1972–73 Port Vale F.C. season

March 2015 March 2015 Port Vale 1972–73 Gordon Lee Mark Singer Vale Park Football League Third Division 6th (53 points) FA Cup Third Round(eliminated by West Ham United) League Cup Second Round(eliminated by Newcastle United) Player of the Year Ray Williams Sammy Morgan, Ray Williams (11 each) Sammy Morgan, Ray Williams (11 each) 20,619 vs. West Ham United, 13 January 1973 3,468 vs. Bristol Rovers, 2 September 1972 5,429 4–1 vs. Rotherham United, 26 February 1973 0–7 vs. Rotherham United, 26 August 1972 _blackborder _collarblack _blackborder _color_3_stripes_black ffffff ffffff ffffff ffffff ffffff 1971–72 1973–74 The 1972–73 season was Port Vale's 61st season of football in the Football League, and their third-successive season (ninth overall) in the Third Division.Kent Jeff The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale Witan Books 1990 227–257 Surviving on a Shoestring (1969–1979) 0-9508981-4-7 Under manager Gordon Lee and chairman Mark Singer, Vale delivered a commendable sixth-place finish, accumulating 53 points, yet ultimately missed out on promotion by four points behind third‑placed Notts County. Fronted by strike duo Sammy Morgan and Ray Williams, both scored 11 goals in league and all competitions to emerge as joint top scorers, while Williams also earned the club's Player of the Year accolade. The campaign began explosively with six wins in eight league fixtures, although it included a heavy 7–0 defeat to Rotherham United in August; Vale rebounded with a strong nine‑game unbeaten run that kept them firmly among the promotion contenders into the spring. In cup competitions, Vale reached the Third Round of the FA Cup, losing narrowly to West Ham United in front of a record crowd of 20,619 at Vale Park — an occasion marred by crowd trouble and critical remarks from West Ham manager Ron Greenwood about Vale's physical style. In the League Cup, Port Vale progressed to the Second Round, recording a win over Tranmere Rovers before exiting to Newcastle United in front of 10,370 supporters. Financially, the club posted a strong profit of £14,304, boosted by £16,029 in donations, with gate receipts rising from £36,323 to £67,202. Debt was reduced to £44,721, with an additional £57,860 owed to directors. Overall, the 1972–73 season represented a return to stability under Lee — marked by an ambitious promotion push, solid league form, standout performers in Morgan and Williams, financial improvement, and growing local support, even amid growing concerns about crowd behaviour and the team's reputation for aggressive play. Overview Third Division The pre-season saw Gordon Lee make several big signings. The most significant was the signing of Ray Williams from Stafford Rangers, who had scored 47 goals for the non-League club the previous season. Williams cost Vale £3,000 and was on a wage of £40 a week (plus incentives). Also arriving was midfielder Freddie Goodwin (Southport); 'controversial' goalkeeper Alan Boswell (Bolton Wanderers); 21-year-old midfielder Colin Tartt (Alsager College); and trialist goalkeeper Reg Edwards (Nuneaton Borough). Ticket prices were raised to between 40 and 60 pence, whilst season tickets were priced between £8 and £10. The season opened with six victories in eight league games, though the third match was a huge 7–0 defeat at Millmoor to Rotherham United – the defeat was blamed on Boswell. Five straight wins followed. After mid-September, the "Valiants" struggled to score, and recorded six draws in eight games, though they remained in the top three. On 23 September, a 2–0 defeat at third-placed Walsall saw seven bookings. The team then fell to a 4–0 defeat at AFC Bournemouth three days later. The club spent £8,500 on new floodlights and a public address system; however, attendance dropped off from the crucial 6,000 break-even number. Lee complained about the lack of support, and said "the people here are not genuinely interested in league football". Offered the management position at Shrewsbury Town, he rejected the offer as he believed the club 'lacked potential' and that he had a 'feeling of loyalty towards the [Vale] players'. The team went nine games unbeaten, a sequence which included a "splendid" 2–1 home victory