1978–79 Port Vale F.C. season


The 1978–79 season was Port Vale's 67th season of football in the Football League, and their first season back in the Fourth Division following their relegation from the Third Division. Bernie Wright was highly impressive with his fifteen goals, though the rest of the team limped to a sixteenth-place finish, and exited both cup competitions at the first stage. This occurred with unrest in the boardroom behind the scenes, unrest amongst fans on the terraces, and annoyance from Butler towards the fans for their abuse of his players. Butler broke club transfer-records in both signing players and selling them.

Overview

Fourth Division

The pre-season saw new manager Dennis Butler sign big striker Bernie Wright from Bradford City for £9,000 and right-back Neil Wilkinson on a free transfer from Blackburn Rovers. Butler also took the team on a three match tour of Scotland. Just before the start of the season Ken Todd was signed for a club-record £37,000, despite Todd having only made a handful of appearances for Wolverhampton Wanderers. In the summer former Valiant Tommy McLaren committed suicide, friend and teammate Ray Williams said 'leaving the club shattered him'. On 2 October a Memorial Fund match was played, raising £3,000.
The season opened with just two victories in eleven league games, as both Todd and keeper John Connaughton were sidelined with injuries. The two wins came away from home, 5–1 over rivals Crewe Alexandra at Gresty Road and 3–1 at Doncaster Rovers at the Keepmoat Stadium. Butler then threw himself into the transfer market, selling John Froggatt to Northampton Town for £8,000, and then Mick Moore and Terry Bailey to Wigan Athletic and Northwich Victoria respectively, both for £2,000. Another 'shrewd piece of business' came when star forward Ken Beamish was sold to Bury for £35,000, whilst Gerry Keenan moved the other way for £15,000. In October, Felix Healy was signed from Finn Harps for £8,000, and Neil Wilkinson and £3,000 were traded to Crewe in exchange for outside-right Kevin Tully. Winning five games in a sequence of eight, Todd was still a disappointment to fans, who began getting 'on his back'. Butler's signings did not stop however, and instead he sold John Ridley to Leicester City for a club-record £55,000. He then signed Andy Proudlove from Buxton for £1,000 – despite interest from Stafford Rangers. Then in came midfielder Peter Farrell from Bury for a new club-record £40,000. They ended their club-record streaks of 42 away games without keeping a clean sheet on 30 September, and of twelve home games without a win on 21 October.
Going into December four games unbeaten, Butler then splashed out £30,000 on Chester's Bob Delgado. Despite this, Vale were thumped 6–2 by Barnsley in front of 10,532 at Oakwell. In January, legendary England goalkeeper Gordon Banks was appointed as coach, and results began to pick up as Vale were lifted into eighth spot. Healy left the club in February, only to return two weeks later. Behind the scenes there was trouble when Arthur McPherson ruled that club shares could only be transferable to a male relation, in order 'to safeguard plans by the current directors'. More defeats came, and the big money signings were targeted by fans for abuse. Butler reacted by calling the fans 'a bunch of yobs'. From mid-March, Vale went seven games with only one victory and one goal scored. On 21 March violence returned to Vale Park, when Portsmouth keeper Peter Mellor saved a penalty, floored Peter Farrell and made an 'assortment of gestures' to the Bycars End – he found himself attacked by a Vale fan on the pitch for his efforts. On 13 April, Vale surrendered a three-goal lead at Springfield Park to lose 5–3 to Wigan Athletic. Danger of ending up in the re-election zone was ended with a late four game unbeaten spell, despite heavy defeats from Reading and York City.
They finished in sixteenth place with 42 points, with an awful defensive record of seventy goals conceded. Despite this their scoring tally away from Burslem was the highest in the Football League, and they were given £2,125 as a reward. Player of the Year Bernie Wright secured fifteen goals in what was a poor season for the club.

