1954–55 Port Vale F.C. season

March 2015 March 2015 Port Vale 1954–55 Freddie Steele Fred Burgess Vale Park Football League Second Division 17th (35 points) FA Cup Fourth Round(eliminated by Tottenham Hotspur) Cyril Done (13) Cyril Done (13) 40,066 vs. Stoke City, 25 April 1955 11,963 vs. West Ham United, 10 January 1955 20,869 4–0 vs. Fulham, 27 December 1954 1–7 vs. Swansea Town, 16 September 1954 _collarblack _white_hoops_color ffffff ffffff ffffff 000000 000000 1953–54 1955–56 The 1954–55 season was Port Vale's 43rd season of football in the English Football League and their first season (thirtieth overall) back in the Second Division following their promotion from the Third Division North.Kent Jeff The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale Witan Books 1990 171–196 Fame and Fortune (1950–1959) 0-9508981-4-7 Under manager Freddie Steele and chairman Fred Burgess, the club adapted to life in the second tier, finishing in 17th place with 35 points from 42 league matches. Despite a strong home record, Vale struggled on the road, winning just three away games throughout the season. In the FA Cup, Vale advanced to the Fourth Round, where they were eliminated by Tottenham Hotspur. The club's top scorer was Cyril Done, who netted 13 goals during the season. Attendance at Vale Park was impressive, with an average crowd of 20,869, including a club record 40,066 spectators for the derby against Potteries derby rivals Stoke City on 25 April 1955, the first league meeting between the two clubs since 1932–33. This season laid the groundwork for future success, as the club continued to build upon the foundation established by Steele's "Iron Curtain" defence and the solid squad that had achieved promotion the previous year. Overview Second Division The pre-season saw the players taken on a short outing to Ireland for their exploits the previous season. No major signings took place, and no players of note departed in the summer. Chairman Fred Burgess boasted of his team's loyalty. The season opened with a 1–0 defeat at The Memorial Stadium to Bristol Rovers, though the team put in 'an encouraging display'. Two days later Vale Park welcomed a crowd of 26,805 for a 1–1 draw with Notts County. When they travelled to the Victoria Ground on 4 September, Stoke City had a 100% win record, but 46,777 locals witnessed a goalless draw between the Potteries clubs. Twelve days later, Vale travelled to Vetch Field, where they opened the scoring only to lose 7–1 to Swansea Town, a team they had beaten 1–0 just ten days earlier. This occurred because Tommy Cheadle and Stan Turner had to leave the game before half-time with injuries. The heavy defeat seemed to have destroyed the reputation of 'the Steele Curtain', as the team would have to wait another 14 matches before holding a clean sheet. During this time, manager Freddie Steele switched tactics from a defensive set-up to 'a semi-continental style' in the hunt for goals. Five straight losses followed, as the players struggled to adapt. Also lost was their record of 42 home games without a loss when on 18 September 1954, Blackburn Rovers claimed a 3–0 victory. Basil Hayward dropped from the first XI, they failed to beat strugglers Ipswich Town as the club hovered above the relegation zone. A 3–2 win over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground sustained them until two home wins came in late-December. They had to do without Ken Griffiths, however, who sustained an ankle injury. On 27 November, Vale crashed to a 7–2 defeat at Birmingham City after Tommy Cheadle was stretchered off after half an hour with a fractured rib. In December, Cyril Done, an experienced striker, was signed from Tranmere Rovers for a four-figure fee. He helped to inspire a 4–0 victory over Fulham on 27 December. On 5 February, strugglers Derby County thrashed the Vale 6–1 at the Baseball Ground despite "a spectacular solo goal" from Done. However, Vale's poor away record failed to deter a strong contingent of Vale fans from following the club around the country dressed in fancy dress. The following month, aggressive young forward Len Stephenson was signed from Blackpool. He impressed with his performances, though he proved more effective as a winger than in the much-needed centre-forward role. Three defeats left the Vale in a relegation