1971–72 Port Vale F.C. season

March 2015 March 2015 Port Vale 1971–72 Gordon Lee Graham Bourne(until January)Mark Singer(from January) Vale Park Football League Third Division 15th (41 points) FA Cup Third Round(eliminated by Birmingham City) League Cup First Round(eliminated by Shrewsbury Town) Player of the Year Sammy Morgan Bobby Gough (10) Bobby Gough (10) 11,118 vs. Aston Villa, 6 November 1971 2,475 vs. Rochdale, 12 May 1972 4,366 3–0 vs. Swansea City, 18 March 1972 0–3 (five games) _collarblack _color_3_stripes_black ffffff ffffff ffffff ffffff ffffff 1970–71 1972–73 The 1971–72 season was Port Vale's 60th season of football in the Football League, and their second-successive season (eighth overall) back 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 the management of Gordon Lee and playing at Vale Park, the club struggled for consistency, eventually finishing 15th in the 24‑team division with 41 points. Off the field, the campaign marked the end of an era: Roy Sproson, the club's record appearance-maker, retired after 22 years and 755 league games for Vale. Financially, thanks to a £10,000 transfer credit and £13,967 in donations from supporters, the club registered a profit of £596, reducing its total debt to around £100,130. In cup competitions, Vale reached the Third Round of the FA Cup, defeating Blackburn Rovers and Darlington before being knocked out by Second Division Birmingham City; they were eliminated in the First Round of the League Cup by Shrewsbury Town. Bobby Gough was the season's top scorer with 10 goals across all competitions, earning him recognition for his attacking contributions, while Sammy Morgan was voted the club's Player of the Year for his overall impact. Attendance figures fluctuated: the highest home attendance was 11,118 against Aston Villa on 6 November 1971, the lowest was just 2,475 versus Rochdale on 12 May 1972, and the average league gate settled at 4,366 spectators per match. Overall, the 1971–72 season proved unexceptional in terms of league position or cup success, but it was historically significant through Sproson's retirement, modest financial improvement, and some individual highlights under Gordon Lee's stewardship. Overview Third Division The pre-season saw the arrival of left-half John Flowers from Doncaster Rovers and 22-year-old full-back Tony Loska from Shrewsbury Town for 'a small fee'. Meanwhile, three players picked up injuries: John James (cartilage), Roy Sproson (ribs), and Stuart Sharratt (ankle); whilst Sammy Morgan threatened to quit altogether after falling out with manager Gordon Lee over his decision to remain resident in Great Yarmouth rather than moving nearer to Burslem. The two made up and Lee said "I could not buy a player of his potential for £20,000". Violence broke out in a pre-season game with Bristol City, as the sport was in the grip of hooliganism. The season opened with a 1–1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion in front of just 4,384 fans, causing Lee to warn that such low attendances would require him to sell off the club's best players. August ended with consecutive home defeats, and Loska joined the injury list with a broken collarbone. By the end of September, Vale were performing well on the pitch, and off it had sold the main car park to The Co-operative Group for £30,000. Bob Mountford scored on his league debut in a 1–1 draw at Brighton & Hove Albion on 16 October. Vale were beaten 3–2 by the league leaders AFC Bournemouth three days later. Goals were at a premium despite a 4–3 win over York City and a 4–4 draw with Aston Villa at Vale Park. The draw with Villa on 6 November saw Vale, restricted to 13 fit professionals due to injuries, come from 4–2 down to level the score with two set piece routines.Baggaley Mike Making a statement in the final games https://portvalethevaliant.substack.com/p/making-a-statement-in-the-final-games 7 April 2026 Valiant's Substack 6 April 2026 Sporadic