1970–71 Port Vale F.C. season

Overview

Third Division

The pre-season saw the arrival of 22-year-old centre-half Roy Cross (Walsall); inside-forward Brian Horton (Hednesford Town); and full-back Mick Hopkinson (Mansfield Town) on free transfers. Manager Gordon Lee said that "versatility and dedication are important" as the wage budget was extremely limited.

The season began with two wins, including when they "handsomely won a battle of errors" at home to Rochdale. A run of one win in ten games then followed. In September, four of the five directors resigned, one of them (Len Cliff) stated that "the club is being run by outsiders". A new board was formed by November. Meanwhile, on 13 September the club suffered a loss of 7–3 at Gay Meadow to Shrewsbury Town, despite a Bobby Gough hat-trick – the match also saw a sending off, an attempted pitch invasion, and a £35 fine for Gordon Lee for remarks he made to referee Ricky Nicholson. Tommy McLaren then returned from injury to lead Vale on a four match winning streak that included a 2–0 win over fallen-giants Aston Villa in front of a Burslem crowd of 11,224 fans; Lee described the win as his "finest hour". Four straight defeats soon came after this sequence however, as Vale's form was patchy. They had to do without John King for three months owing to a chipped ankle bone. In December, Ron Wilson left the club as he emigrated to South Africa due to his son's ill health.

A 1–0 defeat to third-placed Aston Villa at Villa Park on 16 January was the first of a nine-match streak without a victory. At the end of the month, Lee signed 23-year-old full-back John Brodie from Northern Premier League side Bradford Park Avenue for £250. During this spell forward, Sammy Morgan began to be jeered by fans after losing his scoring touch. He also began studying to be a teacher. Lee said that "I really feel some of our lads have been singled out by the boo boys. If only they realised that encouragement can lift players, things would be so much better". In February, Mark Singer resigned as chairman, and was replaced by Graham Bourne. By then the club were hovering above the relegation zone, but a record of just ten goals conceded in their final twelve games was enough to secure safety, with Brian Horton in good form. On 20 February, the team were beaten 4–1 at third-placed Fulham. They lost 3–0 at Chesterfield on 10 March after the team bus crashed on the way to Saltergate. Three days later, however, Morgan scored his first goal in 18 appearances during a 3–1 home win over Reading.

They finished in the 17th spot, with 42 points, leaving them three clear of relegation. John James was the top-scorer with 15 goals. As a reward for their endeavours, the players were taken on a working holiday to Benidorm, Spain.

Finances

On the financial side, a profit of £3,424 was made, the club's first profitable season since 1962–63. A £19,322 donation from the Sportsmen's Association and the Development Fund helped to reduce the club's total debt to £134,640. Speaking in March, new chairman Graham Bourne stated that "it will be a long, hard slog to pull the club around. The pressures are still on, especially from the bank". Three players were released: Mick Hopkinson (Boston United); John Green (Northwich Victoria); and John King (Wigan Athletic).

Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, Vale were knocked out in the first round by Fourth Division leaders Notts County 1–0 in a 'physical' encounter at Meadow Lane.

In the League Cup, Vale were eliminated once again at the first stage, this time Walsall left Burslem with a 1–0 win.

Results

Football League Third Division

Main article: 1970–71 Football League

League table

Results by matchday

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Matches

FA Cup

Main article: 1970–71 FA Cup

League Cup

Main article: 1970–71 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

References

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;General

References

1. Kent, Jeff. (1990). "The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale". Witan Books.
2. (19 October 2023). "Injury blows as Port Vale weigh up move for midfielder". Valiant's Substack.
3. [http://www.statto.com/football/teams/port-vale/1970-1971/results Port Vale 1970–1971 : Results & Fixtures] {{Webarchive. link. (4 March 2016 . Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.)
4. Kent, Jeff. (1996). "Port Vale Personalities". Witan Books.