dogfight, but seven points from the first five games in April proved very useful. On 8 April, Done put four past his former club Liverpool in a 4–3 win as Vale came from 3–1 down to win the match from the penalty spot.Baggaley Mike The story behind a big sale https://portvalethevaliant.substack.com/p/the-story-behind-a-big-sale 26 August 2025 Valiant's Substack 25 August 2025 Three days later he scored a penalty at Anfield to earn a 1–1 draw. On 25 April, more than 40,000 turned up to Vale Park to witness the "Potters" claim a 1–0 victory. Vale won their final two games, including a 1–0 win over Rotherham United that denied the "Millers" a place in the top flight. Barnsley manager Andy Smailes bemaoned the state of the Vale Park pitch, saying "it was just like playing on Blackpool beach!". They finished in 17th place, seven points clear of relegation but 19 short of promotion. With 48 goals, only Hull City scored fewer goals. Cyril Done was the only consistent scorer and was the top scorer for both Vale and Tranmere, having scored twice as many league goals as the next-highest scorer at both clubs. Finances On the financial side, a scant profit of £141 was recorded despite a club-record average home attendance of 20,708. The £6,850 spent to bolster the forward line had swallowed up most of the profits. The Supporters' Club therefore announced it would raise £5,000 – £1,500 of which would go towards the terracing on the Bycars End. Reserve team players Mick Hulligan and Len Barber were allowed to leave for Northwich Victoria on free transfers. FA Cup In the FA Cup, the "Valiants" drew 2–2 with West Ham United at Upton Park after going two goals behind. Vale won the replay 3–1 despite West Ham's protestations over the state of the pitch. Vale were drawn against First Division Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane in the fourth round. A crowd of 50,684 saw an exciting game in which four "Spurs" goals wiped out a Ken Griffiths brace. Results Football League Second Division 1954–55 Football League League table Second Division y PTV Results by matchday table b Round Ground A/H/H/A/A/H/A/H/A/A/H/H/A/H/A/H/A/H/A/H/A/H/A/H/A/H/A/H/A/H/A/H/A/H/H/A/A/H/A/H/H/A Result L/D/W/D/D/W/L/W/L/L/L/L/L/D/W/L/D/D/L/D/L/W/L/W/D/D/L/D/L/W/L/L/L/W/W/L/D/W/L/L/W/W Position 20/15/10/10/12/6/14/13/16/16/18/18/18/17/17/17/18/17/19/19/19/19/19/18/18/18/18/19/19/19/19/20/20/20/19/19/19/19/19/19/19/17 Points 0p/1p/3p/4p/5p/7p/7p/9p/9p/9p/9p/9p/9p/10p/12p/12p/13p/14p/14p/15p/15p/17p/17p/19p/20p/21p/21p/22p/22p/24p/24p/24p/24p/26p/28p/28p/29p/31p/31p/31p/33p/35p Home Away green2 Win yellow2 Draw red2 Loss green1 red1 StattoPort Vale 1954–1955 : Results & Fixtures https://web.archive.org/web/20150906033354/http://www.statto.com/football/teams/port-vale/1954-1955/results 6 September 2015 . Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012. Matches 1 21 August 1954 Bristol Rovers 1–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/bristol-rovers-v-port-vale-21-august-1954-107359/ Port Vale Eastville Stadium Bristol 32,367 2 23 August 1954 Port Vale 1–1 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-notts-county-23-august-1954-107372/ Notts County Sproson Vale Park Burslem 26,805 3 28 August 1954 Port Vale 1–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-plymouth-argyle-28-august-1954-107390/ Plymouth Argyle Leake Vale Park Burslem 25,038 4 2 September 1954 Notts County 1–1 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/notts-county-v-port-vale-02-september-1954-107401/ Port Vale Cunliffe Meadow Lane Nottingham 17,723 5 4 September 1954 Stoke City 0–0 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/stoke-city-v-port-vale-04-september-1954-107412/ Port Vale Victoria Ground Stoke-upon-Trent 46,777 6 6 September 1954 Port Vale 1–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-swansea-town-06-september-1954-107415/ Swansea Town Hayward Vale Park Burslem 18,603 7 16 September 1954 Swansea Town 7–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/swansea-town-v-port-vale-16-september-1954-107444/ Port Vale Leake Vetch Field Swansea 22,265 8 18 September 1954 Port Vale 3–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-derby-county-18-september-1954-107454/ Derby County Askey Cunliffe Griffiths Vale Park Burslem 22,777 9 25 September 1954 West Ham United 