Nearly Men 33: Mick Channon, the eighties marquee signing that never was

Our latest “nearly man” feature is the story of how former England striker Mick Channon could have joined Port Vale in 1982.

In 1982, John McGrath had been in charge of Port Vale for three years and a period of rebuilding he was ready to make his mark. The timing was right – McGrath had largely rebuilt the squad and the side was flush with cash following the sale of the Chamberlain brothers and Mark Harrison to neighbours Stoke City for £240,000.

The Vale boss was immediately busy in the transfer market – in came the likes of John Ridley and Wayne Cegielski. However, he was still short upfront after the loss of the Chamberlains, who had contributed seventeen goals the previous campaign. Prior to management, McGrath had spent six years at Southampton as a player, followed by five years on their coaching staff. One of the players McGrath would therefore know well was veteran striker Mick Channon.

Channon was then aged 32 and one of the most famous players in the country. He was in his second spell with Southampton at the time and had scored twenty one times for England in the seventies.

However, the move wasn’t to be. The striker instead opted for a more glamorous side in moving to Newcastle United.  All was not lost for McGrath. After missing out on the former England man, he opted instead for a £15,000 purchase of Hartlepool United’s Bob Newton. The addition of the powerful Newton proved a masterstroke. He quickly formed a prolific partnership with Ernie Moss and Newton top-scorer with twenty goals during 1982-82 as the Valiants won promotion to the third division.

As for Channon? He was far from finished. He went on to have spells with Norwich City, Bristol Rovers and Portsmouth. In 1985, at the grand old age of 34 he won his second domestic honour when he helped Norwich City to the League Cup. He eventually retired a year later.