1963–64 Port Vale F.C. season

Port Vale
1963–64 season
Chairman Tom Talbot
Manager Freddie Steele
Stadium Vale Park
Football League Third Division 13th (46 Points)
FA Cup Fourth Round
League Cup First Round
Top goalscorer League: Tony Richards (12)
All: Tony Richards (13)
Highest home attendance 42,179 vs. Liverpool (27 January 1964)
Lowest home attendance 4,497 vs. Wrexham (25 April 1964)
Average home league attendance 10,056
Home colours

The 1963–64 season was Port Vale's 52nd season of football in the Football League, and their fifth season in the Third Division.[1] Freddie Steele spent big on transfers, bringing in players such as Billy Bingham, Albert Cheesebrough, and Jackie Mudie. However it was a disappointing season in the league and a disaster financially. The highlights of the season came in the FA Cup, where Vale beat top-flight Birmingham City at St Andrew's, and drew 0–0 with Liverpool at Anfield.

Overview

Third Division

The pre-season saw manager Freddie Steele spend unprecedented sums of money – though Vale's spending was insignificant to the standard of many of their rivals.[1] Steele brought in Northern Ireland international Billy Bingham from Everton for £15,000; Albert Cheesebrough from Leicester City for another £15,000; as well as Walsall's Tim Rawlings for £4,000.[1] Chairman Tom Talbot approved of these signings despite the club's financial problems.[1] The club also took a tour of Northern Ireland, though a friendly with Benfica (arranged to match rivals Stoke City's match with Real Madrid) was cancelled due to fixture congestion.[1]

The season opened with a 1–0 defeat to Shrewsbury Town at Gay Meadow.[1] This was followed with two victories, including a 4–1 win over Bristol City in which Tony Richards bagged a hat-trick.[1] After another three poor away games came a 3–0 win over Brentford in which Cheesebrough scored a hat-trick, and a 4–0 win over nearby Crewe Alexandra in front of 17,118 fans.[1] Richards sustained a bad leg injury in this win over Crewe.[1] In the beginning of October, Steele bought winger Ron Smith from Crewe for £6,500.[1] Vale improved as a consequence, and three successive victories followed, leaving Vale in fifth spot.[1] However with Richards' return came a downturn in form, as Vale's impressive strikers failed to find the net in a run of one win in nine league games.[1] This one win was a 1–0 victory over struggling Barnsley at Vale Park, though a subsequent pitch invasion by youths emphasised a growing hooligan culture that would plague the club and the sport itself for decades.[1]

In November, Vale paid Stoke City £12,000 for both ex-Scotland striker Jackie Mudie and left-back Ron Wilson.[1] The defeats kept coming, and so Steele experimented with a 4–2–4 formation, dropping Richards from the first eleven.[1] Vale then went six league games unbeaten, including a 4–4 draw with Bristol Rovers at the Eastville Stadium.[1] However a 1–0 home loss inflicted by Notts County sent Vale on a run of seven defeats and two draws in nine league games.[1] By March the club was in a relegation battle, though results then began to go Vale's way.[1] Only one defeat in their final eleven games ensured safety, as the season ended with a 5–0 drubbing of relegated Wrexham.[1]

They finished in thirteenth place with 46 points, a poor finish for the money spent on transfers.[1] Only 53 goals were scored, as Richards and Cheeseborough were affected with injuries, and Bingham struggled to find his footing in the third tier.[1] Their 49 goals conceded was an excellent record though.[1]

Finances

On the financial side, good attendance figures failed to prevent a massive loss of £42,650, which had come from a £45,567 deficit in transfer fees.[1] A donation of the £19,867 from the Sportsmen's Association and the social club could not disguise the disaster of poor finances.[1] The wage bill had also risen by 20% to over £40,000.[1] Leaving the club were Colin Grainger to Doncaster Rovers and Terry Harkin to Crewe Alexandra for a £3,000 fee.[1]

Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, Vale conquered Fourth Division Bradford City with a 2–1 win at Valley Parade. They then defeated Workington 2–1 in a 'slipshod affair'.[1] The Third Round held First Division Birmingham City at St Andrew's. Three thousand of the 21,652 spectators were Vale fans, who 'sung and chanted their way through' a 2–1 victory.[1] In the Fourth Round Vale were drawn against top-flight giants Liverpool at Anfield. The "Reds" had inflicted a 6–1 thrashing of Stoke on Boxing day, in an ominous sign of the challenge the "Valiants" faced.[1] Vale achieved a goalless draw in front of 52,327 fans – 8,000 of them Vale supporters – in a fantastic team performance.[1] The replay at Vale Park ended in a 2–1 loss in front of 42,179 paying fans (as well as an additional 6,000 or so Liverpool supporters who 'mob stormed' the gates to enter the Railway Paddock).[1] Crowd trouble ate into the £8,000 worth of gate receipts, and more significantly caused the death of a Leek man (Harold Birch), and saw serious injuries inflicted to Liverpool fans Harry Taylor and James McDonough, as well as Vale supporter Billy Poulson.[1]

In the League Cup, a First Round exit came with a 2–1 defeat at Southend United's Roots Hall.