2–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/west-ham-united-v-port-vale-25-september-1954-107468/ Port Vale Dick Sexton Boleyn Ground Upton Park, London 25,155 10 27 September 1954 Doncaster Rovers 1–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/doncaster-rovers-v-port-vale-27-september-1954-107469/ Port Vale Belle Vue Doncaster 12,818 11 2 October 1954 Port Vale 0–3 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-blackburn-rovers-02-october-1954-107480/ Blackburn Rovers Vale Park Burslem 25,619 12 9 October 1954 Port Vale 1–3 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-lincoln-city-09-october-1954-107489/ Lincoln City Cunliffe Vale Park Burslem 19,724 13 16 October 1954 15:00 BST Hull City 2–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/hull-city-v-port-vale-16-october-1954-107494/ Port Vale Dryburgh 8 Ackerman 59 Hayward Boothferry Park Kingston upon Hull 23,892 14 23 October 1954 Port Vale 3–3 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-ipswich-town-23-october-1954-107510/ Ipswich Town Leake Hayward Smith Vale Park Burslem 14,532 15 30 October 1954 15:00 GMT Nottingham Forest 2–3 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/nottingham-forest-v-port-vale-30-october-1954-107521/ Port Vale Small 56 Kelly 76 Leake Hayward Cunliffe City Ground West Bridgford F Cowen 15,654 16 6 November 1954 Port Vale 0–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-leeds-united-06-november-1954-107532/ Leeds United Nightingale Vale Park Burslem 16,062 17 13 November 1954 Bury 2–2 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/bury-v-port-vale-13-november-1954-107536/ Port Vale Law Kelly Smith Hayward Gigg Lane Bury, Greater Manchester J Mitchell 12,917 18 20 November 1954 Port Vale 1–1 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-middlesbrough-20-november-1954-107553/ Middlesbrough Askey Wayman Vale Park Burslem 16,753 19 27 November 1954 Birmingham City 7–2 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/birmingham-city-v-port-vale-27-november-1954-107556/ Port Vale Brown Murphy Kinsey Govan Hayward Mullard pen. St Andrew's Birmingham 16,352 20 4 December 1954 Port Vale 1–1 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-luton-town-04-december-1954-107575/ Luton Town og. Vale Park Burslem 14,052 21 11 December 1954 Rotherham United 3–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/rotherham-united-v-port-vale-11-december-1954-107587/ Port Vale Millmoor Rotherham 12,850 22 18 December 1954 Port Vale 1–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-bristol-rovers-18-december-1954-107598/ Bristol Rovers Griffiths Vale Park Burslem 16,434 23 25 December 1954 Fulham 3–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/fulham-v-port-vale-25-december-1954-107602/ Port Vale Askey Craven Cottage Fulham, West London 17,519 24 27 December 1954 Port Vale 4–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-fulham-27-december-1954-107620/ Fulham Smith Leake Cunliffe Vale Park Burslem 29,415 25 1 January 1955 Plymouth Argyle 0–0 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/plymouth-argyle-v-port-vale-01-january-1955-107629/ Port Vale Home Park Plymouth 14,371 26 22 January 1955 Port Vale 1–1 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-doncaster-rovers-22-january-1955-107642/ Doncaster Rovers Done Vale Park Burslem 16,323 27 5 February 1955 Derby County 6–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/derby-county-v-port-vale-05-february-1955-107646/ Port Vale Parry Dunn Buchanan Imlach own goal Done Baseball Ground Derby 19,882 28 12 February 1955 Port Vale 1–1 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-west-ham-united-12-february-1955-107665/ West Ham United Done Hooper Vale Park Burslem 12,621 29 19 February 1955 Blackburn Rovers 2–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/blackburn-rovers-v-port-vale-19-february-1955-107666/ Port Vale Done Ewood Park Blackburn 24,965 30 5 March 1955 15:15 GMT Port Vale 3–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-hull-city-05-march-1955-107688/ Hull City Done Griffiths Vale Park Burslem 16,658 31 12 March 1955 Ipswich Town 1–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/ipswich-town-v-port-vale-12-march-1955-107694/ Port Vale Portman Road Ipswich 12,970 32 19 March 1955 Port Vale 1–2 