Five Port Vale FA Cup first round thrillers
Ahead of the cup clash with Sunderland, here is a look at five Port Vale FA Cup first round thrillers.
Forest Green 2-3 Port Vale 2012
The most recent entry on the list was a five goal thiller in front of the cameras (albeit only for the hightlights programme) as the photo shows. Is it an omen for Sunday? Vale stormed into a two lead through Vincent and McDonald only for the home side to draw level. It was left to Ben Williamson to find the target in the 80th minute to see Vale through to the next round.
Huddersfield Town 3-4 Port Vale 2009
An absolute cracker from recent years as Vale upset the odds at Huddersfield with arguably one of their finest last-gasp comebacks. 3-1 down with eleven minutes left, Vale hit the net three times through Howland (79), Dodds (85, his second of the match, pictured right) and a 90th minute winner through Marc Richards.
Lincoln City 2-2, 0-0, 0-2 Port Vale 1982
We’ve included this one as younger fans may not be aware that cup games sometimes went past a single replay. It seems Vale and Lincoln were near impossible to separate in 1982. The first game ended 2-2 with Vale goals from the Chamberlain brothers (pictured right), the second game finished goalless and the second replay was won thanks to strikes from Terry Armstrong and Neville Chamberlain.
Darlington 1-3 Port Vale 1953
Pretty much all Vale fans will know that the side of 1953-54 reached the semi-finals and by all accounts were desperately unlucky not to make the final. Well, it could have been so different. A rare gaffe by Iron Curtain custodian Ray King had given the home side the lead at half-time and it took a late Vale comeback for them to progress. But progress they did thanks to goals from Leake, Hayward and Dickie Cunliffe (pictured right)
Port Vale 3-2 New Brighton 1950
And to finish… a five goal thriller against a team in an identical division. In 1950, Vale were put into the Third Division South and for the cup they were drawn against Merseyside outfit New Brighton who were in the Third Division North. Vale prevailed in a thriller thanks to goals from Walter Aveyard (2) and Cliff Pinchbeck. Sadly, the season was to end in tragedy when popular manager Gordon Hodgson (right) was to die of cancer in the summer.
