1954 semi-final special – the front cover
To conclude our look at the Sentinel special marking the club’s FA Cup semi-final appearance in 1954, here is a Photoshopped copy of the front cover.
Note: as the newspaper is so large (broadsheet) we were unable to scan it in one piece. This represents our best efforts to take multiple images of it and “stitch” it together. However, you will notice differences in colour (especially in the West Brom players photograph) and slight alignment mis-matches as it was impossible to scan each piece in the same light and at the same angle.
Related features
- Vale players at home (from the semi-final special)
- A collection of articles (from the semii-final special
- Visit our dedicated 1953-54 season section
However, we hope it’s an interesting addition to this site’s historical archives:
About the 1953-54 Port Vale Iron Curtain side
Known as the “Iron Curtain” for their tremendous defensive qualities, the Port Vale FC side of 1953-54 set numerous club records and are regarded as probably the greatest Port Vale side of all-time.
Managed by Freddie Steele, the side were crowned Third Division North Champions and also reached the FA Cup semi-final where they unluckily lost to West Brom.
Their success was based on a squad of nineteen players, many of whom were locally born. Players included Ray King, Roy Sproson, Tommy Cheadle, Colin Askey, Dickie Cunliffe, Albert Leake and Basil Hayward.
The side set three Football League records including the least number of goals conceded in a season, a club record eleven successive home wins and they were undefeated at home all season.
We have a series of special features, press clippings, images and video about the 1954 Port Vale side