Finances

On the financial side, a record £52,000 loss was made despite a remarkable £225,000 income from the club's commercial department. Butler's transfer dealings had lost the club £36,000, whilst wages more than doubled from £113,000 to £259,000. The club's liabilities stood at £187,000. Despite all of this the club made 'surprisingly sparing use of the pruning knife', letting go just four players, most significantly David Harris and Andy Proudlove. Behind the scenes, long-time club servant and president Mark Singer was fired, though chairman Arthur McPherson made no comment to the press.

Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, a weeks preparation in Blackpool failed to prevent Vale exiting at the first stage with a 1–0 defeat to Bradford City at Valley Parade.
In the League Cup, Third Division Chester knocked the Vale out 4–1 on aggregate.

League table

Results

Port Vale's score comes first

Football League Fourth Division

Results by matchday

Matches

DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
19 August 1978Scunthorpe UnitedH2–23,027Wright, Bromage
22 August 1978WimbledonA0–12,638
25 August 1978Crewe AlexandraA5–14,413Wright, Bloor, Beamish
2 September 1978RochdaleH1–13,222Beamish
9 September 1978AldershotH1–13,045Beamish
12 September 1978Doncaster RoversA3–13,405Bromage, Todd, Beamish
16 September 1978PortsmouthA0–29,937
23 September 1978BournemouthH1–23,140Griffiths
26 September 1978Northampton TownH2–23,245N.Chamberlain
30 September 1978Hereford UnitedA0–13,963
7 October 1978Grimsby TownH1–13,433N.Chamberlain
14 October 1978Halifax TownA3–01,591Wright, Tully
18 October 1978Bradford CityA3–24,136Sutcliffe, Wright, Healy
21 October 1978Torquay UnitedH1–24,108Todd
28 October 1978DarlingtonA0–41,793
4 November 1978Hartlepool UnitedH2–03,195N.Chamberlain, Beech
11 November 1978RochdaleA1–01,882Keenan
18 November 1978Crewe AlexandraH2–24,607Farrell, Healy
9 December 1978Stockport CountyH2–13,689Wright, Farrell
26 December 1978BarnsleyA2–610,532Todd, Keenan
30 December 1978Newport CountyA0–14,075
1 January 1979Huddersfield TownH1–04,021Wright
9 January 1979Wigan AthleticH2–13,746Wright, Todd
13 January 1979AldershotA1–13,708Sinclair
16 January 1979Doncaster RoversH1–33,381o.g.
6 February 1979BournemouthA1–33,416o.g.
24 February 1979Halifax TownH0–13,117
3 March 1979Torquay UnitedA2–21,711Todd, Wright
10 March 1979DarlingtonH2–12,566Hawkins, Beech
13 March 1979Northampton TownA0–11,572
21 March 1979PortsmouthH0–02,738
24 March 1979WimbledonH1–02,906Beech
27 March 1979Scunthorpe UnitedA0–21,580
31 March 1979ReadingA0–06,704
3 April 1979Grimsby TownA0–18,072
7 April 1979York CityH0–02,712
13 April 1979Wigan AthleticA3–58,452Todd, Wright
14 April 1979BarnsleyH3–25,226N.Chamberlain, Wright, Todd
16 April 1979Huddersfield TownA2–33,236M.Chamberlain, Beech
21 April 1979Newport CountyH1–12,444Wright
24 April 1979Bradford CityH2–12,264Farrell, N.Chamberlain
27 April 1979Stockport CountyA0–03,345
1 May 1979Hereford UnitedH1–12,160Hawkins
5 May 1979ReadingH0–33,603
7 May 1979York CityA0–42,344
10 May 1979Hartlepool UnitedA2–12,007Sinclair, Farrell

FA Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R125 November 1978Bradford CityA0–15,625

League Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R1 1st Leg12 August 1978ChesterH0–32,819
R1 2nd Leg16 August 1978ChesterA1–13,741Wright

Player statistics

Appearances

Top scorers

Transfers

Transfers in

Transfers out

Loans out