Five of the best: long-serving Port Vale backroom staff from days gone by…
Every Vale fan knows about the devotion of one-club man Roy Sproson to the club but what about the loyalty and dedicated of those on the sidelines? Rob Fielding looks at five who you may know little about…
Five of the long-serving Port Vale backroom staff
Tom Holford (36 years)
Tom Holford was born in 1878 and his contribution to Port Vale football club may have faded over the mists of time. Born in Hanley, he spent ten years as a Stoke City player before switching to Manchester City and then Port Vale in 1914. Appointed as player-manager, he was conscripted into the army to serve in WW1 returning to the club in 1919. He retired as a player in 1922 and took up a trainer’s position at the club. He then came out of retirement in 1924 to make a solitary appearance at the grand old age of 46. Appointed Port Vale manager for a second spell in 1932, he was in charge for three years before returning to his old job as trainer. When he finally retired in 1950 he had been involved with the club in various roles for 36 years!
Lol Hamlett (25 years)
Lol is probably the one name on this list that Vale fans may recognise. A familiar face on the sidelines in the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s he actually started his Vale career as a player. Born in 1917, Lol was snapped up by Bolton Wanderers in 1938 before moving to Port Vale in 1949 for a three year spell as a player. After a brief spell with non-league Congleton Town, he returned to Vale Park as trainer/coach in 1958. It was in this role he remained until his retirement in 1980. A Christian who refused to swear, Hamlett would say “fizzing” instead. In total Hamlett spent 25 years with the club, deservedly earning a testimonial game in 1976.
Tom Morgan (29 years)
Like several of the others on this list, Morgan was a man who took on many roles at the club. He played for local non-league clubs before being signed as a player by the Valiants in 1910 but his playing career only lasted a year before it was ended by injury. He then took on a scouting role for the club before taking over as manager following the shock death of boss Joe Schofield midway through the 1929-1930. Remarkably, Morgan rose to the challenge and guided the club to its first-ever promotion. Morgan was sacked in 1932 and returned to a backroom position at the club. He was then appointed manager for a second time in 1937 and lasted two years before he decided to leave and take up a managerial role at Wrexham. In total, Morgan spent 29 years employed by the club.
Ken Fish (19 years)
Ken’s first spell with the Valiants was as a player. Signed in 1938, he spent a year with the club before (in an unusual move) moving on to Swiss club Young Boys. He returned to Vale in 1939 but his second spell was disrupted by the outbreak of World War Two. After serving in the army, Fish was appointed Vale trainer in 1946. He was also named as caretaker manager in 1951. In 1958, after nineteen years at the football club, he moved onto Oxford United where he worked for a further twenty years.
Adrian Capes (32 years)
Adrian was yet another who moved from a playing role to a coaching role at the Vale. He first joined the Valiants as a player in 1900 for a five year spell. He returned again in 1908 for another three years as he finished with over 200 appearances for the club. On retiring, he was made trainer in 1911, a role in which he served for eight years and he remained in various backroom roles until 1934 – in total he racked up 32 years as a Port Vale employee.
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