-11-october-1962-127704/ Port Vale Meadow Lane Nottingham 14,320 17 13 October 1962 Port Vale 1–2 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-brighton-and-hove-albion-13-october-1962-127713/ Brighton & Hove Albion Poole Vale Park Burslem 7,503 18 20 October 1962 Carlisle United 1–1 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/carlisle-united-v-port-vale-20-october-1962-127722/ Port Vale Steele Brunton Park Carlisle 5,627 19 27 October 1962 Port Vale 2–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-swindon-town-27-october-1962-127740/ Swindon Town Harkin 24 73 Jackson 90 Vale Park Burslem E. Crawford 5,825 20 9 November 1962 Port Vale 1–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-barnsley-09-november-1962-127744/ Barnsley Steele Vale Park Burslem 8,798 21 17 November 1962 Northampton Town 0–0 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/northampton-town-v-port-vale-17-november-1962-127763/ Port Vale County Cricket Ground Northampton 8,718 22 1 December 1962 15:00 GMT Hull City 0–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/hull-city-v-port-vale-01-december-1962-127776/ Port Vale Rowland Boothferry Park Kingston upon Hull 7,259 23 8 December 1962 Port Vale 4–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-crystal-palace-08-december-1962-127789/ Crystal Palace Llewellyn Rowland Vale Park Burslem 6,537 24 15 December 1962 15:15 GMT Port Vale 2–2 D https://www.wrexhamafcarchive.co.uk/matchdetails.php?id=806 Wrexham Grainger 9 Llewellyn 14 Anderson 23 Colbridge 75 Vale Park Burslem K. Howley A.E. Morrissey, J.D. Jones 7,172 25 22 December 1962 Reading 4–3 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/reading-v-port-vale-22-december-1962-127810/ Port Vale Ford Miles Elm Park Reading, Berkshire 5,578 26 2 March 1963 Brighton & Hove Albion 3–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/brighton-and-hove-albion-v-port-vale-02-march-1963-127845/ Port Vale Edwards Goldstone Ground Hove 10,050 27 9 March 1963 Port Vale 2–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-carlisle-united-09-march-1963-127862/ Carlisle United Rowland Harkin Vale Park Burslem 6,308 28 16 March 1963 Swindon Town 2–3 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/swindon-town-v-port-vale-16-march-1963-127880/ Port Vale Smith 12 60 Dawson 5 og. Steele 75 Rowland 86 County Ground Swindon K. Ashton 12,090 29 18 March 1963 Peterborough United 3–1 L https://www.theposhtrust.co.uk/match/1009/19630318 Port Vale Hudson 5 37 Rayner 40 Harkin 12 London Road Stadium Peterborough J. Carr C. Rogers 10,162 30 23 March 1963 Port Vale 3–2 W https://www.theposhtrust.co.uk/match/1009/19620323 Peterborough United Steele 27 Harkin 77 Edwards 90 Simpson 7 Rayner 34 Vale Park Burslem E. Walker 10,260 31 29 March 1963 Barnsley 2–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/barnsley-v-port-vale-29-march-1963-127908/ Port Vale Edwards Oakwell Barnsley 4,368 32 3 April 1963 Halifax Town 0–4 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/halifax-town-v-port-vale-03-april-1963-127926/ Port Vale Harkin Richards The Shay Halifax, West Yorkshire 2,808 33 6 April 1963 Port Vale 3–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-northampton-town-06-april-1963-127936/ Northampton Town Richards Harkin Lines Vale Park Burslem 8,781 34 12 April 1963 Port Vale 0–0 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-shrewsbury-town-12-april-1963-127950/ Shrewsbury Town Vale Park Burslem 11,315 35 13 April 1963 Queens Park Rangers 3–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/queens-park-rangers-v-port-vale-13-april-1963-127962/ Port Vale Leary Collins Steele Loftus Road Shepherd's Bush, West London 5,690 36 15 April 1963 Shrewsbury Town 2–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/shrewsbury-town-v-port-vale-15-april-1963-127970/ Port Vale Ford Gay Meadow Shrewsbury 6,819 37 20 April 1963 15:15 GMT Port Vale 1–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-hull-city-20-april-1963-127986/ Hull City Rowland Vale Park Burslem 4,673 38 22 April 1963 Port Vale 2–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-halifax-town-22-april-1963-127991/ Halifax Town Richards Vale Park Burslem 5,968 39 27 April 1963 Crystal Palace 2–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/crystal-palace-v-port-vale-27-april-1963-128003/ Port Vale Richards Selhurst Park Selhurst, Croydon 13,183 40 29 April 1963 Port Vale 3–2 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-queens-park-rangers-29-april-1963-128012/ Queens