1966–67 Port Vale F.C. season

Overview

Fourth Division

The pre-season saw general manager Stanley Matthews injured in a car accident with a National Coal Board lorry on 29 July. Jackie Mudie was also in the car but remained relatively unharmed. As Matthews recovered, in came four new forwards, the most significant of which was Crystal Palace's 27-year-old Ian Lawson. Lawson cost £1,000 with an additional £1,000 signing on fee. Other new faces included winger Mick Mahon (Loughborough United); inside-forward Jimmy Goodfellow (Bishop Auckland); and Billy McCartney (Rangers). There was a kit change to an all-white strip, upon the suggestion of Stanley Matthews.

The season opened with a 2–1 home win over Southport using an optimistic 4–2–4 formation. Following Roy Sproson's winning goal there was a pitch invasion – by then a disturbingly common occurrence. Six games without a loss followed, leaving the club in fourth position. Goals were still rare, however, and so Lawson was dropped from the first XI, despite the departure of in-form forward John Rowland to Mansfield Town for £6,500. Financial difficulties made the atmosphere around Burslem quite gloomy, not helped by the news that former Valiant John Nicholson had been killed in a car crash. Vale's form suffered, though the defence remained quite strong after Clint Boulton was shifted to right-half. Young Scot Mick Cullerton was a ray of sunshine for the club in front of goal. A 4–1 defeat at Southend United on 14 October, with the hosts four goals ahead after 36 minutes, was part of a sequence of seven games without a victory. Only 3,502 came to Vale Park on 5 November to witness a 1–0 victory over Luton Town.

Good form in the Christmas period continued into an unbeaten January in the league, as the club climbed to within five points of the promotion places with a 3–1 win at Chester on 28 January. In came Wales international centre-forward Mel Charles from Porthmadog. for a £1,250 fee. A 1–0 defeat at Gresty Road to Crewe Alexandra in front of an unruly crowd marked the first of a crucial seven-game sequence against the promotion hopefuls. The match was marred by fan disorder and several fans ended up hospitalised. A win over Barrow and a draw at Stockport County was succeeded by five straight defeats, killing Vale's promotion hopes dead. They reversed the decline by doing the double over Rochdale within two days, including a 5–0 victory witnessed by 3,004 fans at Vale Park in "one of the most thrilling exhibitions of attacking football the ground had ever seen". In April, popular player John Ritchie was sold to Preston North End for £17,500. Mel Charles was sidelined with a knee injury and Vale limped to the season's end without a win in their final five games. On 3 May, Stuart Chapman made his debut at the age of 15 in a 2–2 draw with Lincoln City. Five days later, manager Jackie Mudie tendered his resignation as player-manager, citing 'personal reasons'.

They finished in 13th place with 43 points, marking a slight improvement on the previous campaign. Mick Cullerton's twelve goals in all competitions were enough to make him the top-scorer. In the club's first ever Player of the Year ceremony, veteran defender Roy Sproson was bestowed with the honour. Meanwhile, the club's youth team performed brilliantly, reaching the quarter-finals of the FA Youth Cup, where they were eliminated 3–0 by Scunthorpe United.

Finances

On the financial side, there was a loss of £7,925 despite a transfer credit of £20,425 and a donation of £19,381 from the Sportsmen's Association and the Development Pool. Gate receipts were just £30,298, whilst the club's overdraft stood at £82,373. Nine players were released at the end of the season, most notably: Mel Charles (Oswestry Town); Ian Lawson and Brian Taylor (Barnsley); and untested reserve Ray Kennedy – who would take a break from football before returning to the game to play for Liverpool and England. Roddy Georgeson was also released at his own request to work in a bank, though he soon turned out for Dundee before beginning a long career in Scottish football.

Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, a 4–3–3 formation was used to defeat Bradford City 2–1 at Valley Parade with a 40 yd 'goal of a lifetime' from John Ritchie. Vale drew Barnsley in the second round, and earned a replay with a "sparkling" 1–1 draw at Oakwell. The replay attracted 12,784 supporters, but "Tykes" ran out 3–1 winners.

In the League Cup, Third Division side Walsall knocked out the Vale at the first stage with a 3–1 win.

Results

Football League Fourth Division

Main article: 1966–67 Football League

League table

Results by matchday

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Matches

FA Cup

Main article: 1966–67 FA Cup

League Cup

Main article: 1966–67 Football League Cup

Player statistics

Appearances and goals

:Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; DF – Defender; MF – Midfielder; FW – Forward

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Top scorers

Transfers

Transfers in

Transfers out

Loans out

References

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References

1. Kent, Jeff. (1990). "The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale". Witan Books.
2. [http://www.statto.com/football/teams/port-vale/1966-1967/results Port Vale 1966–1967 : Results & Fixtures]. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
3. Kent, Jeff. (1996). "Port Vale Personalities". Witan Books.