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-nottingham-forest-19-march-1955-107711/ Nottingham Forest Stephenson Wilson 57 McLaren 86 Vale Park Burslem F Cowen 17,586 33 26 March 1955 Leeds United 3–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/leeds-united-v-port-vale-26-march-1955-107718/ Port Vale Ripley Henderson Charles Elland Road Beeston, Leeds 8,831 34 2 April 1955 Port Vale 1–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-bury-02-april-1955-107735/ Bury Griffiths Vale Park Burslem J Mitchell 14,228 35 8 April 1955 Port Vale 4–3 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-liverpool-08-april-1955-107746/ Liverpool Done pen. Anderson 32 Evans 40 Liddell 46 Vale Park Burslem 24,029 36 9 April 1955 Middlesbrough 2–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/middlesbrough-v-port-vale-09-april-1955-107755/ Port Vale Delapenha Wayman Ayresome Park Middlesbrough 17,795 37 11 April 1955 Liverpool 1–1 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/liverpool-v-port-vale-11-april-1955-107764/ Port Vale Jackson 67 Done pen. Anfield Liverpool 36,285 38 16 April 1955 Port Vale 2–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-birmingham-city-16-april-1955-107778/ Birmingham City Askey Done Vale Park Burslem 24,036 39 23 April 1955 Luton Town 4–2 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/luton-town-v-port-vale-23-april-1955-107793/ Port Vale Done Griffiths Kenilworth Road Luton 16,704 40 25 April 1955 Port Vale 0–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-stoke-city-25-april-1955-107799/ Stoke City Bowyer Vale Park Burslem 40,066 41 30 April 1955 Port Vale 1–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-rotherham-united-30-april-1955-107814/ Rotherham United Smith Vale Park Burslem 25,271 42 4 May 1955 Lincoln City 0–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/lincoln-city-v-port-vale-04-may-1955-107820/ Port Vale Smith Sincil Bank Lincoln 7,044 FA Cup 1954–55 FA Cup R3 8 January 1955 West Ham United 2–2 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/west-ham-united-v-port-vale-08-january-1955-210647/ Port Vale Bennett Hooper Smith Cunliffe Boleyn Ground Upton Park, London 20,364 Replay 10 January 1955 Port Vale 3–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-west-ham-united-10-january-1955-210649/ West Ham United Leake Cunliffe Smith Hooper Vale Park Burslem 11,963 R4 29 January 1955 Tottenham Hotspur 4–2 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/tottenham-hotspur-v-port-vale-29-january-1955-210676/ Port Vale Brooks Duquemin Gavin Griffiths White Hart Lane Tottenham, North London 50,684 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 Hancock 1 0 0 0 GK ENG Ray King 41 0 3 0 FB ENG Fred Donaldson 1 0 0 0 FB ENG Reg Potts 42 0 3 0 FB ENG Stan Turner 42 0 3 0 HB ENG Tommy Cheadle 26 0 0 0 HB ENG Albert Leake 27 5 3 1 HB ENG Derek Mountford 2 0 0 0 HB ENG Roy Sproson 42 1 3 0 FW ENG Colin Askey 39 4 3 0 FW ENG Len Barber 2 0 0 0 FW ENG Alan Bennett 4 0 0 0 FW ENG John Cunliffe 40 5 3 2 FW ENG Cyril Done 18 13 0 0 FW ENG Basil Hayward 30 6 3 0 FW ENG Mick Hulligan 1 0 0 0 FW ENG Ken Griffiths 30 5 3 2 FW ENG Mike Moran 0 0 0 0 FW ENG Albert Mullard 37 1 3 0 FW ENG Stan Smith 23 6 3 2 FW ENG Len Stephenson 10 1 0 0 FW ENG Derek Tomkinson 4 0 0 0 |} Top scorers PlacePositionNationNameSecond DivisionFA CupTotal1FWEnglandCyril Done130132FWEnglandStan Smith6283FWEnglandKen Griffiths527–FWEnglandJohn Cunliffe5275FWEnglandBasil Hayward606–HBEnglandAlbert Leake5167FWEnglandColin Askey4048HBEnglandRoy Sproson101–FWEnglandAlbert Mullard101–FWEnglandLen Stephenson101–––Own goals101TOTALS48755 Transfers Transfers in Date from Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref. December 1954 FW ENG Cyril Done Tranmere Rovers 'four figure fee' Kent Jeff Port Vale Personalities Witan Books 1996 0-9529152-0-0 10 March 1955 FW ENG Len Stephenson Blackpool £5,000 Transfers out Date from Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref. July 1955 FW ENG Len Barber Northwich Victoria Free transfer July 1955 FW ENG Mick Hulligan Northwich Victoria Free transfer Summer 1955 HB ENG Roy Brien Released Summer 1955 FB ENG Jim Elsby Wereton Queen's Park Free transfer Summer 1955 FW ENG Derek Tomkinson Crewe Alexandra Free transfer 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