Park Rangers Richards Rowland Sproson Leary Sproson og. Vale Park Burslem 5,974 41 4 May 1963 Coventry City 0–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/coventry-city-v-port-vale-04-may-1963-128026/ Port Vale Richards Highfield Road Coventry 18,307 42 6 May 1963 Port Vale 2–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-bradford-park-avenue-06-may-1963-128032/ Bradford (Park Avenue) Miles Steele Vale Park Burslem 6,680 43 11 May 1963 Port Vale 3–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-bristol-city-11-may-1963-128048/ Bristol City Richards Rowland Vale Park Burslem 5,337 44 13 May 1963 Port Vale 0–3 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-bournemouth-and-boscombe-athletic-13-may-1963-128052/ Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic Vale Park Burslem 7,362 45 18 May 1963 Watford 1–2 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/watford-v-port-vale-18-may-1963-128068/ Port Vale Livesey Richards Wright Vicarage Road Watford 5,955 46 20 May 1963 Port Vale 2–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-bristol-rovers-20-may-1963-128071/ Bristol Rovers Richards pen. Miles Vale Park Burslem 5,015 FA Cup 1962–63 FA Cup R1 3 November 1962 Bristol Rovers 0–2 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/bristol-rovers-v-port-vale-03-november-1962-211780/ Port Vale Llewellyn Eastville Stadium Bristol 8,180 R2 24 November 1962 Port Vale 2–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-aldershot-24-november-1962-211835/ Aldershot Llewellyn Edwards pen. Vale Park Burslem 12,638 R3 27 February 1963 Gillingham 2–4 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/gillingham-v-port-vale-27-february-1963-211875/ Port Vale Steele Edwards Ford Grainger pen. Priestfield Stadium Gillingham, Kent 6,713 R4 13 March 1963 Port Vale 1–2 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-sheffield-united-13-march-1963-211901/ Sheffield United Grainger Vale Park Burslem 22,207 League Cup 1962–63 Football League Cup R1 27 September 1962 Bristol Rovers 2–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/bristol-rovers-v-port-vale-27-september-1962-28310/ Port Vale Eastville Stadium Bristol 6,126 Squad statistics Appearances and goals Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; DF – Defender; MF – Midfielder; FW – Forward Third Division FA Cup League Cup GK ENG Ken Hancock 46 0 4 0 1 0 DF ENG Terry Lowe 35 0 4 0 1 0 DF ENG John Nicholson 46 0 4 0 1 0 DF ENG Roy Sproson 42 1 4 0 1 0 DF ENG Selwyn Whalley 20 0 1 0 0 0 MF ENG Stan Edwards 27 6 4 2 0 0 MF ENG Peter Ford 25 5 3 1 1 0 MF ENG Colin Grainger 25 5 3 2 1 0 MF ENG Mel Machin 1 0 0 0 0 0 MF ENG Terry Miles 37 3 3 0 1 0 MF ENG Jim Watton 5 0 0 0 0 0 MF NIR Bernard Wright 14 2 0 0 1 0 FW ENG Barry Hancock 9 0 0 0 0 0 FW NIR Terry Harkin 17 10 0 0 0 0 FW ENG Harry Poole 43 3 4 0 0 0 FW ENG John Rowland 37 7 4 0 0 0 FW ENG Tony Richards 14 13 0 0 0 0 FW ENG Stan Steele 35 6 4 1 1 0 |- |colspan="14"|Players who featured but departed the club during the season: FW ENG Bert Llewellyn 18 7 2 3 1 0 FW ENG Arthur Longbottom 10 2 0 0 1 0 |} Top scorers PlacePositionNationNameThird DivisionFA CupLeague CupTotal1FWEnglandTony Richards1300132FWNorthern IrelandTerry Harkin100010–FWEnglandBert Llewellyn730104MFEnglandStan Edwards62085FWEnglandJohn Rowland7007–FWEnglandStan Steele6107–MFEnglandColin Grainger52078FWEnglandPeter Ford51069MFEnglandTerry Miles3003–FWEnglandHarry Poole300311MFNorthern IrelandBernard Wright2002–FWEnglandArthur Longbottom200213DFEnglandRoy Sproson1001–––Own goals2002TOTALS729081 Transfers Transfers in Date from Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref. August 1962 FW ENG John Rowland Nottingham Forest £6,000 Kent Jeff Port Vale Personalities Witan Books 1996 0-9529152-0-0 August 1962 MF NIR Bernard Wright IRL Sligo Rovers Free transfer September 1962 MF NIR Terry Harkin NIR Coleraine £2,000 September 1962 MF ENG Jim Watton NED De Graafschap Free transfer March 1963 FW ENG Tony Richards Walsall £9,000 Transfers out Date from Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref. January 1963 FW ENG Arthur Longbottom Millwall £2,000 February 1963 FW ENG Bert Llewellyn Northampton Town £7,000 May 1963 MF NIR Bernard Wright Released July 1963 MF ENG Stan Edwards WAL Bangor City Free transfer Summer 1963 MF ENG Peter Ford Macclesfield Town Released Loans out Date from Position Nationality Name To Date until Ref. April 1963 MF NIR Bernard Wright Stafford Rangers May 1963 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