1976–77 Port Vale F.C. season

The pre-season saw manager Roy Sproson add two youngsters to his squad: forward Kevin Kennerley (Burnley) and defender Ian Osborne (Birmingham City).[1] The battle with Stoke-on-Trent City Council continued over the legality of Vale's market trading operation.[1] The club were also in trouble with The Football Association, who fined them £400 for the 47 bookings received in the previous campaign.[1] Vale decided to crack down on player indiscipline by fining players £25 for dissent and £50 for violence.[1] As 'a piece of good business' which 'could not be turned down', the club also sold star defender Terry Lees to Dutch side Sparta Rotterdam for £25,000.[1] Another late signing was Geoff Davies, who had returned from a spell in the United States.[1]

The season opened with a loss, a draw, and then a 2–0 win over Sheffield Wednesday.[1] Then only one point was gained in the next six matches.[1] To bolster the side in came Stoke City's veteran defender Eric Skeels, who was also returning from a spell in the USA.[1] Mick Cullerton then severed a cartilage, which meant five months out of action for the star striker.[1] To replace him Sproson signed Blackburn Rovers' Ken Beamish (£12,000) and Wigan Athletic's John Rogers ('a small fee').[1] The club also made other clubs aware that they would listen to any offers for players, but there was little in the way of interest.[1] In October, former England and Wolves defender Bobby Thomson was another player returning from the States.[1] Signing with the Vale, he impressed so much that he was made club captain in his first week at Vale Park.[1] A club record run of 42 away games without a clean sheet began on 18 December, and would last until 30 September 1978. The first of this run was a 1–1 draw with Rotherham United at Millmoor, after this match "Millers" boss Jimmy McGuigan stated that Vale showed 'the worst exhibition of football thuggery I have ever seen'.[1] Even though the defence struggled away from home, Beamish did not, as he scored his first ten goals for the club away from Burslem.[1] In a 4–2 win over Grimsby Town at Blundell Park on 3 January, Beamish scored a hat-trick.[1] Later in the month Geoff Davies had his contract cancelled by mutual consent.[1]

Vale's form tailed off, though Terry Alcock returned briefly to play a handful of games.[1] Thomson also returned to the US, Ray Williams was transferred to Northwich Victoria for 'a small fee', and Colin Tartt was sold to Chesterfield for £15,000.[1] In their places were new signings Alan Lamb (£5,000 from Preston North End) and Peter Sutcliffe (£3,000 from Stockport County), whilst a fit again Cullerton was like a new signing.[1] The club had drifted into the bottom four, but a six match unbeaten run with a prolific Cullerton took them to safety.[1] In the background was an ongoing power struggle in the boardroom.[1] In late-March they then received a 6–2 beating at Wrexham and then a 4–0 beating from Chesterfield at Saltergate.[1] The club suffered an injury crisis in April, with both Keith Chadwick and John Brodie having been forced to retire through injury.[1] Relegation was avoided however with six points from the final five games.[1] The final game of the season was against Rotherham United, who needed a six-goal win margin to gain promotion.[1] The match saw three penalties, three bookings and crowd trouble, though United were four goals ahead they failed to find the remaining two, and instead the "Valiants" scored a late goal.[1]

They finished in nineteenth place with 38 points, three points above the drop.[1] Their 47 goals scored tally was lower only than Grimsby's tally.[1] They only recorded two victories on their travels.[1] At the end of the season was the short-lived Debenhams Cup competition, Vale lost 4–3 to Chester over two legs, but still received a runners-up prize of £5,000.[1]

On the financial side, a loss of £5,959 was made despite a donation of £23,860 from the Development Fund.[1] Gate receipts had risen to £60,115, however wages and signing-on fees had risen to £139,012.[1] The bank overdraft stood at £15,000, though the club's total debt stood at £123,863.[1] On the coaching front, Roy Chapman was replaced by Colin Harper.[1] Meanwhile, three players were handed free transfers: ten-year club veteran Tommy McLaren (Telford United), Eric Skeels (Leek Town), and Ian Osborne (Hillingdon Borough).[1] Also John Rogers was sold to Altrincham for £2,000.[1]

In the FA Cup, Vale advanced past Fourth Division Southport with a John Rogers brace at Haig Avenue. A 3–0 win over Barnsley then put Vale into the Third Round, where they came up against Second Division Hull City. After a 1–1 draw at Boothferry Park, Vale knocked the "Tigers" out with a 3–1 win at Vale Park. The "Valiants" beat Burnley – another second tier team – in the Fourth Round with a 2–1 home win. The Fifth Round held First Division Aston Villa at Villa Park. Villa won 3–0 in front of a crowd of 46,872. The score was 'flattering' to the "Villans" as they scored two late goals. The match was shown on television.[1]

The club's FA Cup run earned them a place in the Debenhams Cup final, against Chester. A 2–0 home win in the first leg gave them a strong advantage heading to Sealand Road, but there they lost 4–1 and so had to be consoled with runners-up medals and £5,000 prize money.[2]

In the League Cup, Welsh club Wrexham knocked the Vale out 2–1 on aggregate, following a 1–1 draw in Burslem and a 1–0 win at the Racecourse Ground.