violence continued to break out at many matches, as local businesses had their windows smashed, local residents were menaced, and fights broke out. In November, Clint Boulton was sold to Torquay United for £10,000. The next month Lee brought "tall and aggressive" Ray Harford from Mansfield Town for a £5,000 fee, as well as "quick and aggressive" right-back Keith Lindsey from Southend United for 'a small fee'. Tony Lacey was sidelined with a dislocated shoulder, though Sammy Morgan looked sharper in front of goal after switching to new contact lenses. Vale were comfortable in the league. On New Year's Day, Chairman Graham Bourne was reported to The Football Association for swearing at referee Keith Styles in a 2–1 win over Shrewsbury Town. Bourne resigned later that month, along with colleague and fellow director George Sanders. This left the board of directors with just two members, one of whom, previous chairman Mark Singer, was re-elected as chairman. The Sentinel'''s Chris Harper stated that "Vale will never make progress while they are plagued by trouble at the top". The team continued with good home form, but invariably lost away from Vale Park. On 16 February, Sammy Morgan scored on his debut for Northern Ireland, and picked up six further caps whilst at the club. On 4 March, only 2,809 bothered to turn out for a 1–0 home win over Mansfield Town in strong wind and snow, whilst rivals Stoke City won the 1972 League Cup final in front of a crowd of nearly 100,000 at Wembley Stadium. Vale went on to go ten games without a win, also scoring just one goal in a run of seven games, to the frustration of their supporters. Despite this, the now annual Meet the Manager evening "warmed the heart" of Lee. A 1–0 win over Barnsley at the end of April ensured the club's safety from the drop. On 8 May, Sproson made his farewell competitive appearance for the club in front of only 2,743 supporters, in a 2–1 defeat to Rotherham United. Lee angrily declared that "the attendance was nothing short of a disgrace to mark the end of a legend". Four days later there was an even smaller turnout for a final day 1–1 draw with Rochdale. Fans were dissatisfied with the dour style of play under Lee, who was generally seen as performing an excellent job on a shoestring budget with poor training facilities and injuries to key players.Baggaley Mike Nathan Smith released and retained list news https://portvalethevaliant.substack.com/p/nathan-smith-released-and-retained 13 May 2025 Valiant's Substack 12 May 2025 They finished in 15th place with 41 points, 30 of which were won at home. With just 43 goals scored, they had the lowest goal tally outside the bottom four. Finances On the financial side, a drop in average home attendance of over a thousand failed to prevent a profit of £596. This profit was due to a £10,000 transfer credit and £13,967 worth of donations from the Sportsmen's Association and the Development Fund. The club's total debt stood at £100,130. Four players were let go at the end of the campaign: Mick Morris (Stafford Rangers), Keith Ball (Stourport), Stuart Sharratt (retired), and John Flowers (Eastwood). Sproson also retired as a player, but stayed on as a scout and coach. Cup competitions In the FA Cup, Vale beat Blackburn Rovers 3–1 following a 1–1 draw at Ewood Park. A last-minute Sammy Morgan goal then defeated Fourth Division side Darlington in the second round. Vale then were defeated 3–0 at St Andrew's by Second Division club Birmingham City. In the League Cup, Vale made 'their annual early exit', losing 2–0 at home to Shrewsbury Town. Results Football League Third Division 1971–72 Football League League table Third Division y PVL Results by matchday table b Round Ground H/A/H/H/A/H/A/H/H/A/H/A/A/H/A/H/A/A/H/H/A/H/A/A/H/H/A/H/A/H/A/A/H/A/A/H/H/A/A/H/A/A/A/H/H/H Result D/W/L/L/W/D/D/W/D/L/D/D/L/W/L/D/W/L/W/W/L/W/L/L/D/W/L/W/L/W/L/L/W/D/D/D/D/L/D/D/L/L/L/W/L/D Position 13/4/15/15/13/13/14/10/8/15/15/15/16/13/17/17/14/14/14/10/11/11/12/14/12/13/13/10/12/12/14/15/13/13/13/14/13/14/15/14/15/15/15/15/16/15 Points 1p/3p/3p/3p/5p/6p/7p/9p/10p/10p/11p/12p/12p/14p/14p/15p/17p/17p/19p/21p/21p/23p/23p/23p/24p/26p/26p/28p/28p/30p/30p/30p/32p/33p/34p/35p/36p/36p/37p/38p/38p/38p/38p/40p/40p/41p Home Away green2 Win yellow2 Draw red2 Loss green1 red1 StattoPort Vale 1971–1972 : Results & Fixtures https://web.archive.org/web/20160304062426/http://www.statto.com/football/teams/port-vale/1971-1972/results 4 March 2016 . Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012. Matches 1 14 August 1971 Port Vale 1–1 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-brighton-and-hove-albion-14-august-1971-132503/ Brighton & Hove Albion Horton pen. Vale Park Burslem 4,384 2 21 August 1971 Swansea City 0–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/swansea-city-v-port-vale-21-august-1971-132516/ Port Vale Morris Vetch Field Swansea 6,457 3 28 August 1971 Port Vale 0–2 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-chesterfield-28-august-1971-132528/ Chesterfield Vale Park Burslem 4,416 4 30 August 1971 Port Vale 0–3 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-notts-county-30-august-1971-132531/ Notts County Vale Park Burslem 5,298 5 4 September 1971 15:15 BST Wrexham 1–2 W https://www.wrexhamafcarchive.co.uk/matchdetails.php?id=3304 Port Vale Davies 56 Brodie 8 Horton 90 Racecourse Ground Wrexham R.C. Challis 7,407 6 11 September 1971 Port Vale 0–0 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-plymouth-argyle-11-september-1971-132560/ Plymouth Argyle Vale Park Burslem 3,707 7 18 September 1971 Shrewsbury Town 0–0 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/shrewsbury-town-v-port-vale-18-september-1971-132573/ Port Vale Gay Meadow Shrewsbury 5,443 8 25 September 1971 Port Vale 1–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-halifax-town-25-september-1971-132587/ Halifax Town Gough Vale Park Burslem 3,724 9 27 September 1971 Port Vale 0–0 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-blackburn-rovers-27-september-1971-132590/ Blackburn Rovers Vale Park Burslem 4,963 10 2 October 1971 Walsall 2–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/walsall-v-port-vale-02-october-1971-132612/ Port Vale Fellows Park Walsall 4,642 11 9 October 1971 Port Vale 1–1 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-bolton-wanderers-09-october-1971-132624/ Bolton Wanderers Horton pen. Vale Park Burslem 6,394 12 16 October 1971 Brighton & Hove Albion 1–1 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/brighton-and-hove-albion-v-port-vale-16-october-1971-132630/ Port Vale Mountford Goldstone Ground Hove 9,007 13 19 October 1971 AFC Bournemouth 3–2 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/afc-bournemouth-v-port-vale-19-october-1971-132643/ Port Vale Morgan Gough Dean Court Bournemouth 10,404 14 23 October 1971 Port Vale 4–3 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-york-city-23-october-1971-132658/ York City McLaren Gough Morgan Vale Park Burslem 4,484 15 30 October 1971 Oldham Athletic 1–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/oldham-athletic-v-port-vale-30-october-1971-132668/ Port Vale Boundary Park Oldham 8,140 16 6 November 1971 Port Vale 4–4 D https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/3156 Aston Villa McLaren 3 Mountford 32 Morgan 80 Loska 82 Hamilton 7 Anderson 40 pen. 45 og. Graydon 53 Vale Park Burslem Peter Walters 11,118 17 13 November 1971 Mansfield Town 0–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/mansfield-town-v-port-vale-13-november-1971-132692/ Port Vale Mountford Field Mill Mansfield 5,996 18 27 November 1971 Torquay United 3–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/torquay-united-v-port-vale-27-november-1971-132710/ Port Vale Plainmoor Torquay 3,710 19 4 December 1971 Port Vale 2–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-tranmere-rovers-04-december-1971-132721/ Tranmere Rovers Morgan McLaren Vale Park Burslem 3,701 20 18 December 1971 15:00 GMT Port Vale 1–0 W https://www.wrexhamafcarchive.co.uk/matchdetails.php?id=879 Wrexham Summerscales 89 Vale Park Burslem D.R.G. Nippard 4,310 21 27 December 1971 Bristol Rovers 2–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/bristol-rovers-v-port-vale-27-december-1971-132739/ Port Vale McLaren Eastville Stadium Bristol 12,073 22 1 January 1972 Port Vale 2–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-shrewsbury-town-01-january-1972-132757/ Shrewsbury Town Gough Horton Vale Park Burslem 5,056 23 8 January 1972 Chesterfield 2–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/chesterfield-v-port-vale-08-january-1972-132765/ Port Vale Gough Saltergate Chesterfield, Derbyshire 6,532 24 22 January 1972 Blackburn Rovers 3–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/blackburn-rovers-v-port-vale-22-january-1972-132780/ Port Vale Loska Ewood Park Blackburn 8,495 25 29 January 1972 Port Vale 1–1 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-afc-bournemouth-29-january-1972-132798/ AFC Bournemouth Gough Vale Park Burslem 4,937 26 5 February 1972 Port Vale 1–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-bradford-city-05-february-1972-132808/ Bradford City Lacey Vale Park Burslem 3,715 27 12 February 1972 York City 2–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/york-city-v-port-vale-12-february-1972-132822/ Port Vale Gough Bootham Crescent York 4,319 28 19 February 1972 Port Vale 1–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-oldham-athletic-19-february-1972-132830/ Oldham Athletic Morgan Vale Park Burslem 4,506 29 26 February 1972 Aston Villa 2–0 L https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/3171 Port Vale Lochhead 66 McMahon 72 Villa Park Birmingham Malcolm Sinclair 32,806 30 4 March 1972 Port Vale 1–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-mansfield-town-04-march-1972-132855/ Mansfield Town Morgan Vale Park Burslem 2,809 31 11 March 1972 Bolton Wanderers 3–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/bolton-wanderers-v-port-vale-11-march-1972-132863/ Port Vale Burnden Park Bolton 6,240 32 13 March 1972 Rochdale 3–2 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/rochdale-v-port-vale-13-march-1972-132874/ Port Vale Howarth Gowans James Parry og. Spotland Stadium Rochdale 3,157 33 18 March 1972 Port Vale 3–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-swansea-city-18-march-1972-132895/ Swansea City Gough Harford Vale Park Burslem 3,257 34 21 March 1972 Barnsley 0–0 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/barnsley-v-port-vale-21-march-1972-132902/ Port Vale Oakwell Barnsley 4,048 35 25 March 1972 Plymouth Argyle 0–0 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/plymouth-argyle-v-port-vale-25-march-1972-132913/ Port Vale Home Park Plymouth 8,801 36 1 April 1972 Port Vale 0–0 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-bristol-rovers-01-april-1972-132935/ Bristol Rovers Vale Park Burslem 3,823 37 3 April 1972 Port Vale 1–1 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-walsall-03-april-1972-132943/ Walsall Gough Vale Park Burslem 5,250 38 4 April 1972 Halifax Town 2–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/halifax-town-v-port-vale-04-april-1972-132948/ Port Vale The Shay Halifax, West Yorkshire 3,319 39 8 April 1972 Bradford City 0–0 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/bradford-city-v-port-vale-08-april-1972-132955/ Port Vale Valley Parade Bradford 2,969 40 15 April 1972 Port Vale 0–0 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-torquay-united-15-april-1972-132981/ Torquay United Vale Park Burslem 2,737 41 18 April 1972 Rotherham United 3–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/rotherham-united-v-port-vale-18-april-1972-132989/ Port Vale Millmoor Rotherham 4,161 42 21 April 1972 Tranmere Rovers 3–2 