Long-standing Port Vale supporter Stuart Dean is sharing his memoirs of decades supporting the club on onevalefan.co.uk
This is part one, where Stuart recalls his father’s views, reflects on the legendary Iron Curtain side and looks back at some Port Vale goalkeepers.
75 YEARS OF SUPPORTING THE VALE - PART ONE
By Stuart Dean
Gordon Hodgson
My first memories of Port Vale came from my father, who was an avid supporter. Although I never attended a game at the Old Recreation ground, I heard my father talking about players and managers from that era. I was aware of Ronnie Allen and Bill McGarry and how the club had to sell its best players (Allen to West Bromwich Albion and McGarry to Huddersfield Town) in order to survive financially.
Although short he thought McGarry was the best header of a football he ever saw at the Vale – he seemed to hover at the top of his jump and have all the time in the world to head the ball. He also believed that Gordon Hodgson, a South African, was the best manager to manage the Vale (my dad died before the John Rudge era) and that he should have taken the credit for building the core of the 53/54 side. Gordon died of cancer while still manager.
Ronnie Allen
He thought McGarry was the best header of a football he ever saw at the Vale – he seemed to hover at the top of his jump and have all the time in the world to head the ball…
Bill McGarry
The Port Vale mascot
My father started to take me to home matches at the beginning of the 1953/54 season. I remember crossing the Lorne Street car park to the accompaniment of the local protection lads’ cries of “look after your car mister” and then being lifted over the turnstile and taken to the front of the paddock where I was put onto the wall to sit with all the other children not tall enough to see the action. Crowds were regularly in the high teens and were policed by a single officer who slowly walked around the running track during play. As he approached us lads, he would indicate for us to get down off the wall, which we did, only to scramble back up as soon as he was past. This episode was repeated every 15 minutes or so as he completed his circuit. There was no segregation or violence in those days, or floodlights, with all games being played during daylight hours. The Vale mascot wore top hat and tails and always carried an open umbrella in one hand and a rattle in the other.
Vale were crowned Third Division North champions with 69 points out of a possible 92, eleven points ahead of their nearest rivals. They also reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup where they were denied an appearance in the final due to a controversial goal from a dubious penalty. These achievements were based upon a record-breaking ‘Iron Curtain’ defence. Seven still-standing club records were set this season, including three Football League records. One Football League record was for the fewest Football League goals conceded in a 46-match season – 26, just over one every two games. Just five of these were conceded at home, another Football League record. This was based upon 30 clean sheets, again a Football League record. They also recorded a club-record low of three league defeats and a club-record home clean sheet streak of eleven matches, lasting from 7 September 1953 to 13 February 1954. Another club record was a streak of six away draws, lasting from 20 March to 26 April. They were undefeated at home all season, continuing a 42-match unbeaten run started on 8 November 1952 that would last until 18 September 1954.
The key players that formed the first XI of 1953–54 were: Ray King, Stan Turner, Reg Potts, Tommy Cheadle, Albert Mullard, Roy Sproson, Colin Askey, Albert Leake, Basil Hayward, Ken Griffiths, Dickie Cunliffe.
The biggest home attendance of the season was for the FA 5th round Cup match against Blackpool when 42,000 packed Vale Park. The Vale had beaten Cardiff City at Ninian Park to earn their chance to play the cup holders. They had travelled to first division Cardiff in the fourth round and took advantage of the home keeper, Ron Howells, being knocked out early in the game. Ken Griffiths and Albert Leake scored for Vale to give them a 2-0 victory and produce one of the shocks of the round. Cardiff manager Cyril Spiers was so impressed with Vale’s “streamlined” football that he wrote an open cheque for 21 year-old Colin Askey, but Steele turned the offer down flat. The Bluebirds had their formidable centre forward Trevor Ford but he was matched by Vale captain and centre half Tommy Cheadle.
The Cardiff goalkeeper is knocked out
Cheadle’s Vale team mate, Roy Sproson, recalled: “I will always remember the duel between Tommy Cheadle and Trevor Ford. Pound for pound they were probably the two hardest men I have known, yet they came off with a smile and a handshake at the finish, battered and bruised having gone at each other hammer and tongs for 90 minutes.”
In the next round Blackpool’s side was packed with internationals, their biggest star being the England right winger Stanley Matthews. The Vale left back was local lad Reg Potts. I had the best seat in the house to view the battle from the Lorne Street wall (Bycars side of the tunnel). Reg won hands down with Stan hardly getting a kick.
