Colin Grainger phone call with Harry Kane

[SFBT]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/search?q=colin+grainger 

Should bring back a few memories for long standing fans

[Conrad]

No mention of the Vale in that story though, bit before my time but was he in the iron curtain team?

[Fosse69]

Thanks a lot for that. Imagine the excitement when we signed him. His greatest game for us was knocking his old club Sunderland out of the cup, Cloughie and all, 27,000 that night.

[Fosse69]

3 minutes ago, Conrad said:

No mention of the Vale in that story though, bit before my time but was he in the iron curtain team?

Didn`t play for us until the sixties, played for quite a few clubs, Sunderland the most. He was near the end of his career, but got injured with us and had a side line as a singer

[TheSage]

I think he was early sixties and playing for us when I started watching the Vale, though my memories of him are hazy. I do recall the name though.

Nice interview.

[Fosse69]

His Wiki article is an interesting read, especially the Vale part.

[hamilboy]

1 hour ago, Fosse69 said:

Thanks a lot for that. Imagine the excitement when we signed him. His greatest game for us was knocking his old club Sunderland out of the cup, Cloughie and all, 27,000 that night.

 

Spot on got the draw at Roker park then beat them quite easily at vale park with colin on the left wing another great cup night for the vale brilliant memories while following the vale.

[robf]

Some links to OVF features for those younger fans:

Book review:

https://www.onevalefan.co.uk/2019/10/like-a-larger-than-life-actor-who-only-performed-in-low-budget-dramas-port-vale-team-mate-on-roy-sproson/

Feature on that Sunderland game:

https://www.onevalefan.co.uk/2018/10/flashback-port-vales-swinging-winger-knocks-cloughs-sunderland-out-of-the-fa-cup/

Player profile:

https://www.onevalefan.co.uk/2015/04/colin-grainger-player-profile/

[Conrad]

12 hours ago, Fosse69 said:

Didn`t play for us until the sixties, played for quite a few clubs, Sunderland the most. He was near the end of his career, but got injured with us and had a side line as a singer

Thanks for the reply Fosse, I am a late comer to the vale my first game wasn’t until the 70/71 season.

[Essex Vale]

Colin Grainger was the first Port Vale player I saw score a goal.  He also scored the first FA Cup goal I ever saw.  His book is well worth reading, he talks about the Vale in quite some detail.  He talks with much admiration about the ability of Roy Sproson, who he felt could easily have played in the top level.  He also speaks well of local players Terry Miles and Harry Poole. He makes a very nice tribute to the late great John Nicholson who sadly lost his life at the age of 30.

He refers to the madness of the Vale Board and Freddie Steele, in his second spell, when they decimated the club and almost took us out of business by embarking on the most ridiculous buying spree of old players, well past their sell by date, signed at exorbitant fees.  The madness was started by selling our two top scorers and spending the total sum on buying  one player, Tony Richards.

Vale aside,his book talks about the game and his experience at all his clubs, including Leeds, Sheffield United, Wrexham,  Macclesfield and Doncaster.  He talks about his manager at Macclesfield, another Vale legend, Albert Leake.   

Younger fans may be astonished to learn that he was an England international, who scored two goals on his debut, against Brazil at Wembley. One year later that Brazil team won the world cup in Sweden.

 

[robf]

17 minutes ago, Essex Vale said:

His book is well worth reading, he talks about the Vale in quite some detail.  He talks with much admiration about the ability of Roy Sproson, who he felt could easily have played in the top level. 

I'd agree with that. I've got a copy of it too.

If you're interested in it, try this link for the publisher's website - https://www.decoubertin.co.uk/Grainger

[The Kalamazoo Kid]

My Dad has always said what a good player Colin Grainger was at Vale - him on the wing with Bert Llewellyn (or was it Albert Cheesbrough or Arthur Longbottom?) as striker.

(what classic old-fashioned names those three strikers have! 😄)

[Fosse69]

20 minutes ago, The Kalamazoo Kid said:

My Dad has always said what a good player Colin Grainger was at Vale - him on the wing with Bert Llewellyn (or was it Albert Cheesbrough or Arthur Longbottom?) as striker.

(what classic old-fashioned names those three strikers have! 😄)

Bert was  my favourite striker at the time, a good snatch from the Alex. Cheesie  a class inside  man . Arthur the only Vale player I can remember changing his surname,  to Langley from memory,  to try and lose his nick name.