1966–67 Port Vale F.C. season


The 1966–67 season was Port Vale's 55th season of football in the English Football League, and their second successive season in the Fourth Division. Again hopeful of escape from the basement division, Vale could only manage a mid-table finish. Player-manager Jackie Mudie resigned at the end of the season. Veteran defender Roy Sproson became the club's first ever Player of the Year winner.

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 Ian Lawson. Lawson cost £1,000 with an additional £1,000 signing on fee. Other new faces included winger Mick Mahon ; inside-forward Jimmy Goodfellow ; and Billy McCartney. 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 eleven, 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. Young Scot Mick Cullerton was a ray of sunshine for the club in front of goal.
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. In came 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. A win over Barrow and a draw at Stockport County were 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 April, popular player John Ritchie was sold to Preston North End for £17,500. Mel Charles sidelined with a knee injury, 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 fifteen 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 thirteenth 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 ; Ian Lawson and Brian Taylor ; 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 forty-yard 'goal of a lifetime' from John Ritchie. Vale drew Barnsley in the Second Round, and earned a replay with a 1-1 draw at Oakwell. The replay attracted 12,784 supporters, but "Tykes" ran out 3–1 winners.
In the League Cup, Third Division Walsall knocked out the Vale at the first stage with a 3–1 win.

League table

Results

Port Vale's score comes first

Football League Fourth Division

Results by matchday

Matches

DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
20 August 1966SouthportH2–18,143Rowland, Sproson
27 August 1966Notts CountyA0–05,648
3 September 1966ChesterH1–16,853Georgeson
5 September 1966Bradford CityH3–26,258Mahon, Rowland, Hill
10 September 1966Bradford Park AvenueA1–15,246Rowland
17 September 1966Exeter CityA1–04,789Miles
24 September 1966Crewe AlexandraH1–111,325Hill
28 September 1966Bradford CityA0–23,928
1 October 1966BarrowA2–23,354Goodfellow, Hill
8 October 1966Tranmere RoversH1–16,684Sproson
14 October 1966Southend UnitedA1–412,609Ritchie
17 October 1966ChesterfieldH2–35,649Georgeson, Mahon
22 October 1966WrexhamH0–27,753
29 October 1966AldershotA1–05,047McCartney
5 November 1966Luton TownH1–03,502Mahon
12 November 1966BarnsleyA0–14,823
19 November 1966Newport CountyH2–03,883Miles, Hill
3 December 1966Halifax TownH0–14,002
10 December 1966Hartlepools UnitedA1–25,342Hill
17 December 1966SouthportA0–03,975
27 December 1966Lincoln CityA1–05,268Cullerton
31 December 1966Notts CountyH0–05,359
14 January 1967Bradford Park AvenueH0–04,798
21 January 1967Exeter CityH2–03,450Cullerton, Mahon
28 January 1967ChesterA3–15,586Mahon, Cullerton
3 February 1967Crewe AlexandraA0–110,414
11 February 1967BarrowH2–16,267Boulton, Mahon
17 February 1967Stockport CountyA1–19,756Miles
24 February 1967Tranmere RoversA1–28,047Cullerton
4 March 1967Southend UnitedH1–34,695Goodfellow
11 March 1967Stockport CountyH0–26,363
18 March 1967WrexhamA1–27,176Georgeson
25 March 1967BrentfordH1–33,434Ritchie
27 March 1967RochdaleA2–12,254o.g., Goodfellow
28 March 1967RochdaleH5–03,004Georgeson, Poole, Cullerton, Goodfellow, Wilson
1 April 1967Luton TownA1–15,410Wilson
8 April 1967BarnsleyH3–13,209Cullerton, Hill
10 April 1967York CityA1–33,834Goodfellow
17 April 1967Newport CountyA1–11,914Cullerton
22 April 1967AldershotH0–23,265
24 April 1967York CityH4–12,554Cullerton, Georgeson, Goodfellow
29 April 1967Halifax TownA2–23,562Taylor, Goodfellow
3 May 1967Lincoln CityH2–23,085Cullerton
6 May 1967Hartlepools UnitedH0–03,178
8 May 1967ChesterfieldA1–22,605Boulton
13 May 1967BrentfordA0–23,592

FA Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R126 November 1966Bradford CityA2–15,712Ritchie, Lawson
R27 January 1967BarnsleyA1–113,343Hill
R2 Replay16 January 1967BarnsleyH1–312,784Boulton

League Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R123 August 1966WalsallH1–39,181Rowland

Player statistics

Appearances

Top scorers

Transfers

Transfers in

Transfers out

Loans out