1968: Mick Cullerton hits the headlines
Striker Mick Cullerton certainly hogged the headlines on the pitch during the 1967-68 season. Here we detail a few of the incidents.
The first hat-trick
Cullerton started the season in form and netted Vale’s first hat-trick of the season during a 3-0 League Cup win over Chester.
The transfer request
In September 1967, the youngster has a transfer request turned down by the club after being dropped. Here are newspaper clippings about that incident…
The second hat-trick
In April 1968, Cullerton netted his second hat-trick of the season in a 4-2 win over Swansea. Sadly, we don’t have the full report but here is the headline and a photo:
What happened next…
The striker finished the season on twelve goals with half his tally coming via the two hat-tricks. At the end of the season, events on the pitch were overshadowed by FA charges against the club. Despite the turmoil, Cullerton stayed with the Valiants.
However, his “outspoken” nature saw him loaned to Chester City in 1969 and this was followed by a transfer to Derby County. A prolific scorer for the reserves, Cullerton never made the first-team. He returned to Vale for a second spell in 1975 and finished his Vale career with fifty goals from 180 appearances.
He worked as the Vale’s commercial manager from 1982 to 1985 and has been employed by BBC Radio Stoke as a matchday summariser.
This scrapbook with cuttings from the late 1960’s and early 1970’s was kindly provided to OVF by a long-standing Port Vale supporter.