1960–61 Port Vale F.C. season

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Port Vale
1960–61 season
ChairmanJake Bloom
ManagerNorman Low
StadiumVale Park
Football League Third Division7th (49 Points)
FA CupThird Round
League CupSecond Round
Supporters' Clubs' TrophyWinners
Top goalscorerLeague: Cliff Portwood (24)
All: Cliff Portwood (26)
Highest home attendance15,504 vs. Walsall (20 August 1960)
Lowest home attendance4,068 vs. Bristol City (22 April 1961)
Average home league attendance9,702

The 1960–61 season was Port Vale's 49th season of football in the Football League, and their second season in the Third Division.[1] Aiming for promotion, the club were disappointed with their eventual seventh-place finish. The first season of the League Cup ended for Vale at the Second Round, whilst they exited the FA Cup at the Third Round. They did however taste success in the second and last ever Supporters' Clubs' Trophy series, beating rivals Stoke City 1–0 in a replay.

Overview

Third Division

The pre-season saw the club's management attempt to build a squad capable of promotion, this meant recruiting former Wales international inside-right Noel Kinsey from Birmingham City as a player-coach, and 21-year-old outside-left Dennis Fidler from the Manchester City Reserves.[1] It also meant a concerted effort to sign a star forward, a £10,000 offer for Aston Villa's Gerry Hitchens was rejected, and the club's interest in Ronnie Allen also went nowhere.[1] Instead 'bustling' Ted Calland was signed on a free transfer from Exeter City.[1] Fred Donaldson was sold to Exeter for £2,000.[1] Vale Park was also improved, with yet more new drains installed to help ease the winter mud spots.[1]

The season opened with a Harry Poole goal fifty seconds into an eventual 1–1 draw with Walsall in front of a season-best attendance of 15,504 on 20 August.[1] Vale's campaign really got going nine days later however, with a sequence of three consecutive victories.[1] This included a 7–1 'annihilation' of Chesterfield.[1] Seven games without a win followed, ending with a collapse to an impressive Swindon Town side at The County Ground on 1 October.[1] Vale were much improved after this, recording six wins from eight games. The following month Norman Low signed Bert Llewellyn from Crewe Alexandra for £7,000.[1] Llewellyn scored past Barnsley in his debut game on 12 November, and scored a hat-trick past Hull City the next month.[1] This win over the "Tigers" came a week after a 5–0 win over high-flying Grimsby Town at Blundell Park, in what Roy Sproson later described as his 'greatest memory' and 'one of their finest hours'.[1] The performance was so impressive they received 'a standing ovation' from the home crowd, as the "Valiants" finished the game 'rolling the ball about like a game of chess'.[1]

In sixth place, a 6–2 hammering from Walsall at Fellows Park on 17 December set them back.[1] The goals continued, this time in Vale's favour, with a 5–0 win and 3–3 draw with Tranmere Rovers, and a 4–1 victory over Bury.[1] In January, Albert Leake was transferred to Macclesfield Town, leaving Sproson as the only survivor of the legendary 1953–54 outfit.[1] Vale continued to entertain and win games, as The Sentinel's Jon Abberley described Harry Poole as 'one of the best wing-halves ever produced in the Potteries.[1] By 11 February, Vale were four points from second place, as Vale battled to a 1–1 draw with Torquay United in 'a sea of mud' at Plainmoor.[1] A week later Llewellyn scored a hat-trick past Swindon Town.[1] However, on 4 March QPR ended their promotion hopes with a 1–0 win at Loftus Road, the second of a streak of five games without a win for Vale.[1] The next week Notts County easily beat Vale 3–1, in a game for which Stan Steele was rested after 195 consecutive appearances.[1] Steele immediately handed in a transfer request, and got picked up by West Bromwich Albion for a £10,000 fee.[1] Vale's season then petered out, ending with an attendance of only 4,088 for a 1–1 draw with Bristol City at Vale Park, followed by two away draws.[1]

They finished in seventh place with 49 points, with their tally of 96 goals bettered only by the two promoted clubs.[1] The season was a disappointment however, and their away record of two wins in twelve games was put to blame for killing their promotion hopes.[1] Cliff Portwood scored an impressive 26 goals, followed closely by Bert Llewellyn on 20 (who had also scored 10 for Crewe).[1]