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/tranmere-rovers-v-port-vale-21-april-1972-132996/ Port Vale McLaren og. Prenton Park Prenton 3,544 43 26 April 1972 Notts County 2–1 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/notts-county-v-port-vale-26-april-1972-133017/ Port Vale Morgan Meadow Lane Nottingham 9,033 44 29 April 1972 Port Vale 1–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-barnsley-29-april-1972-133025/ Barnsley Morris Vale Park Burslem 2,614 45 8 May 1972 Port Vale 1–2 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-rotherham-united-08-may-1972-133041/ Rotherham United Morris Vale Park Burslem 2,743 46 12 May 1972 Port Vale 1–1 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-rochdale-12-may-1972-133045/ Rochdale Horton pen. Jenkins pen. Vale Park Burslem 2,475 FA Cup 1971–72 FA Cup R1 20 November 1971 Blackburn Rovers 1–1 D https://www.11v11.com/matches/blackburn-rovers-v-port-vale-20-november-1971-213196/ Port Vale Horton Ewood Park Blackburn 6,947 Replay 22 November 1971 Port Vale 3–1 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-blackburn-rovers-22-november-1971-213234/ Blackburn Rovers Horton pen. Morgan Vale Park Burslem 5,717 R2 11 December 1971 Port Vale 1–0 W https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-darlington-11-december-1971-213252/ Darlington Morgan Vale Park Burslem 5,402 R3 15 January 1972 Birmingham City 3–0 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/birmingham-city-v-port-vale-15-january-1972-213269/ Port Vale Hynd Francis St Andrew's Birmingham 32,937 League Cup 1971–72 Football League Cup R1 18 August 1971 Port Vale 0–2 L https://www.11v11.com/matches/port-vale-v-shrewsbury-town-18-august-1971-29276/ Shrewsbury Town Vale Park Burslem 4,638 Squad statistics Appearances and goals Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; DF – Defender; MF – Midfielder; FW – Forward Third Division FA Cup League Cup GK ENG Keith Ball 31 0 3 0 1 0 GK ENG Stuart Sharratt 15 0 1 0 0 0 DF ENG John Brodie 37 1 4 0 1 0 DF ENG Roy Cross 46 0 4 0 1 0 DF ENG Keith Lindsey 16 0 0 0 0 0 DF ENG Tony Loska 30 2 4 0 1 0 DF ENG Roy Sproson 1 0 0 0 0 0 DF ENG Bill Summerscales 24 1 4 0 0 0 MF ENG John Flowers 34 0 2 0 1 0 MF ENG Ray Harford 19 1 0 0 0 0 MF ENG Brian Horton 42 5 4 3 1 0 MF ENG Tony Lacey 31 1 2 0 0 0 MF SCO Tommy McLaren 45 6 4 0 1 0 MF ENG Bob Peyton 2 0 0 0 0 0 FW ENG Bobby Gough 42 10 4 0 1 0 FW ENG John James 14 1 0 0 0 0 FW NIR Sammy Morgan 36 7 4 2 1 0 FW ENG Mick Morris 31 3 2 0 0 0 FW ENG Bob Mountford 21 3 3 0 1 0 |- |colspan="14"|Players who featured but departed the club during the season:'' DF ENG Clint Boulton 15 0 0 0 1 0 |} Top scorers PlacePositionNationNameThird DivisionFA CupLeague CupTotal1FWEnglandBobby Gough1000102FWNorthern IrelandSammy Morgan7209–MFScotlandTommy McLaren60094MFEnglandBrian Horton53085FWEnglandMick Morris30036FWEnglandBob Mountford30037DFEnglandTony Loska2002–MFScotlandRay Harford1001–DFEnglandJohn Brodie1001–DFEnglandBill Summerscales1001–MFEnglandTony Lacey1001–FWEnglandJohn James1001–––Own goals2002TOTALS435048 Transfers Transfers in Date from Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref. July 1971 DF ENG Tony Loska Southend United Free transfer Kent Jeff Port Vale Personalities Witan Books 1996 0-9529152-0-0 August 1971 MF ENG John Flowers Doncaster Rovers 'small' December 1971 DF ENG Ray Harford Mansfield Town £5,000 December 1971 DF ENG Keith Lindsey Southend United 'small' January 1972 MF ENG Bob Peyton Chelmsley Town Free transfer Transfers out Date from Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref. November 1971 DF ENG Clint Boulton Torquay United £10,000 May 1972 GK ENG Keith Ball Stourport Free transfer May 1972 MF ENG John Flowers Eastwood Free transfer May 1972 FW ENG Mick Morris Stafford Rangers Free transfer May 1972 DF ENG Roy Sproson Retired May 1972 GK ENG Stuart Sharratt Released 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