Final league table

PWDLFAGAPts
1Coventry City462216898611.60760
2Crystal Palace462314973511.43160
3Watford4623121179591.33958
4Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic462481479581.36256
5Bristol City4620151184641.31355
6Reading4621101579621.27452
7Mansfield Town4620111576621.22651
8Hull City4616171373681.07449
9Oldham Athletic462081873701.04348
10Peterborough United4618111775701.07147
11Shrewsbury Town4618111773800.91247
12Bristol Rovers461981991791.15246
13Port Vale4616141653491.08246
14Southend United4615151677780.98745
15Queens Park Rangers461891976780.97445
16Brentford4615141787801.08744
17Colchester United4612191570681.02943
18Luton Town4616102064800.80042
19Walsall4613141959760.77640
20Barnsley4612151968940.72339
21Millwall4614102253670.79138
22Crewe Alexandra4611122350770.64934
23Wrexham4613627751070.70132
24Notts County46992845920.48927

P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points

Results

Port Vale's score comes first

Round12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546
GroundAHHAAAHHAAHAHHAAHHAHHAHAHAHHAHAAHAAAHHAAHHHAAH
ResultLWWLDLWWLWDLWWWLDDLWLDDDWDWLLLLDLLLDWDDWWDWLDW
Position219411101676108912965677121010121313109810111313151516171716171615141413141413

Source: Statto[2]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Football League Third Division

DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
24 August 1963Shrewsbury TownA0–19,710
26 August 1963Mansfield TownH1–014,451Richards
31 August 1963Bristol CityH4–110,363Richards (3), Rowland
7 September 1963Oldham AthleticA0–114,730
9 September 1963Mansfield TownA1–112,064B.Hancock
14 September 1963Notts CountyA0–27,309
16 September 1963BrentfordH3–011,539Cheesebrough (3)
21 September 1963Crewe AlexandraH4–017,118Cheesebrough, Bingham, Steele, Richards
28 September 1963Crystal PalaceA0–215,044
1 October 1963BrentfordA2–111,914Poole, Cheesebrough
5 October 1963WalsallH2–212,760Bingham, o.g.
9 October 1963Luton TownA0–15,914
12 October 1963Southend UnitedH4–110,306Rowland, Smith, Harkin, Miles
14 October 1963Luton TownH1–011,449Rawlings
19 October 1963WrexhamA2–16,781Bingham (2)
23 October 1963ReadingA0–18,731
26 October 1963Bournemouth & Boscombe AthleticH0–012,402
28 October 1963ReadingH0–09,492
2 November 1963Hull CityA1–48,460Richards
9 November 1963BarnsleyH1–09,083Steele
23 November 1963Colchester UnitedH0–211,108
30 November 1963WatfordA1–19,890Poole
14 December 1963Shrewsbury TownH1–16,906Mudie
21 December 1963Bristol CityA0–06,021
26 December 1963Bristol RoversH1–011,442Mudie
28 December 1963Bristol RoversA4–412,954Richards (2), Mudie (2)
11 January 1964Oldham AthleticH1–012,322Richards
18 January 1964Notts CountyH0–17,337
31 January 1964Crewe AlexandraA0–19,425
8 February 1964Crystal PalaceH1–28,204Richards
15 February 1964WalsallA1–27,056Mudie
22 February 1964Southend UnitedA1–17,612Smith
29 February 1964Peterborough UnitedH1–26,613Poole
7 March 1964Bournemouth & Boscombe AthleticA0–37,584
16 March 1964MillwallA1–38,312Mudie
23 March 1964Peterborough UnitedA1–110,408Steele
28 March 1964MillwallH1–05,385Bingham
30 March 1964Coventry CityH1–117,567Steele
31 March 1964Coventry CityA1–129,641Smith
4 April 1964Colchester UnitedA2–13,263Miles, Rowland
6 April 1964Queens Park RangersH2–07,167Steele, Smith
11 April 1964WatfordH0–07,698
13 April 1964Hull CityH1–06,090Rowland
18 April 1964Queens Park RangersA0–34,955
20 April 1964BarnsleyA0–04,918
25 April 1964WrexhamH5–04,497Richards (2), Bingham (pen), Smith, Cheesebrough

FA Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R116 November 1963Bradford CityA2–18,189Whalley, Richards
R27 December 1963WorkingtonH2–110,286Steele, Bingham
R34 January 1964Birmingham CityA2–121,652Sproson, Mudie
R425 January 1964LiverpoolA0–052,327
R4 Replay27 January 1964LiverpoolH1–242,179Cheesebrough

League Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R225 September 1963Southend UnitedA1–26,126Harkin

Player statistics

Transfers

Transfers in

Date from Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref.
June 1963MFEnglandTim RawlingsWalsall£4,000[3]
August 1963FWEnglandAlbert CheesebroughLeicester City£20,000[3]
August 1963FWNorthern IrelandBilly BinghamEverton£15,000[3]
October 1963MFEnglandRon SmithCrewe Alexandra£6,500[3]
November 1963FWScotlandJackie MudieStoke City£12,000[3]
November 1963DFScotlandRon WilsonStoke City£12,000[3]

Transfers out

Date from Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref.
May 1964GKEnglandJohn CookeMacclesfield TownFree transfer[3]
July 1964MFNorthern IrelandTerry HarkinCrewe Alexandra£3,000[3]
July 1964MFEnglandJim WattonDoncaster RoversFree transfer[3]
Summer 1964FWEnglandBarry HancockCrewe AlexandraReleased[3]

References

Specific
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 Kent, Jeff (1990). "Flattering Only to Deceive (1960–1969)". The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale. Witan Books. pp. 196–226. ISBN 0-9508981-4-7.
  2. ↑ Port Vale 1963–1964 : Results & Fixtures. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
General
  • Kent, Jeff (1993). The Port Vale Record 1879-1993. Witan Books. ISBN 0-9508981-9-8.
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