1956–57 Port Vale F.C. season


The 1956–57 season was Port Vale's 45th season of football in the English Football League, and their third successive season in the Second Division. An unmitigated disaster from start to finish, they were relegated in bottom place with just 22 points from 42 games. It was the end of an era, as the reputation of 'the Steele Curtain' had taken a severe blow, and its architect Freddie Steele left the club in January. The season was considered to be one where the old guard 'cracked', and thus many loyal servants of the club were let go in the summer of 1957, including Ray King, Reg Potts, Stan Turner, Tommy Cheadle, and Stan Smith.
Three still-standing but unwanted club-records were set this season: a record 28 defeats in 42 matches, and a 22 game streak without a clean sheet, and a losing streak of nine straight games.

Overview

Second Division

The pre-season saw the arrival of Harry Anders, a winger from Manchester City signed for 'a substantial fee'.
The season started with Anders and Baily up front, a combination which failed during a goalless draw with Barnsley. Two losses followed in which eight goals were conceded. Harry Poole replaced Albert Leake in what was 'one of the few rays of sunlight in an otherwise gloomy beginning'. Vale then 'clicked into gear', picking up seven points out of a possible ten in September. This included a 4–2 win at Ewood Park, their last away win of the campaign. Injuries then ravaged the squad as Vale went on a sequence of eight straight defeats to take them from fourteenth to second from bottom. These included losses at the City Ground, Victoria Ground, and Anfield. In October, Baily was sold to Nottingham Forest for £7,000 – exactly what Vale had paid for him earlier in the year. Baily had failed to fit in with the team, and was seen as too individualist. The next month Steele bought experienced forward Billy Spurdle from Manchester City for £4,000. He scored on his debut in a 3–2 win over Bury, and two weeks later he scored a brace in a 4–2 win over Doncaster Rovers. This temporarily took them away from relegation worries before a streak of seven games without victory.
On 15 January, Steele resigned, saying "I am quite prepared to face the consequences". On 2 February, Nottingham Forest travelled to Vale Park with Eddie Baily, and demolished Vale 7–1 in a record defeat for the club at the stadium. A week later, the "Valiants" put three past Fulham at Craven Cottage, but failed to pick up any points as Ray King conceded six goals despite a brilliant performance. On 18 February, 42-year-old Norman Low of Workington Town took the £2,000 a year job as Vale manager. Low had no interest in the tactics of the opposition, and simply told his players to 'entertain the public'. He was confident the players at his disposal could reach safety, despite the difficult situation they found themselves in. His first match in charge saw a 3–0 win over Grimsby Town which took them out of the relegation zone. Yet what followed was a club-record nine game losing streak that doomed their season, five of which were played in Burslem. Low experimented with his team by dropping King and Roy Sproson, but all that resulted was a 6–0 hammering from Sheffield United. However it was their 1–0 defeat at Gigg Lane to struggling Bury that did more damage to their prospects of survival. During this spell Reg Potts made his 166th consecutive appearance, though Low put young reserves into the fray after all seemed lost. After relegation was confirmed, Vale seemed to play better with the pressure lifted, and picked up five points in their last three games, including a 2–2 draw at home to rivals Stoke City. Low also announced his plans to rebuild the club, initiating a lengthy series of schoolboy trials.
They finished bottom of the table with 22 points, losing 18 of their 21 away games. They were eight points short of third-from-bottom Notts County. Their 57 goals scored was greater only than Lincoln City, whilst 'the Steele Curtain' was broken, conceding 101 goals, fewer than only two Football League clubs. Top scorer Cyril Done only score nine goals, as no consistent scorer emerged all season long.

Finances

On the financial side, 105,000 spectators had been lost from the previous season to an average of only 14,046, leaving an income from gate receipts of £40,717. Despite this a profit of £1,268 was recorded. This occurred because of a wage budget cut of around £8,000 to £20,684 and a transfer credit of £625. The club's debts were worrying however, causing the club's directors to funnel £2,500 of their own resources towards repaying this debt. A clear-out of players was initiated for the first time in a good while, those departing included: Cyril Done ; Ray King ; Reg Potts and Stan Turner ; Tommy Cheadle, Stan Smith, and Derek Mountford ; Len Stephenson and Billy Spurdle ; and Harry Anders. Though many of these were some of the club's best players, many had also reached retirement age. Low admitted that he would have to buy young players to fill the vacancies in the first team.

Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, Vale drew 3–3 with Barnsley at Oakwell, before losing the replay 1–0.

League table

Results

Port Vale's score comes first

Football League Second Division

Results by matchday

Matches

DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
18 August 1956BarnsleyH0–014,336
22 August 1956Lincoln CityA0–411,863
25 August 1956Sheffield UnitedA2–421,950Smith
27 August 1956Lincoln CityH1–113,595Done
1 September 1956Bristol CityH3–117,645Smith, Done
8 September 1956Blackburn RoversA4–220,753Smith, Stephenson, o.g.
15 September 1956West Ham UnitedH0–017,582
22 September 1956Nottingham ForestA2–418,699Smith, Baily
29 September 1956FulhamH2–121,281Askey, Done
6 October 1956MiddlesbroughA1–318,586Stephenson
10 October 1956Stoke CityA1–339,446Smith
13 October 1956Leicester CityH2–321,690Hayward
20 October 1956Grimsby TownA0–113,801
27 October 1956Notts CountyH1–213,137Done
3 November 1956LiverpoolA1–432,334Steele
10 November 1956Leyton OrientH1–28,404o.g.
17 November 1956Huddersfield TownA1–314,044Poole
24 November 1956BuryH3–211,840Askey, Spurdle, Stephenson
1 December 1956Bristol RoversA1–221,268Griffiths
8 December 1956Doncaster RoversH4–112,330Cunliffe, Spurdle
15 December 1956BarnsleyA0–29,683
29 December 1956Bristol CityA3–318,561Poole, Hayward
1 January 1957Rotherham UnitedA0–18,120
12 January 1957Blackburn RoversH0–312,422
19 January 1957West Ham UnitedA1–217,229Sproson
2 February 1957Nottingham ForestH1–718,185Askey
9 February 1957FulhamA3–613,967Done, Cunliffe, Spurdle
16 February 1957MiddlesbroughH2–120,766Done, Cunliffe
23 February 1957Leicester CityA1–212,064Spurdle
2 March 1957Grimsby TownH3–015,293Done, Askey
9 March 1957Notts CountyA1–317,324Potts
16 March 1957LiverpoolH1–214,241Spurdle
23 March 1957Leyton OrientA2–314,412Askey, Leake
25 March 1957Sheffield UnitedH0–69,249
30 March 1957Huddersfield TownH1–210,500Spurdle
6 April 1957BuryA0–110,524
13 April 1957Bristol RoversH2–39,006Steele, Done
19 April 1957Swansea TownH0–212,729
20 April 1957Doncaster RoversA0–47,626
22 April 1957Swansea TownA2–211,629Cunliffe, Leake
27 April 1957Rotherham UnitedH2–17,038Leake
29 April 1957Stoke CityH2–222,395Cunliffe, Steele

FA Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R35 January 1957BarnsleyA3–317,720Poole, Stephenson
R3 Replay7 January 1957BarnsleyH0–115,718

Player statistics

Appearances

Top scorers

Transfers

Transfers in

Transfers out