over league leaders Bournemouth on 4 November. The run ended with a 2–0 loss at Charlton Athletic on 2 December after the team arrived at The Valley in taxis when their transport at Euston railway station failed to show up. Going into the Christmas period, Brian Horton was sidelined with a hairline fracture in his leg, and the team struggled, falling down the league table with inconsistent play. A 2–0 loss at league leaders Bolton Wanderers on 23 December was followed three days later by a "disgraceful" 2–1 home defeat to Walsall who played with a man down since the 17th minute. On 30 January, Vale lost 4–1 at Bristol Rovers. Lee subsequently sold John James to Chester for £5,000, Ray Harford to Colchester United for £1,750, and Keith Lindsey to Gillingham for £750. They fell to a 5–0 defeat at Brentford after experimenting with an attacking style on 10 February. To keep up the promotion bid, in February Lee spent £2,250 to bring 'pacey' striker John Woodward from Walsall. Vale began to pick up wins, beating Rotherham United by four goals to one and Grimsby Town by a goal to nil, though their 2–1 win over Blackburn Rovers led to them being branded by Rovers manager Ken Furphy as 'a brutal and physical side'. In March, players were taken on a four-day special training and relaxation retreat in the North-East to recover mentally and physically. On 16 March, Roy Cross wrenched his knee in a 2–0 defeat at Tranmere Rovers, which ended his run of 134 consecutive appearances. On 27 March, Vale won 3–2 away at Shrewsbury Town after coming from two goals down in front of a season-high crowd of 4,419 at Gay Meadow.Baggaley Mike Vale fail Barrow test https://portvalethevaliant.substack.com/p/vale-fail-barrow-test 26 March 2025 Valiant's Substack 26 March 2025 This lifted them into third place.Baggaley Mike Good news on the horizon https://portvalethevaliant.substack.com/p/good-news-on-the-horizon-516 15 January 2026 Valiant's Substack 15 January 2026 On 14 April, Boswell was sent off for fighting with Wyndham Evans in a 1–0 win at Swansea City. Vale were out of the promotion race after a 'shattering' 5–0 defeat to Southend United at Roots Hall on 20 April. They beat Grimsby Town by three goals to nil the following day. Their final home game of the season was a 2–2 draw with champions Bolton Wanderers, in which 'frenzied scenes' included police dogs separating the two sets of fans at the Bycars End, two attempted pitch invasions, and the referee kicked to the ground at the final whistle. The 14,168 attendance was the highest since for a league match since March 1964. The season concluded with a 5–0 defeat at Wrexham on 27 April. They finished in sixth spot with 53 points, four short of promoted Notts County. The tally of 69 goals conceded was higher than that of all but the bottom two clubs. Finances On the financial side, a £14,304 profit was made after donations of £16,029 from the Sportsmen's Association and the Development Fund. Gate receipts had risen massively from £36,323 to £67,202. The wage bill stood at £59,663, whilst the club's debt was at £44,721, along with £57,860 owed to the directors. At the end of the season, Freddie Goodwin was let go, and he joined Macclesfield Town. Cup competitions In the FA Cup, Vale progressed past Fourth Division side Southport with a 2–1 "tough thriller" at Vale Park. They got past Third Division Wrexham with a 1–0 home win following "a tense battle". In the third round, they faced West Ham United at Vale Park, where the "Hammers" won 'an epic battle' 1–0 in front of a season-best crowd of 20,619. West Ham's goal came when Bobby Moore's free kick to the far post was knocked down by Clyde Best to Pat Holland to score.Baggaley Mike Analysing attack and defence https://portvalethevaliant.substack.com/p/analysing-attack-and-defence 18 November 2025 Valiant's Substack 17 November 2025 The match raised £8,600, but also raised the issue of violence, as two Londoners were stabbed, two policemen seriously assaulted, and thirty fans were ejected from the stadium. West Ham manager Ron Greenwood claimed that the Vale players attempted 'the most blatant calculated intimidation I have ever seen anywhere in the world'. In the League Cup, the club recorded their first-ever away