1971–72 Port Vale F.C. season

Port Vale
1971–72 season
Chairman Graham Bourne
(until January)
Mark Singer
(January onwards)
Manager Gordon Lee
Stadium Vale Park
Football League Third Division 15th (41 Points)
FA Cup Third Round
League Cup First Round
Player of the Year Sammy Morgan
Top goalscorer League: Bobby Gough (10)
All: Bobby Gough (10)
Highest home attendance 11,118 vs. Aston Villa (6 November 1971)
Lowest home attendance 2,475 vs. Rochdale (12 May 1972)
Average home league attendance 4,366
Home colours

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.[1] Roy Sproson's 22-year career at the club came to an end, in what was an otherwise unremarkable campaign.

Overview

Third Division

The pre-season saw the arrival of left-half John Flowers from Doncaster Rovers and full-back Tony Loska from Shrewsbury Town for 'a small fee'.[1] 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.[1] Violence broke out in pre-season games, as the sport was in the grip of hooliganism.[1]

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.[1] 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.[1] Goals were at a premium despite a 4–3 win over York City and 4–4 draw with Aston Villa at Vale Park.[1] Sporadic violence continued to break out at many matches, as local businesses had their windows smashed, local residents were menaced and fights broke out.[1] In November, Clint Boulton was sold to Torquay United for £10,000.[1] The next month Lee brought Ray Harford from Mansfield Town for a £5,000 fee, as well as Keith Lindsey from Southend United for 'a small fee'.[1] Vale comfortable in the league, Chairman Graham Bourne resigned in January, along with colleague and fellow director George Sanders.[1] This left the Board of Directors with just two members, one of which, previous chairman Mark Singer, was re-elected as Chairman.[1] The Sentinel's Chris Harper stated that "Vale will never make progress while they are plagued by trouble at the top".[1] The team continued with good home form, but invariably lost away from Vale Park.[1] On 16 February, Sammy Morgan scored on his debut for Northern Ireland, and picked up six further caps whilst at the club.[1] 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.[1] 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.[1] Despite this, the now annual 'Meet the Manager' evening 'warmed the heart' of Lee.[1] A 1–0 win over Barnsley at the end of April ensured the club's safety from the drop.[1] 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.[1] Lee angrily declared that "the attendance was nothing short of a disgrace to mark the end of a legend".[1] Four days later there was an even smaller turnout for a final day 1–1 draw with Rochdale.[1]

They finished in fifteenth place with 41 points, 30 of which were won at home.[1] With just 43 goals scored, they had the lowest goal tally outside of the bottom four.[1]

Finances

On the financial side, a drop in average home attendance of over a thousand failed to prevent a profit of £596.[1] 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.[1] The club's total debt stood at £100,130.[1] 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).[1] Sproson also retired as a player, but stayed on as a scout and coach.[1]

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 Darlington in the Second Round.[1] Vale then were defeated 3–0 at St Andrew's by Second Division Birmingham City.

In the League Cup, Vale made 'their annual early exist', losing 2–0 at home to Shrewsbury Town.[1]

Final league table

PWDLFAGAPts
1Aston Villa46326885322.65670
2Brighton & Hove Albion462711882471.74565
3Bournemouth462316773371.97362
4Notts County462512974441.68262
5Rotherham United4620151169521.32755
6Bristol Rovers4621121375561.33954
7Bolton Wanderers4617161351411.24450
8Plymouth Argyle4620101674641.15650
9Walsall4615181362571.08848
10Blackburn Rovers461991854570.94747
11Oldham Athletic4617111859630.93745
12Shrewsbury Town4617101973651.12344
13Chesterfield461882057571.00044
14Swansea City4617101946590.78044
15Port Vale4613151843590.72941
16Wrexham461682259630.93740
17Halifax Town4613122148610.78738
18Rochdale4612132157830.68737
19York City4612122257660.86436
20Tranmere Rovers4610162050710.70436
21Mansfield Town468201841630.65136
22Barnsley469181932640.50036
23Torquay United4610122441690.59432
24Bradford City4611102545770.58432

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
GroundHAHHAHAHHAHAAHAHAAHHAHAAHHAHAHAAHAAHHAAHAAAHHH
ResultDWLLWDDWDLDDLWLDWLWWLWLLDWLWLWLLWDDDDLDDLLLWLD
Position134151513131410815151516131717141414101111121412131310121214151313131413141514151515151615