Albert Leake scored both goals in a 2-0 win, the first after 14 minutes, a header from a Dickie Cunliffe corner and the second driven in from a Basil Hayward cross in the 26th minute.
Their biggest star was England winger Stanley Matthews. The Vale left back was local lad Reg Potts. I had the best seat in the house to view the battle… Reg won hands down with Stan hardly getting a kick…
Reg Potts
Clockwise from top left: Albert Leake's shot crosses the line, Leake in action, Vale keeper Ray King blocks a shot
Port Vale included two team photos as an insert to the match programme. The photos were printed on one sheet that was stapled into the middle of the programme but the other side of the sheet was blank. At the end of the game Stanley Matthews couldn’t get off the pitch quickly enough and refused to sign any autographs.
Team photos (L) Stanley Matthews runs off the pitch (R)
The Blackpool programme
The win earned us a 6th round trip to Leyton Orient where another Albert Leake goal earned us a 1-0 win. Ironically, as I write this, I am listening to Radio Stoke commentary from Bribane Road where we are very much hanging onto a one goal advantage and good old Kyle John is well on his way to Burslem for a dip in the Park pond! I must give a shout out to the Ale and Vale Podcast at this point. For people like myself, who find that age makes it very difficult to attend games, their match reviews provide a great way of living the action and are a lifeline that keeps us very much attached to the Club. Keep going lads – you are very much appreciated.
Kyle John takes a dip
And so onto the semi-final at Villa Park against West Bromwich Albion, who were at the top of Division One (equivalent to today’s Premier League). As you can imagine I was desperate to go, but my father refused to take me as he reckoned, quite rightly, it would have been dangerous to do so. Also demand for tickets far outstripped supply and I suspect it took him all his time to secure his own ticket.
Albert Leake
The Vale were forced to change their side for the first time during the Cup run, with Ken Griffiths failing a late fitness test. We lost the match 2-1, with Albert Leake putting us into the lead with his usual goal. When my dad got home I insisted on a blow by blow account of the action. He didn’t think that either of WBA’s goals should have counted.
He said that Ronnie Allen pulled Tommy Cheadle’s shirt as he went up for the header, resulting in the ball hitting the back of his head and looping into the net for an own goal. The foul for their winner, a penalty converted by Ronnie Allen, was clearly a yard outside the box. He also recalled a disallowed equaliser, when Colin Askey beat his man and put a beautiful cross into the box where Albert Leake volleyed it into the net only to be flagged offside. Dad was dead in line and reckoned that the FA didn’t want a team from the lower divisions detracting from their prestige event – the FA Cup Final.
Colin Askey
Stan Turner
One other event that he recalled was the WBA winger, George Lee, falling on top of Stan Turner and making no attempt to get off allowing the ball to run free with Stan effectively out of the game. Stan had lifted the winger off him with both feet throwing him several feet in the air. The opposition fans took exception to this and roundly booed Stan for the rest of the game.
Ken Fish was the trainer and was well known throughout the leagues for his famous sprints across the pitch when called into action to attend to an injured player. The equipment available at the time was restricted to a bucket of ice cold water and a huge sponge – very different than today. Ken left the Vale to join Oxford United via Birmingham City in 1958 after 20 years of service – rumours circulating at the time concerning a rift between Ken and the Chief Constable of Police. The picture shows Ken utilising his magic sponge on an Oxford University player at Wembley during the Varsity match.
Ken Fish
Ray King
My favourite player at the time was goalkeeper Ray King. Coming from a family of coal miners myself, I could emphasise with Ray, who came from a close knit mining community in Northumberland. His father, a pitman, led a protest against the poor conditions and low wages. As a result the family were evicted from their colliery owned house, leaving them without home and money. His father was also black listed by all the colliery owners in the area and found work difficult to come by. At 17 Ray signed professional terms with his local team, Newcastle United, making his debut at St. James’ Park against local derby rivals Sunderland. His footballing career was interrupted by WWII, serving 4 ½ years in the Army. While serving he broke his right wrist saving a penalty taken by Tommy Lawton. On demobilisation his prospects of resuming his professional career seemed very bleak as no club wanted to sign a keeper with a recurring wrist problem. At this time Ray’s brother, George, had moved to Port Vale via Newcastle United and Hull City. After discussions with George, the Port Vale manager, Gordon Hodgson, invited Ray down for the last match of the season – the final of the Staffordshire Senior Cup against Walsall. Gordon, knowing all about his dubious injury record, signed him on as a full time player right away.
