Port Vale goalkeeper Ken Hancock has passed away at the age of 87, the club has announced.
The club will be holding a minutes applause in the 59th minute of the game against Gillingham to mark Hancock’s role in the club’s 1959 promotion.
Ken Hancock Biography
Ken Hancock was a long-serving and highly regarded Port Vale goalkeeper. He originally joined the club as a amateur and broke through to the first-team in 1958. He was an ever-present for the 1958-1959 promotion season and also for the 1962-1963 season. Renowned as one of the club’s finest-ever keepers, he played 269 times for the club over a seven year spell.
He was eventually sold to Ipswich Town for £10,000, where he made 180 appearances and he subsequently played for Tottenham Hotspur. He made 21 top-flight appearances for Ipswich and Spurs and he won the Second Division title with Ipswich in 1968.
In his latter years, he was a founder of the Port Vale ex-players association. In this website’s all-time Port Vale XI survey he came in a narrow second place to Mark Goodlad as the club’s best-ever goalkeeper. He will be sadly missed.
RIP Forever Valiant
Ken Hancock in print
We’ve been kindly permitted to publish this article on Ken Hancock from 2014 by BACKPASS, The Retro Football Magazine.
God bless you Ken one of my hero’s I remember the Sunderland game in the FA cup,were you played with your leg strapped up,Brian Clough never got near you.They bragged about the Roker roar, more like the Roker moan.
I saw my first Vale game in 1961, we have had some great keepers since then, Mark Grew, Alex Williams,Mark Goodlad, Paul Musselwhite. There is no doubt in my mind at all, Ken Hancock was the best, by a long way. He was a shot stopper, a cross gatherer, a long kicker and had a great throw. In the modern game where keepers play out from the back he would have been top notch. He lived a full, and long life, and leaves behind good memories. RIP Ken
Thinking of my handsome cousin Ken may he rest in peace. Sending much love to his family.
RIP Ken.
In 63 seasons following Port Vale. Ken was undoubtedly my favourite goalkeeper. I remember crying when we sold him to Ipswich and followed his career at Ipswich and Spurs with great pride as one of our local heroes. He was from an era of great clubmen like Sproson, Whalley, Poole, Miles, Steele, Smith, Hayward, Cunliffe et al…
Sad news, and the article above is fitting. I was privileged to see Ken Hancock play. My biggest memory is Easter Monday 1964 when Vale played at home to Jimmy Hill’s Division 3 promotion & title chasing Coventry City. Their mass support turned Vale Park into sea of sky blue, and the Vale had to absorb a lot of pressure. Ken Hancock stood firm with safe and very secure handling, particularly impressive dealing with crosses as Vale battled to a 1-1 draw. He had a reputation as being one of best keepers in the lower divisions, and the £10,000 fee received from Ipswich was a decent one for a keeper in that era. RIP Ken, a memorable keeper.
Simply the best RIP THE GREAT KEN HANCOCK
In that great goalless draw in 1964 at top of the league Liverpool, Ken Hancock and former Red Johnny Nicholson were just outstanding. I was 14, went on the train with my Dad, and it’s forever imprinted on my brain.
I also remember taking a penalty against him at Sneyd CC as a young boy. RIP Ken H.
He’s the first goalkeeper I remember as a lad, Ken played in the good old days when keepers were regarded as normal players and not protected like some endangered species. In those days keepers dominated their 18yard box, and on many occasions ken would come and catch balls even right up to the edge of his area. No gloves in them days. Ken Hancock was a brilliant goalkeeper and as a youngster he seemed immortal to me so it’s very sad news.