Keith Ball RIP

[LancyTony]

3 hours ago, THE DAD said:

I remember the 4all draw against Aston Villa was it Roy Cross own goal which looped over his head from a Vale goal kick? 4 -2 down and clawed it back. RIP Keith condolences to the family.

One of the best games I've ever seen at the Vale! I don't remember the attendance (think it was 10k+) but the atmosphere was brilliant! Vale recovered well against a Villa who had dropped like a stone from Div. 1

[Ben]

RIP Keith, condolences to the family

[Conrad]

8 minutes ago, LancyTony said:

One of the best games I've ever seen at the Vale! I don't remember the attendance (think it was 10k+) but the atmosphere was brilliant! Vale recovered well against a Villa who had dropped like a stone from Div. 1

11,106.

[LancyTony]

19 minutes ago, Conrad said:

11,106.

Thanks Conrad - felt like more?

[sinnott2spinnit]

I have fond memories of the 1969/70 promotion season. Am I right in thinking that Keith was an ever present that season!!! I attended most of the games with Micky Lakin, aka Owd Sage, and we also witnessed the sending off at the Gay Meadow the following season.
RIP Keith

[Valiant62]

First keeper in my time.

[ClntonBoulton]

14 hours ago, THE DAD said:

I remember the 4all draw against Aston Villa was it Roy Cross own goal which looped over his head from a Vale goal kick? 4 -2 down and clawed it back. RIP Keith condolences to the family.

Brilliant game....Tony Loska came on and supplied 2 great crosses for the equaliser....big crowd. I went out with Tony's sister for a few years later and we regularly talked about Vale and this game.

[CAVALIER]

RIP Keith. Between him and Sharratt we had 2 good keepers at the time. Wasn’t he one of several ex Walsall players we had including Goughy, Woodward(later), Nobby etc?

[Valiant62]

Was Nobby not from Hednesford?

[Essex Vale]

Keith joined us when we had an urgent need for a GK in 1968.  Stuart Sharratt was injured and Crewe had recalled Geoff Hickson from his loan spell.  We then played 17 year old Milija Aleksic for his only 2 games for us in the FA Cup. Keith then arrived.  He immediately made the position his own and was an ever present in the promotion season of 69/70.

He was small for a keeper and not spectacular, but he was incredibly consistent, utterly reliable, and successful.  Not many of that promotion team are left now.  

I cannot remember us ever conceding a goal where we thought that was a really bad error by Keith.

RIP, condolences to his family, and he leaves his Vale family with fond memories of a nice man and good player.

 

[CAVALIER]

2 hours ago, Valiant62 said:

Was Nobby not from Hednesford?

Started out and released to them by Walsall 

[CAVALIER]

23 minutes ago, Essex Vale said:

Keith joined us when we had an urgent need for a GK in 1968.  Stuart Sharratt was injured and Crewe had recalled Geoff Hickson from his loan spell.  We then played 17 year old Milija Aleksic for his only 2 games for us in the FA Cup. Keith then arrived.  He immediately made the position his own and was an ever present in the promotion season of 69/70.

He was small for a keeper and not spectacular, but he was incredibly consistent, utterly reliable, and successful.  Not many of that promotion team are left now.  

I cannot remember us ever conceding a goal where we thought that was a really bad error by Keith.

RIP, condolences to his family, and he leaves his Vale family with fond memories of a nice man and good player.

 

You’re right about mistakes because Boswell came next and made loads. 
There was also a keeper called O’Neil wasn’t there but he could have been more of a youth player?

[Essex Vale]

13 minutes ago, CAVALIER said:

You’re right about mistakes because Boswell came next and made loads. 
There was also a keeper called O’Neil wasn’t there but he could have been more of a youth player?

The only GK called O'Neill was Jimmy O'Neill formerly of Everton and Stoke.  He was replaced by Stuart Sharratt a couple of years before Keith arrived.

The youth GK round about that time, but he left just before Keith arrived, was Billy McNulty.  Milija Aleksic was the youth GK.  He went on to a stellar career.