The Port Vale ground at that time was situated in Hanley, one of the Five Towns of the Potteries, and on my first sight of the location of my potential future footballing activities, it seemed almost as if I was looking at a building in some Third World shanty town. The stands, such as they were, could only be described as reminiscent of crumbling pigeon duckets, and the dressing rooms were a sort of dungeon-like affair. In the corner of the home team’s dressing room, a huge furnace would burn constantly to heat the water for the communal post-match bath. Despite such a rough-and-ready environment however, I felt completely at home, thanks largely to the relaxed and friendly atmosphere, and I approached the scheduled game with great confidence. Port Vale had several fine players on their books at that time. Two of them became full England Internationals: Bill McGarry and Ronnie Allen. We won the game against Walsall 1-0, and the fact that I’d kept a clean sheet was, to me, a reward in itself. It was difficult to believe that a few short weeks ago I had resigned myself to playing minor league football. It seemed as though I had been given a reprieve from the scrap heap after all!
The Old Recreation Ground
Hands, Feet & Balls
The above quote is taken from Ray’s autobiography – “Hands, Feet & Balls – Life Behind the Iron Curtain”. Ray wrote the book himself, without the help of a ghost writer, and it is extremely well written. For anyone interested in social history between Ray’s birth in 1924 and the book’s publication in 1998,
I would strongly recommend buying a copy (second hand copies available from abebooks.co.uk).
One memory, involving the Leicester City centre forward Arthur Rowley, sticks out. Arthur was an old fashioned centre forward. Built like a brick toilet, he wasn’t shy in putting himself about. He was a prolific goal scorer. Older fans will remember him later in his career when he was player manager at Shrewsbury Town, where he converted to centre half. Every time Shrewsbury came to the Vale we couldn’t score – he was an absolute colossus at the heart of their defence. When playing for Leicester, Arthur knocked Ray out twice in the same match – first time up against one post, next time into the opposite post.
On both occasions Ray managed to hang onto the ball and stay the right side of the goal line. Goalkeepers got very little protection in those days and had the barge sent Ray into the back of the net, a goal would have been awarded. Ray was exceptionally good at commanding his area and later in the game he came out to gather a ball into the box. Nobody could believe it when Ray missed the ball completely, until both fists caught Arthur flush on the jaw. It took the Leicester trainer about 5 minutes to bring big Arthur round. Mind you referees gave centre forwards as little protection as goalkeepers in those days and no foul was given for any of the above incidents. How things have changed! I’ve been lucky enough to see all the Port Vale goalkeepers since and Ray was, in my opinion, by far the best.
Arthur Rowley
Ken Hancock
The second best, was local lad Ken Hancock. Born in Stoke-on-Trent in 1937, Ken spent five years as an amateur with Stoke City and, after national service with the Staffordshire Regiment, he joined his boyhood club, Port Vale, in late 1958 and turned professional soon after his arrival. He helped us win the Fourth Division title in 1958/59 and was almost ever-present over the next six years, making 269 appearances for Vale. He was sold to Ipswich Town in December 1964 and was a member of their 1967/68 Second Division championship-winning team. He left Ipswich to sign for Spurs to provide experienced cover for Pat Jennings, where he was a popular figure around the club and helped to bring through young goalkeepers of the time. Ken left Tottenham for Bury in July, 1971, before a spell with Stafford Rangers and then moved in to coaching, spending time back at Port Vale in 1975 and managing non-league Leek Town for the 1978/79 season. He later co-founded Port Vale’s ex-Players’ Association. My favourite memory of Ken is the FA cup tie at Anfield and the replay at the Vale in January 1964. Liverpool were top of the old 1st division and their team was stuffed with internationals.
Jackie Mudie
I recall our coach driver getting lost in Liverpool and picking up a Liverpool supporter, decked in red and white, who kindly guided us to Anfield in return for a lift to the ground. Every Vale player performed that day. Not only did we match them, but we outplayed them with Jackie Mudie at his imperial best pulling the strings up top, until Ron Yeats, the Liverpool captain and centre half, cynically put him out of the game with one of the worst premeditated tackles from behind. No substitutes in those days, so we were down to ten men and faced a bombardment in front of the cop end. Ken was magnificent – commanding his area and making several first class saves – as was our central defender, John Nicholson, a former captain of Liverpool reserves, Liverpool supporter and scouser. We held out for 0-0 draw. On the final whistle the whole of the Kop gave John a standing ovation.