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

Football League Third Division

DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
14 August 1971Brighton & Hove AlbionH1–14,384Horton (pen)
21 August 1971Swansea CityA1–06,457Morris
28 August 1971ChesterfieldH0–24,416
30 August 1971Notts CountyH0–35,298
4 September 1971WrexhamA2–17,407Brodie, Horton
11 September 1971Plymouth ArgyleH0–03,707
18 September 1971Shrewsbury TownA0–05,443
25 September 1971Halifax TownH1–03,724Gough
27 September 1971Blackburn RoversH0–04,963
2 October 1971WalsallA0–24,642
9 October 1971Bolton WanderersH1–16,394Horton (pen)
16 October 1971Brighton & Hove AlbionA1–19,007Mountford
19 October 1971BournemouthA2–310,404Morgan, Gough
23 October 1971York CityH4–34,484McLaren (2), Gough, Morgan
30 October 1971Oldham AthleticA0–18,140
6 November 1971Aston VillaH4–411,118McLaren, Mountford, Morgan, Loska
13 November 1971Mansfield TownA1–05,996Mountford
27 November 1971Torquay UnitedA0–33,710
4 December 1971Tranmere RoversH2–13,701Morgan, McLaren
18 December 1971WrexhamH1–04,310Summerscales
27 December 1971Bristol RoversA1–212,073McLaren
1 January 1972Shrewsbury TownH2–15,056Gough, Horton
8 January 1972ChesterfieldA1–26,532Gough
22 January 1972Blackburn RoversA1–38,495Loska
29 January 1972BournemouthH1–14,937Gough
5 February 1972Bradford CityH1–03,715Lacey
12 February 1972York CityA1–24,319Gough
19 February 1972Oldham AthleticH1–04,506Morgan
26 February 1972Aston VillaA0–232,806
4 March 1972Mansfield TownH1–02,809Morgan
11 March 1972Bolton WanderersA0–36,240
13 March 1972RochdaleA2–33,157James, o.g.
18 March 1972Swansea CityH3–03,257Gough (2), Harford
21 March 1972BarnsleyA0–04,048
25 March 1972Plymouth ArgyleA0–08,801
1 April 1972Bristol RoversH0–03,823
3 April 1972WalsallH1–15,250Gough
4 April 1972Halifax TownA0–23,319
8 April 1972Bradford CityA0–02,969
15 April 1972Torquay UnitedH0–02,737
18 April 1972Rotherham UnitedA0–34,161
21 April 1972Tranmere RoversA2–33,544McLaren, o.g.
26 April 1972Notts CountyA1–29,033Morgan
29 April 1972BarnsleyH1–02,614Morris
8 May 1972Rotherham UnitedH1–22,743Morris
12 May 1972RochdaleH1–12,475Horton (pen)

FA Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R120 November 1971Blackburn RoversA1–16,947Horton
R1 Replay22 November 1971Blackburn RoversH3–15,717Horton (2 [1 pen]), Morgan
R211 December 1971DarlingtonH1–05,402Morgan
R315 January 1972Birmingham CityA0–332,937

League Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R118 August 1971Shrewsbury TownH0–24,638

Player statistics

Transfers

Transfers in

Date from Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref.
July 1971DFEnglandTony LoskaSouthend UnitedFree transfer[3]
August 1971MFEnglandJohn FlowersDoncaster Rovers'small'[3]
December 1971DFEnglandRay HarfordMansfield Town£5,000[3]
December 1971DFEnglandKeith LindseySouthend United'small'[3]
January 1972MFEnglandBob PeytonChelmsley TownFree transfer[3]

Transfers out

Date from Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref.
November 1971DFEnglandClint BoultonTorquay United£10,000[3]
May 1972GKEnglandKeith BallStourportFree transfer[3]
May 1972MFEnglandJohn FlowersEastwoodFree transfer[3]
May 1972FWEnglandMick MorrisStafford RangersFree transfer[3]
May 1972DFEnglandRoy SprosonRetired[3]
May 1972GKEnglandStuart SharrattReleased[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 Kent, Jeff (1990). "Surviving on a Shoestring (1969–1979)". The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale. Witan Books. pp. 227–257. ISBN 0-9508981-4-7.
  2. ↑ Port Vale 1971–1972 : Results & Fixtures. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 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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