Coming soon: Iron Curtain charity fundraiser
In the next few days, OVF will be publishing details of a special item that we’ll be selling to raise money for our two chosen charities – the Donna Louise Trust and the Douglas MacMillan hospice.
1953-1954 Port Vale Season
Find all stories and articles which have been tagged with the 1953-1954 Port Vale Season on onevalefan.co.uk
The 1953-1954 Port Vale season was one of the most memorable in the club’s history as the Valiants won promotion, set several club records and reached the semi-final of the FA Cup. The club’s success was due to a squad of mostly locally born players and a formidable defence known as the Iron Curtain or Steele Curtain in tribute to manager Freddie Steele. Notable players in the team include Roy Sproson, Tommy Cheadle, Ray King, Albert Leake, Dickie Cunliffe, Basil Hayward and Colin Askey.
onevalefan.co.uk is an independent Port Vale FC website which was founded in 1996.
60 years on: Vale’s proudest cup moment
To commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of Port Vale’s FA Cup semi-final appearances, here is a documentary video on that legendary Iron Curtain side.
Port Vale should be rightly proud of its rich heritage
OVF editor Rob Fielding hopes that Port Vale Football Club will continue to treat past players with respect and dignity. Rob Fielding writes… One of the more pleasing aspects of the joint-tenure of Paul Wildes and Norman Smurthwaite was the publication of a document which set out their vision or philosophy for the club. What […]
Video: The 1953-1954 Port Vale Iron Curtain season
Thanks to Stuart Dean, we have a short documentary clip of Port Vale’s 1954 record-breaking side.
59 years on: Vale stun Matthews’ Blackpool
Wednesday 20th February 2013 is the 59th anniversary of one of Vale Park’s finest games of all time. Freddie Steele’s Iron Curtain side stunned FA Cup holders Blackpool (boasting Stanley Matthews and six other internationals) in a famous FA Cup giantkilling.
The heroes of ’54 get the magazine treatment
The excellent football nostalgia magazine Backpass has an extensive feature on Port Vale’s 1954 Iron Curtain side including an interview with Vale great Colin Askey.
1950s Port Vale autographs pictured
Thanks to Pete T, we have some photos of Vale fan Geoff Austin’s autograph book from which dates back to the 1950’s. It contains 1950s Port Vale autographs plus those of Stoke City players from that era.
Port Vale Mascots of yesteryear – pictured
Port Vale Mascots: we love these photos and we wanted to share them with you all. They date from the days before Port Vale had one, official mascot…
The moment Vale’s cup final dreams were dashed…
Whilst in the course of research for more OVF historical features, we were given these amazing images of Vale’s 1954 FA Cup semi-final clash with West Bromwich Albion.
1954 salute to Port Vale cartoon
Salute to Port Vale is a vintage cartoon from the March 1954 edition of Charles Buchan’s Football Monthly.
Legends of our Past
Barry first posted this in January 2002 and it includes a tribute to all those who played for Port Vale fifty years ago – especially in that famous FA Cup Semi Final against West Bromich Albion at Villa Park.
May 6, 1954
Barry says that this day in history remains indelible on his psyche for several reasons. He says it was a time in his youth when human endurance seemed to ignore the logic of gravity and sensibility and where, as we were later informed by Captain Kirk in StarTrek, they were prepared to go where no […]
Memories of 1954
Barry Edge is an exiled Valiant living in Western Australia. Here he shares with us his memories of 1954.
Read the Port Vale v Wrexham programme from 1954
Paul Humphreys has kindly provided the onevalefan viewers with the opportunity to leaf through the pages of a souvenir programme from the glorious 1954 Iron Curtain campaign.
Read the 1954 West Brom v Port Vale FA Cup semi-final programme
We present images from the programme for Vale’s biggest-ever match, the FA Cup semi-final against West Brom in 1954.
Port Vale history 1950 to 1968
The move to Vale Park, the cup run of the famed ‘Steele Curtain’ side and the controversy over league expulsion.
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