victory in the competition with a 1–0 win over Tranmere Rovers at Prenton Park. The second round held a home tie with First Division club Newcastle United, and the "Magpies" left Stoke-on-Trent having won 3–1 in front of 10,370 spectators. Results Football League Third Division 1972–73 Football League League table Third Division y PTV Results by matchday table b Round Ground A/H/A/H/H/A/H/H/A/A/H/H/A/A/H/H/A/H/A/H/A/H/A/H/A/H/A/H/A/A/H/A/A/H/A/H/H/A/A/H/H/A/A/H/H/A Result D/W/L/W/W/W/W/W/L/L/W/L/D/W/D/D/D/W/D/D/L/W/L/L/D/W/L/W/L/W/W/L/W/W/L/W/D/W/L/W/D/W/L/W/D/L Position 10/4/15/6/5/1/1/1/2/4/3/5/4/3/3/2/3/2/3/3/3/3/5/7/6/10/10/9/10/10/9/9/9/5/9/7/8/4/6/6/4/4/5/4/5/6 Points 1p/3p/3p/5p/7p/9p/11p/13p/13p/13p/15p/15p/16p/18p/19p/20p/21p/23p/24p/25p/25p/27p/27p/27p/28p/30p/30p/32p/32p/34p/36p/36p/38p/40p/40p/42p/43p/45p/45p/47p/48p/50p/50p/52p/53p/53p Home Away green2 Win yellow2 Draw red2 Loss green1 red1 StattoPort Vale 1972–1973 : Results & Fixtures https://web.archive.org/web/20160304051522/http://www.statto.com/football/teams/port-vale/1972-1973/results 4 March 2016 . Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012. Matches 1 12 August 1972 Rochdale 0–0 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/rochdale-v-port-vale-12-august-1972-133051/ Port Vale Spotland Stadium Rochdale 2,661 2 19 August 1972 Port Vale 2–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-york-city-19-august-1972-133068/ York City Horton Goodwin Vale Park Burslem 4,112 3 26 August 1972 Rotherham United 7–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/rotherham-united-v-port-vale-26-august-1972-133079/ Port Vale Millmoor Rotherham 4,788 4 28 August 1972 19:30 BST Port Vale 3–2 W https://www.wrexhamafcarchive.co.uk/matchdetails.php?id=895 Wrexham Mountford 13 James 75 Morgan 85 Tinnion 15 73 Vale Park Burslem G. Hartley H.B. Worman, B.C. Spofford 3,885 5 2 September 1972 Port Vale 2–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-bristol-rovers-02-september-1972-133105/ Bristol Rovers Goodwin Horton pen. Vale Park Burslem 3,468 6 9 September 1972 Chesterfield 1–2 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/chesterfield-v-port-vale-09-september-1972-133112/ Port Vale Loska Horton pen. Saltergate Chesterfield, Derbyshire 7,854 7 16 September 1972 Port Vale 1–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-brentford-16-september-1972-133129/ Brentford Williams Vale Park Burslem 4,663 8 18 September 1972 Port Vale 2–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-halifax-town-18-september-1972-133132/ Halifax Town Morgan Loska Vale Park Burslem 5,715 9 23 September 1972 Walsall 2–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/walsall-v-port-vale-23-september-1972-133152/ Port Vale Fellows Park Walsall 8,159 10 26 September 1972 AFC Bournemouth 4–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/afc-bournemouth-v-port-vale-26-september-1972-133159/ Port Vale Dean Court Bournemouth 12,145 11 30 September 1972 Port Vale 3–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-southend-united-30-september-1972-133175/ Southend United Gough Morgan Williams pen. Vale Park Burslem 4,005 12 7 October 1972 Port Vale 0–2 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-oldham-athletic-07-october-1972-133185/ Oldham Athletic Vale Park Burslem 5,352 13 10 October 1972 Watford 1–1 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/watford-v-port-vale-10-october-1972-133199/ Port Vale Welbourne Morgan Vicarage Road Watford 5,556 14 14 October 1972 Blackburn Rovers 0–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/blackburn-rovers-v-port-vale-14-october-1972-133202/ Port Vale Morgan Ewood Park Blackburn 6,500 15 21 October 1972 Port Vale 0–0 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-tranmere-rovers-21-october-1972-133219/ Tranmere Rovers Vale Park Burslem 4,007 16 23 October 1972 Port Vale 1–1 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-shrewsbury-town-23-october-1972-133226/ Shrewsbury Town James Vale Park Burslem 5,213 17 28 October 1972 Notts County 1–1 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/notts-county-v-port-vale-28-october-1972-133242/ Port Vale Horton pen. Meadow Lane Nottingham 8,544 18 4 November 1972 Port Vale 