Finances

On the financial side, a disappointing home attendance average of 9,702 was a concern, though a profit of £4,253 was recorded.[1] This was down to a £9,501 donation from the Sportsmen's Association and a slashing of the wage bill by around £4,000 to £29,915.[1] The management decided to cut the playing staff but to increase the wage budget.[1] Eleven players were let go, crucially: Harry Oscroft (Brantham Athletic), Ted Calland (Lincoln City), John Poole (Macclesfield Town), and Peter Hall (Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic).[1]

Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, Vale were superior to non-league Chelmsford City, winning 3–2 in the First Round clash.[1] Fourth Division Carlisle United were Vale's Second Round opponents, who Vale dispatched 2–1. Struggling Second Division side Swansea Town bettered Vale on a mud-filled and hole-ridden Vetch Field.[1]

In the League Cup, they bettered Queens Park Rangers in a replay following a 2–2 draw at Loftus Road. They next round held Tranmere Rovers, who eliminated Vale with a 2–0 win.

In the Supporters' Clubs' Trophy, the two leg game with rivals Stoke City came to a 1–1 draw, and so a replay was held at the Victoria Ground on 24 April, which Vale won 1–0 thanks to an own goal.[1]

Final league table

Main article: 1960–61 Football League
P W D L F A GA Pts
1 Bury 46 30 8 8 108 45 2.400 68
2 Walsall 46 28 6 12 98 60 1.633 62
3 Queens Park Rangers 46 25 10 11 93 60 1.550 60
4 Watford 46 20 12 14 85 72 1.181 52
5 Notts County 46 21 9 16 82 77 1.065 51
6 Grimsby Town 46 20 10 16 77 69 1.116 50
7 Port Vale 46 17 15 14 96 79 1.215 49
8 Barnsley 46 21 7 18 83 80 1.038 49
9 Halifax Town 46 16 17 13 71 78 0.910 49
10 Shrewsbury Town 46 15 16 15 83 75 1.107 46
11 Hull City 46 17 12 17 73 73 1.000 46
12 Torquay United 46 14 17 15 75 83 0.904 45
13 Newport County 46 17 11 18 81 90 0.900 45
14 Bristol City 46 17 10 19 70 68 1.029 44
15 Coventry City 46 16 12 18 80 83 0.964 44
16 Swindon Town 46 14 15 17 62 55 1.127 43
17 Brentford 46 13 17 16 56 70 0.800 43
18 Reading 46 14 12 20 72 83 0.867 40
19 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic 46 15 10 21 58 76 0.763 40
20 Southend United 46 14 11 21 60 76 0.789 39
21 Tranmere Rovers 46 15 8 23 79 115 0.687 38
22 Bradford City 46 11 14 21 65 87 0.747 36
23 Colchester United 46 11 11 24 68 101 0.673 33
24 Chesterfield 46 10 12 24 67 87 0.770 32

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

Legend

Win Draw Loss

Template:Fb rbr header Template:Fb rbr ground Template:Fb rbr result Template:Fb rbr position fl |} Sourced from Statto.[2]