Ron Yeats
John Nicholson
I can’t leave this match without mentioning the performance that day of wing-half Tim Rawlings. It was one of the very best performances I’ve seen from a Vale player. And so onto a replay at Vale Park two days later. Being short notice it was pay at the turnstile. I remember the traffic being stationary right back into Porthill. I had migrated from Lorne Street to the Railway Paddock by this time, and couldn’t believe the size of the crowd waiting to pay at the turnstiles just before kick off. I remember being next to two scouse girls, when one of them produced a rope ladder from her coat, which she flung over the wall next to the gates in the Railway/Hamil corner. They both quickly scaled the wall, pulling the rope ladder up behind them – no doubt for use on another occasion. Well they needn’t have bothered, as soon as they had disappeared, the gates gave way under the pressure of the crowd. It was a frightening experience as you totally lost control and were carried into the ground, your feet hardly touching the ground. The paying attendance that day was given as 42,179, but the actual attendance was more like 60,000 (and no, Billy Bell wasn’t in charge at the time!). I was at the Villa game in February 1960 when 49,768 tickets were sold and there were far more in Vale Park for the Liverpool replay. The running track was full, the floodlight pylons were occupied, as was the roof of the Railway Stand. In fact several supporters fell through the roof hospitalising some of the supporters sat below them.
Looking back it is amazing that the authorities allowed the match to proceed. Roger Hunt, the England International, gave Liverpool the lead, but Albert Cheesebrough, Mudie’s replacement for the replay, equalised after been slipped through by Tony Richards and the tie went to extra time. The Liverpool left winger, Peter Thompson, scored in the last minute of extra time to put the Vale out of the Cup. Remembering that tackle on Mudie, reminds me of the worst tackle on a Vale player I ever saw. The Vale were playing Crewe and Tony Richards was crippled by Les Riggs with a tackle from behind right in front of me in the Lorne Street paddock. Absolutely no attempt to play the ball. Vale won 4-0 with goals from Albert Cheesebrough, Billy Bingham, Stan Steele and Tony Richards in front of 17,118 – all scored before the foul.
Albert Cheesebrough
Neville Southall
In third place in my list of best goalkeepers is Neville Southall. I was at Bury’s Gigg Lane to see Neville make his debut for the Vale on the 8th January 1983. He was signed on loan from Everton, who he had joined from Bury and so was back on familiar territory. The Vale were pushing for promotion at the time, as were Bury, and had a huge following that day.
The match is particularly significant for the fact that it was also John Rudge’s first game in charge (although not as manager) as John McGrath was absent “sick”. Geoff Hunter, a midfielder signed from Crewe for £15,000 in August 1981, scored for the Vale to put us in the lead. I remember the home stand being packed with Vale supporters and the roar nearly taking the roof off. We managed to preserve the lead thanks to Neville, who pulled off one of the best saves I’ve ever seen. Tommy Gore, the Bury mid-fielder who went on to play for the Vale, hit a screamer that was going into the top corner to the goalies left. Somehow Neville managed to get his left hand to it and push it round the post. Neville played 9 games before being recalled by Everton at the end of February – leaving the Vale with a goalkeeping crisis that wasn’t resolved until Barry Siddall recovered from the knee injury that occasioned the loan signing in the first place. Vale were promoted at the end of the season and McGrath was given a 2 year contract extension. Bury just missed out on promotion. Geoff Hunter was voted as a member of the PFA team of the year and went on to play 221 league games for the Vale, securing a second promotion during the 85/86 season.
Geoff Hunter
Tommy Gore
Still on the topic of goalkeepers, I was lucky enough to see the great Frank Swift play at Vale Park during the 1953/54 season and just after our cup run had ended. The match was a testimonial against an all-star XI in aid of long serving players. The all-star XI featured some of the great players of the period including Frank Swift, Matt Busby, Joe Mercer, Raich Carter, Dally Duncan with Stanley Matthews down to make an appearance should he be fit enough.
Also playing for the all-stars was Vale’s very own Freddie Steele and it was Freddie who scored both all-stars’ goals in their 2-1 win, which incidentally was Vale’s only defeat at home that season – although it must be said that the Vale defenders were under strict instructions from the manager not put in any heavy tackles! I remember Frank pulling off a remarkable save when one of the Vale forwards took the ball round him and, just as he was about to put the ball into an empty net, Frank did a backwards summersault grabbing the ball with one hand and using the other to launch himself upright. Frank was killed in the Munich air disaster a few years later, together with many of the Manchester United team including one of my favourite players, Duncan Edwards.