2–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-afc-bournemouth-04-november-1972-133254/ AFC Bournemouth Morgan Vale Park Burslem 6,414 19 11 November 1972 Halifax Town 2–2 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/halifax-town-v-port-vale-11-november-1972-133268/ Port Vale Williams Horton The Shay Halifax, West Yorkshire 2,026 20 25 November 1972 Port Vale 1–1 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-plymouth-argyle-25-november-1972-133281/ Plymouth Argyle McLaren Saxton Vale Park Burslem 3,881 21 2 December 1972 Charlton Athletic 2–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/charlton-athletic-v-port-vale-02-december-1972-133290/ Port Vale The Valley Charlton, London 4,391 22 16 December 1972 Port Vale 2–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-scunthorpe-united-16-december-1972-133307/ Scunthorpe United og. McLaren Vale Park Burslem 3,833 23 23 December 1972 Bolton Wanderers 2–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/bolton-wanderers-v-port-vale-23-december-1972-133311/ Port Vale Burnden Park Bolton 12,643 24 26 December 1972 Port Vale 1–2 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-walsall-26-december-1972-133328/ Walsall Mountford pen. Vale Park Burslem 6,787 25 30 December 1972 York City 0–0 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/york-city-v-port-vale-30-december-1972-133341/ Port Vale Bootham Crescent York 3,589 26 27 January 1973 Port Vale 2–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-chesterfield-27-january-1973-133373/ Chesterfield James McLaren Vale Park Burslem 3,806 27 30 January 1973 Bristol Rovers 4–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/bristol-rovers-v-port-vale-30-january-1973-133378/ Port Vale Loska Eastville Stadium Bristol 10,009 28 3 February 1973 Port Vale 1–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-watford-03-february-1973-133387/ Watford Williams Vale Park Burslem 3,987 29 10 February 1973 Brentford 5–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/brentford-v-port-vale-10-february-1973-133396/ Port Vale Woon Graham Salvage Griffin Park Brentford, West London 6,694 30 24 February 1973 Scunthorpe United 0–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/scunthorpe-united-v-port-vale-24-february-1973-133422/ Port Vale Summerscales Old Show Ground Scunthorpe 2,734 31 26 February 1973 Port Vale 4–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-rotherham-united-26-february-1973-133428/ Rotherham United og. Gough Woodward Williams Vale Park Burslem 4,433 32 3 March 1973 Oldham Athletic 1–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/oldham-athletic-v-port-vale-03-march-1973-133439/ Port Vale Boundary Park Oldham 6,998 33 6 March 1973 Grimsby Town 0–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/grimsby-town-v-port-vale-06-march-1973-133446/ Port Vale Williams Blundell Park Cleethorpes 14,092 34 10 March 1973 Port Vale 2–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-blackburn-rovers-10-march-1973-133462/ Blackburn Rovers Woodward Vale Park Burslem 7,854 35 16 March 1973 Tranmere Rovers 2–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/tranmere-rovers-v-port-vale-16-march-1973-133474/ Port Vale Prenton Park Prenton 5,346 36 19 March 1973 Port Vale 3–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-swansea-city-19-march-1973-133486/ Swansea City Morgan Summerscales Vale Park Burslem 5,104 37 24 March 1973 Port Vale 1–1 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-notts-county-24-march-1973-133502/ Notts County Williams Vale Park Burslem 8,920 38 27 March 1973 Shrewsbury Town 2–3 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/shrewsbury-town-v-port-vale-27-march-1973-133510/ Port Vale Woodward Williams Gay Meadow Shrewsbury 4,419 39 31 March 1973 Plymouth Argyle 2–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/plymouth-argyle-v-port-vale-31-march-1973-133520/ Port Vale Hinch Williams Home Park Plymouth 9,416 40 7 April 1973 Port Vale 3–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-charlton-athletic-07-april-1973-133534/ Charlton Athletic Williams Morgan Woodward Vale Park Burslem 5,076 41 9 April 1973 Port Vale 0–0 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-rochdale-09-april-1973-133539/ Rochdale Vale Park Burslem 6,413 42 14 April 1973 Swansea City 0–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/swansea-city-v-port-vale-14-april-1973-133549/ Port Vale Morgan Vetch Field Swansea 2,594 43 20 April 1973 Southend United 5–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/southend-united-v-port-vale-20-april-1973-133559/ Port Vale Roots Hall Southend-on-Sea 9,395 44 21 April 1973 Port Vale 3–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-grimsby-town-21-april-1973-133567/ Grimsby Town Woodward Williams Vale Park Burslem 3,772 45 23 April 1973 Port Vale 2–2 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-bolton-wanderers-23-april-1973-133575/ Bolton Wanderers Horton pen. Woodward Vale Park Burslem K.A. Wynn C.J. Riley, G. Nolan 14,168 46 27 April 1973 19:15 BST Wrexham 5–0 L https://www.wrexhamafcarchive.co.uk/matchdetails.php?id=3348 Port Vale Ashcroft 14 39 Smallman 33 Whittle 41 81 Racecourse Ground Wrexham K.A. Wynn C.J. Riley, G. Nolan 3,543 FA Cup 1972–73 FA Cup R1 20 November 1972 Port Vale 2–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-southport-18-november-1972-213377/ Southport James Horton Vale Park Burslem 4,624 R2 9 December 1972 15:15 GMT Port Vale 1–0 W https://www.wrexhamafcarchive.co.uk/matchdetails.php?id=2137 Wrexham Brodie 6 Vale Park Burslem A. Porter F.B. Hardy, D.H. Cross 5,980 R3 13 January 1973 Port Vale 0–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-west-ham-united-13-january-1973-213447/ West Ham United Holland Vale Park Burslem 20,619 League Cup 1972–73 Football League Cup R1 16 August 1972 Tranmere Rovers 0–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/tranmere-rovers-v-port-vale-16-august-1972-29389/ Port Vale og. Prenton Park Prenton 4,003 R2 5 September 1972 Port Vale 1–3 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-newcastle-united-05-september-1972-29418/ Newcastle United Summerscales 16 Macdonald 8 Barrowclough 10 Craig 76 Vale Park Burslem 10,370 Squad statistics Appearances and goals Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; DF – Defender; MF – Midfielder; FW – Forward Third Division FA Cup League Cup GK ENG Alan Boswell 44 0 3 0 2 0 GK ENG Reg Edwards 2 0 0 0 0 0 DF ENG John Brodie 35 0 3 1 0 0 DF ENG Roy Cross 35 0 3 0 2 0 DF ENG Tony Loska 41 3 2 0 1 0 DF ENG Bill Summerscales 45 2 3 0 2 1 MF ENG Freddie Goodwin 27 2 1 0 2 0 MF ENG Brian Horton 39 6 2 1 2 0 MF ENG Tony Lacey 25 0 3 0 1 0 MF SCO Tommy McLaren 41 3 2 0 2 0 MF ENG Colin Tartt 29 0 3 0 0 0 FW ENG Bobby Gough 27 2 2 0 0 0 FW NIR Sammy Morgan 39 11 3 0 2 0 FW ENG Bob Mountford 17 2 1 0 2 0 FW ENG Ray Williams 44 11 3 0 2 0 FW ENG John Woodward 17 9 0 0 0 0 |- |colspan="14"|Players who featured but departed the club during the season: DF ENG Keith Lindsey 8 0 0 0 1 0 MF ENG Ray Harford 1 0 0 0 0 0 FW ENG John James 16 3 2 1 2 0 |} Top scorers PlacePositionNationNameThird DivisionFA CupLeague CupTotal1FWEnglandRay Williams110011–FWNorthern IrelandSammy Morgan1100113FWEnglandJohn Woodward90094MFEnglandBrian Horton61075FWEnglandJohn James31046DFEnglandTony Loska3003–MFScotlandTommy McLaren3003–DFEnglandBill Summerscales20139MFEnglandFreddie Goodwin2002–FWEnglandBob Mountford2002–FWEnglandBobby Gough200212DFEnglandJohn Brodie0101–––Own goals2013TOTALS563261 Transfers Transfers in Date from Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref. July 1972 GK ENG Alan Boswell Bolton Wanderers Free transfer Kent Jeff Port Vale Personalities Witan Books 1996 0-9529152-0-0 July 1972 MF ENG Freddie Goodwin Southport Free transfer July 1972 FW ENG Ray Williams Stafford Rangers £3,000 September 1972 GK ENG Reg Edwards Nuneaton Borough Free transfer February 1973 FW ENG John Woodward Walsall £2,250 Transfers out Date from Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref. January 1973 DF ENG Keith Lindsey Gillingham £500 February 1973 DF ENG Ray Harford Colchester United £1,750 February 1973 FW ENG John James Chester £5,000 May 1973 MF ENG Freddie Goodwin Macclesfield Town Free transfer May 1973 MF ENG Bob Peyton Released Loans out Date from Position Nationality Name To Date to Ref. December 1972 DF ENG Keith Lindsey Gillingham January 1973 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