1956–57 Port Vale F.C. season explained

Club:Port Vale
Season:1956–57
Manager:Freddie Steele
(until 15 January)
Norman Low
(February onwards)
Chairman:Fred Burgess
Stadium:Vale Park
League:
League Result:22nd (22 Points)
Cup1:FA Cup
Cup1 Result:Third Round
League Topscorer:Cyril Done (9)
Season Topscorer:Cyril Done (9)
Highest Attendance:22,395 vs. Stoke City, 29 April 1957
Average Attendance:14,046
Largest Win:3–0 and 4–1
Largest Loss:0–6 and 1–7
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Prevseason:1955–56
Nextseason: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.[1] An unmitigated disaster from start to finish, they were relegated in bottom place with just 22 points from 42 games. It was the end of an era, as the reputation of 'the Steele Curtain' had taken a severe blow, and its architect Freddie Steele left the club in January. The season was considered to be one where the old guard 'cracked', and thus many loyal servants of the club were let go in the summer of 1957, including Ray King, Reg Potts, Stan Turner, Tommy Cheadle, and Stan Smith.

Three still-standing but unwanted club-records were set this season: a record 28 defeats in 42 matches and a 22-game streak without a clean sheet (22 September 1956 to 23 February 1957), and a losing streak of nine straight games (9 March 1957 to 20 April 1957).

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. Harry Poole replaced Albert Leake 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 at Ewood Park, 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 fourteenth 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 individualist. The next month Steele bought experienced forward Billy Spurdle from Manchester City for £4,000. He scored on his debut in a 3–2 win over Bury, 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 the stadium. 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 first 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. 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, 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.

Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, Vale drew 3–3 with Barnsley at Oakwell, before losing the replay 1–0.

League table

See main article: 1956–57 Football League.

Results

Port Vale's score comes first

Football League Second Division

Matches

DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
18 August 1956 BarnsleyH0–014,336
22 August 1956 Lincoln CityA0–411,863
25 August 1956 Sheffield UnitedA2–421,950Smith (2)
27 August 1956 Lincoln CityH1–113,595Done
1 September 1956 Bristol CityH3–117,645Smith (2), Done
8 September 1956 Blackburn RoversA4–220,753Smith(2), Stephenson, o.g.
15 September 1956 West Ham UnitedH0–017,582
22 September 1956 Nottingham ForestA2–418,699Smith, Baily
29 September 1956 FulhamH2–121,281Askey, Done
6 October 1956 MiddlesbroughA1–318,586Stephenson
10 October 1956 Stoke CityA1–339,446Smith
13 October 1956 Leicester CityH2–321,690Hayward (2)
20 October 1956 Grimsby TownA0–113,801
27 October 1956 Notts CountyH1–213,137Done
3 November 1956 LiverpoolA1–432,334Steele
10 November 1956 Leyton OrientH1–28,404o.g.
17 November 1956 Huddersfield TownA1–314,044Poole
24 November 1956 BuryH3–211,840Askey, Spurdle, Stephenson
1 December 1956 Bristol RoversA1–221,268Griffiths
8 December 1956 Doncaster RoversH4–112,330Cunliffe (2), Spurdle (2)
15 December 1956 BarnsleyA0–29,683
29 December 1956 Bristol CityA3–318,561Poole (2), Hayward
1 January 1957 Rotherham UnitedA0–18,120
12 January 1957 Blackburn RoversH0–312,422
19 January 1957 West Ham UnitedA1–217,229Sproson
2 February 1957 Nottingham ForestH1–718,185Askey
9 February 1957 FulhamA3–613,967Done, Cunliffe, Spurdle
16 February 1957 MiddlesbroughH2–120,766Done, Cunliffe
23 February 1957 Leicester CityA1–212,064Spurdle
2 March 1957 Grimsby TownH3–015,293Done (2), Askey
9 March 1957 Notts CountyA1–317,324Potts
16 March 1957 LiverpoolH1–214,241Spurdle
23 March 1957 Leyton OrientA2–314,412Askey, Leake
25 March 1957 Sheffield UnitedH0–69,249
30 March 1957 Huddersfield TownH1–210,500Spurdle
6 April 1957 BuryA0–110,524
13 April 1957 Bristol RoversH2–39,006Steele, Done (pen)
19 April 1957 Swansea TownH0–212,729
20 April 1957 Doncaster RoversA0–47,626
22 April 1957 Swansea TownA2–211,629Cunliffe, Leake
27 April 1957 Rotherham UnitedH2–17,038Leake (2)
29 April 1957 Stoke CityH2–222,395Cunliffe, Steele

FA Cup

See main article: 1956–57 FA Cup.

!Round!!Date!!Opponent!!Venue!!Result!!Attendance!!Goalscorers
R35 January 1957 BarnsleyA3–317,720Poole (2), Stephenson
R3 Replay7 January 1957 BarnsleyH0–115,718

Player statistics

Appearances

Pos.NameFootball LeagueFA CupTotal
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
GK Ray King37020390
GK John Poole300030
GK Leslie Wood200020
DF Tommy Cheadle14000140
DF Reg Potts39120411
DF Roy Sproson39120411
DF Stan Turner27020290
DF David Raine100010
DF Selwyn Whalley600060
DF Frank Wintle100010
MF Alan Bennett200020
MF Albert Leake22400224
MF John Cunliffe31620336
MF Derek Mountford9020110
MF Colin Askey37520395
MF Harry Anders300030
MF Terry Miles500050
MF Billy Spurdle21720237
MF Basil Hayward42320443
FW Ken Griffiths17100171
FW Len Stephenson20321224
FW Stan Smith17800178
FW Cyril Done16900169
FW Harry Poole30322325
FW Eddie Baily910091
FW Stan Steele12300123

Top scorers

width=60Placewidth=60Positionwidth=180Nationwidth=150Namewidth=80Second Divisionwidth=80FA Cupwidth=80Total
1FWCyril Done909
2FWStan Smith808
3MFBilly Spurdle707
4MFJohn Cunliffe606
5MFColin Askey505
FWHarry Poole325
7MFAlbert Leake404
FWLen Stephenson314
9FWStan Steele303
MFBasil Hayward303
11FWKen Griffiths101
FWEddie Baily101
DFRoy Sproson101
DFReg Potts101
Own goals202
TOTALS57360

Transfers

Transfers in

Date fromPositionNationalityNameFromFeeRef.
June 1956 GK 'Reasonable' [2]
July 1956 MF 'Substantial'
November 1956 MF Manchester City £4,000

Transfers out

Date fromPositionNationalityNameToFeeRef.
October 1956 FW £7,000
May 1957 FW Free transfer
May 1957 DF Free transfer
June 1957 MF 'Small'
June 1957 FW £1,025
July 1957 DF Crewe Alexandra Free transfer
July 1957 GK £2,500
July 1957 MF Crewe Alexandra Released
July 1957 DF Undisclosed
July 1957 FW Undisclosed
July 1957 DF Worcester City Free transfer
Summer 1957 MF Oldham Athletic £1,000

References

Specific
General

Notes and References

  1. Book: Kent, Jeff. The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale. Witan Books. 1990. 171–196. Fame and Fortune (1950–1959). 0-9508981-4-7.
  2. Book: Kent, Jeff. Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. 1996. 0-9529152-0-0.