Football League Third Division

Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
20 August 1960 Walsall H 1–1 15,504 Poole
24 August 1960 Shrewsbury Town A 1–1 9,022 Steele
27 August 1960 Bury A 1–3 6,593 Fidler
29 August 1960 Shrewsbury Town H 4–1 9,212 Steele (2), Fidler, Portwood
3 September 1960 Chesterfield H 7–1 10,104 Calland (2), Jackson, Steele, Portwood, Miles, Fidler
5 September 1960 Watford H 3–0 15,175 Portwood (2), o.g.
10 September 1960 Southend United A 1–2 8,758 Portwood
13 September 1960 Watford A 0–0 16,719
17 September 1960 Reading H 1–1 11,521 Portwood
19 September 1960 Halifax Town H 2–3 10,251 Steele, Fidler
24 September 1960 Torquay United H 0–3 10,502
26 September 1960 Halifax Town A 3–3 5,967 Portwood, Oscroft, Steele
1 October 1960 Swindon Town A 0–6 11,960
3 October 1960 Brentford H 3–2 6,843 Whalley (2), Portwood
8 October 1960 Bristol City A 4–3 8,803 Portwood (2), Jackson (pen), Whalley
15 October 1960 Queens Park Rangers H 0–1 8,802
22 October 1960 Notts County A 2–2 10,725 Portwood, Miles
29 October 1960 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic H 3–0 7,752 Steele, Calland, Fidler
12 November 1960 Barnsley H 2–0 10,760 Llewellyn, Fidler
3 December 1960 Grimsby Town A 5–0 8,843 Portwood (2), o.g., Jackson, Fidler
10 December 1960 Hull City H 4–1 9,006 Llewellyn (3), Jackson
17 December 1960 Walsall A 2–6 8,381 Poole, Steele
26 December 1960 Tranmere Rovers H 5–0 14,029 Portwood (3), Llewellyn, Fidler
27 December 1960 Tranmere Rovers A 3–3 7,838 Llewellyn, Jackson (pen), Portwood
31 December 1960 Bury H 4–3 14,453 Poole, Llewellyn, Jackson, Portwood
14 January 1961 Chesterfield A 0–0 5,816
21 January 1961 Southend United H 4–0 9,517 Llewellyn, Portwood, Jackson (pen), Oscroft
4 February 1961 Reading A 1–2 6,394 Portwood
6 February 1961 Colchester United H 3–0 6,504 Poole (2), Portwood
11 February 1961 Torquay United A 1–1 5,606 Oscroft
13 February 1961 Newport County A 1–2 5,107 Portwood
18 February 1961 Swindon Town H 4–1 9,673 Llewellyn (3), Oscroft
25 February 1961 Grimsby Town H 3–2 9,367 Llewellyn, Portwood, Steele
28 February 1961 Bradford City A 3–3 6,883 Llewellyn (2), Steele
4 March 1961 Queens Park Rangers A 0–1 12,711
11 March 1961 Notts County H 1–3 10,931 Miles
18 March 1961 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic A 1–1 8,735 Portwood
25 March 1961 Bradford City H 2–4 6,278 Poole, Llewellyn
31 March 1961 Coventry City H 3–1 6,528 Llewellyn (2), Fidler
1 April 1961 Barnsley A 1–5 5,680 Poole
4 April 1961 Coventry City A 1–1 8,285 Jackson (pen)
8 April 1961 Newport County H 3–1 6,302 Fidler, Oscroft, Llewellyn
15 April 1961 Colchester United A 0–2 3,437
22 April 1961 Bristol City H 1–1 4,068 Llewellyn
25 April 1961 Brentford A 0–0 3,503
29 April 1961 Hull City A 2–2 4,439 Llewellyn, Fidler

FA Cup

Main article: 1960–61 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R1 5 November 1960 Chelmsford City A 3–2 9,000 Portwood (2)
R2 26 November 1960 Carlisle United H 2–1 12,113 Jackson, Fidler
R3 7 January 1961 Swansea Town A 0–3 10,601

League Cup

Main article: 1960–61 Football League Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R1 17 October 1960 Queens Park Rangers A 2–2 6,564 Steele (2)
R1 Replay 19 October 1960 Queens Park Rangers H 3–1 6,829 Steele, Kinsey, Fidler
R2 24 October 1960 Tranmere Rovers H 0–2 8,206

Supporters' Clubs' Trophy

Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
Final 1st Leg 10 October 1960 Stoke City H 1–0 7,267 Steele
Final 2nd Leg 7 March 1961 Stoke City A 0–1 9,605
Replay 24 April 1961 Stoke City A 1–0 4,000 Own goal

Player statistics

Transfers

Transfers in

Date from Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref.
1960 FW England Derek Edge Stoke City Free transfer [3]
May 1960 MF England Dennis Fidler Manchester City Free transfer [3]
June 1960 GK England John Cooke Free transfer [3]
June 1960 DF England Terry Lowe Stoke City Free transfer [3]
August 1960 FW England Ted Calland Exeter City Free transfer [3]
November 1960 FW England Bert Llewellyn Everton £7,000 [3]

Transfers out

Date from Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref.
January 1961 MF England Albert Leake Macclesfield Town Free transfer [3]
March 1961 FW England Stan Steele West Bromwich Albion £10,000 [3]
May 1961 FW England John Archer Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic Free transfer [3]
May 1961 FW England Dennis Bailey Released [3]
May 1961 DF England Colin Davies Stourbridge Free transfer [3]
May 1961 MF England Peter Hall Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic Free transfer [3]
May 1961 MF England Harry Oscroft Brantham Athletic Free transfer [3]
May 1961 GK England John Poole Macclesfield Town Free transfer [3]
July 1961 FW England Ted Calland Lincoln City Free transfer [3]
July 1961 MF England Cliff Portwood Grimsby Town £6,000 [3]

References

Specific
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah Kent, Jeff (1990). "Fame and Fortune (1950–1959)". The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale. Witan Books. pp. 171–196. ISBN 0-9508981-4-7.
  2. ^ Port Vale 1960–1961 : Results & Fixtures. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
General
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