Frank Swift
Chris Martin
I can’t leave goalkeepers without mentioning one of my favourite moments involving a Vale goalie. It was at Bradford City’s Valley Parade in August 2009 and we were defending the cop end, where the City hordes were congregated. A young Chris Martin was in goal and Bradford had a corner from their left hand side. The corner was swung into the back post where the two opposition centre-halves had taken up position. The Bradford centre forward, Peter Thorne, had been delegated to block off the goalkeeper’s path to the back post. However, when he stepped across his path, Chris just went straight through him to get to the ball, knocking him out in the process.
The fact that Thorne was ex Stoke City made the incident even more enjoyable for the travelling supporters. And it got better. About 10 minutes later Bradford got another corner from the same spot and repeated the well rehearsed training ground routine. However, this time Peter bottled it and stepped out of Chris’s way – much to the amusement of the Valeites. The match ended 0-0 with Chris keeping a well earned clean sheet. Chris made 74 appearances for the Vale but never really established himself as our number one.
Read all the episodes
- 75 years a Vale fan: part one of Stuart Dean’s Port Vale memoirs
- 75 years a Vale fan: part two of Stuart Dean’s Port Vale memoirs
- 75 years a Vale fan: part three of Stuart Dean’s Port Vale memoirs
- 75 years a Vale fan: part four of Stuart Dean’s Port Vale memoirs
- 75 years a Vale fan: part five of Stuart Dean’s Port Vale memoirs
Share your thoughts on these memories and post a comment below
A brilliant read Stuart, I’m delighted to be able to post your memories on the OVF site. They are a great historical record of what it was like to be a Vale fan at the time. Thanks for writing them.
I too have fond memories of the early days at Vale Park, especially the first year of Division Four with Vale as champions. We lived at Newstead and my dad would take me to Hanley on the bus, where we would meet up with my Uncle Ernie, and then on the bus to Burslem. I was no older than five or six and I too would be lifted over the paddock turnstile and then moved down to the front. I cannot remember the name of the patrolling policeman, but we all spoke to him by name and he knew we would be back on the wall as soon as he had gone. Great times to be a Vale fan. I loved the black and amber stripes of the strip and as with the Newcastle United strip in their European years I am sure the vertical stripes made the players look bigger than the opposition. I am still Vale through and through and even though I have lived away from the Potteries since 1969 I get to as many away games as I can from places I have lived.
Excellent article Stuart. I too have followed the Vale over the same period. Its brought back great memories of all the great times watching the Valiants.
Excellent contribution. I remember the 1964 games against Liverpool very well, and the shock when centre half John Nicholson was transferred to Doncaster Rovers.
Being an Old Codger myself I to recall a lot of these games. The thing that looking back highlights more than anything, is how money has spoilt the game. With the maximum wage limit being In forced, and away teams getting a share of home gate receipts, it made everyone seemingly to be on a more of a level playing field. The chances of Vale having two future England internationals as in Bill Mcgarry and Ronnie Allen coming through their ranks are almost none. The influx of T.V. Money and Sponsorship deals has just driven a financial gap between teams that will never be reversed. Experienced players no longer need to come down the leagues nor seemingly rise through them. For me everything has changed for the worse.
I very much enjoyed reading Stuart Dean’s memoirs.
My first memory of watching The Vale was catching glimpses of them through the rusty corrugated iron that surrounded the Old Recreation Ground, I was walking along Swan Passage at the time.
My Dad eventually took me to see them. I recall cindery slopes and crush barriers on which I was seated . Health and Safety?
I was fortunate to obtain tickets for the Blackpool Cup game, and also the Semi Final. The defeat was bad enough but what made it worse was Ronnie Allen scoring the winning goal.
A great article Stuart. We must be of a similar age as my dad & grandad took me to my first match at Vale Park as a near-six year old in the 1953/54 season. So many coincidences; I too, started my Vale viewing from the Lorne Street Paddock (right of the tunnel, Bycars side, too!) And in later years also migrated to the Railway Paddock and then (and still to this day, Railway Stand). I was also at the 3 big-crowd games you mention. Blackpool in 1954, Liverpool repaly 1964 (my dad who was a policeman, was on special duty at the ground that night and he estimated that there were around 65,000 crammed into the ground that night!) I was also at the Villa cup match. You and I have certainly seen & shared some amazing memories and also throughout those 70+ years, sadly, a load of dross. But you, like me are still Vale through & through and will be, no doubt, until our last breaths! Incidentally, I met Ken Fish on many occasions as in those days I attended the methodist church in Norton. Ken was a methodist lay-preacher on the circuit that included Norton.