1958–59 Port Vale F.C. season

Port Vale
1958–59 season
Chairman	Jake Bloom
Manager	Norman Low
Stadium	Vale Park
Football League Fourth Division	1st (64 Points)
FA Cup	First Round; (knocked out by Torquay United)
Top goalscorer	League: Stan Steele (22); All: Stan Steele (22)
Highest home attendance	20,916 vs. Coventry City, 4 April 1959
Lowest home attendance	8,851 vs. Chester, 21 February 1959
Average home league attendance	12,757
Biggest win	8–0 vs. Gateshead, 26 December 1958
Biggest defeat	1–4 vs. Northampton Town, 23 August 1958
	Home colours
	Home colours
	← 1957–58 1959–60 →

The 1958–59 season was Port Vale's 47th season of football in the English Football League and their first season in the newly created Fourth Division following their relegation from the Third Division South.^[1] They scored a club-record 110 goals in 46 league matches to storm to the Fourth Division title. Forwards Stan Steele, Jack Wilkinson, Graham Barnett, Harry Poole, and John Cunliffe all reached double-figures in front of goal.

Overview

Fourth Division

The pre-season saw the arrival of the 'speedy and direct' winger Brian Jackson (signed from Liverpool for £2,000), experienced left-back Roy Pritchard (Notts County), and Peter Hall (Stoke City).^[1] There was also a change of chairman, as Jake Bloom took charge.^[1] He initiated a change of kit, as Vale played in black and amber striped jerseys with black shorts.^[1]

The season opened with a 4–1 home defeat by Northampton Town, Andy Woan scoring the first goal of the new division.^[1] Roy Sproson was then dropped from the first XI, and Vale failed to find a win in Burslem until 29 September.^[1] Their away form proved to be outstanding though, as the team recorded seven wins in their first nine away fixtures.^[1] On 24 September, Vale Park saw its first match under the new £17,000 floodlights, as the club beat West Bromwich Albion (who included Ronnie Allen in their line-up) 5–3.^[1] With a 4–1 win over Southport five days later, The Sentinel's 'T.G.F.' remarked that "the spell is broken".^[1] Vale remained unbeaten at home for the rest of the season.^[1] Strong in attack, the club took until 11 October before failing to score, in a goalless draw with Oldham Athletic witnessed by Shirley Bassey (as a guest of Norman Low).^[1] A fortnight later Vale failed to beat Carlisle United, as referee J.G.Williams blew the full-time whistle just as a Jack Wilkinson header was floating into the opposition's net.^[1] On 8 November, Vale beat Exeter City 5–3 in a top-of-the-table clash.^[1] Two consecutive away defeats followed soon after, as Vale fell down to third.^[1] The 4–2 loss in an 'appalling mud bath' at The Den saw the débuts of keeper Ken Hancock and striker Graham Barnett.^[1]

A twelve-match unbeaten run followed, taking Vale four points clear at the top.^[1] This included a triumphant 8–0 Boxing day win over Gateshead (a Vale Park record and their biggest win since 24 September 1932), followed by a 4–0 win at Redheugh Park on New Year's Day.^[1]^[2] Roy Sproson was then brought back into the defensive line, whilst up front Stan Steele 'did the work of two men', Harry Poole brought 'flexibility and fluidity', and Barnett scored from half-chances.^[1] Just as Vale seemed to be running away with the title, defeat came on 16 March at Highfield Road to Coventry City.^[1] The following month the "Valiants" beat the "sky blues" 3–0, taking them six points ahead of the chasing pack.^[1] Promotion was secured on 18 April with a 1–1 draw at home to Darlington, and the title was secured on the final day with victory over Millwall.^[1]

They finished as champions with 64 points, four points clear of second, and seven clear of fifth spot.^[1] They had secured twelve victories on the road, as despite nobody recording a hat-trick all season, a club-record 110 goals were scored – with five players reaching double-figures.^[1] The defence was also strong, only Coventry and York City conceded fewer.^[1] Praise came in for manager Norman Low, who in turn praised Barnett as 'the supreme goal poacher', Hancock as 'the find of the season', whilst Steele was 'the model of consistency'.^[1]

Finances

On the financial side, gate receipts rose by 20% to £39,934, whilst there was a transfer credit of £6,075.^[1] Wages had risen to £26,535; however, the club's Sportsmen's Association donated £9,069 to give the club a profit of £8,595.^[1] Pleased with his players, Low only released Alan Martin (Northwich Victoria) and reserve Ken Higgs (who went on to enjoy a successful cricket career).^[1] The stadium received an upgrade, as the Bycars End was terraced, increased capacity by 6,500 to 50,000, extended car park, and installed additional drains.^[1]

Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, Vale was eliminated in the First Round after being defeated 1–0 by Torquay United at Plainmoor.

Results

Port Vale's score comes first

Football League Fourth Division

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GAv	Pts	Promotion or relegation
1	Port Vale (C, P)	46	26	12	8	110	58	1.897	64	Promoted to the Third Division
2	Coventry City (P)	46	24	12	10	84	47	1.787	60
3	York City (P)	46	21	18	7	73	52	1.404	60
4	Shrewsbury Town (P)	46	24	10	12	101	63	1.603	58
5	Exeter City	46	23	11	12	87	61	1.426	57

Source: rsssf.com
(C) Division Champions; (P) Promoted

Results by matchday

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40	41	42	43	44	45	46
Ground	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	A	H	A	H	H	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	A	H
Result	L	W	D	L	D	W	W	D	W	D	L	W	W	W	D	W	D	W	W	W	L	L	W	W	W	W	W	W	D	W	W	W	W	W	L	W	L	W	W	W	L	D	D	D	D	W
Position	17	15	13	17	17	9	6	7	4	6	9	6	4	3	3	3	3	3	1	1	1	3	2	2	2	2	2	1	2	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1

Source: Statto^[3]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
23 August 1958	Northampton Town	H	1–4	15,018	Wilkinson
26 August 1958	Watford	A	2–0	11,948	Jackson, Poole
30 August 1958	Workington	A	2–2	5,998	o.g., Steele
1 September 1958	Watford	H	1–3	10,458	Poole
6 September 1958	York City	H	2–2	10,104	Steele, Wilkinson
8 September 1958	Hartlepools United	A	5–1	6,158	Wilkinson (2), Cunliffe (2), Steele
13 September 1958	Bradford Park Avenue	A	2–0	9,683	Wilkinson, Steele
15 September 1958	Hartlepools United	H	1–1	9,313	Wilkinson
20 September 1958	Aldershot	A	4–0	6,211	Poole, Steele, Cunliffe, o.g.
23 September 1958	Southport	A	2–2	3,274	Steele, Wilkinson
27 September 1958	Crystal Palace	H	2–3	13,952	Poole, Hall
29 September 1958	Southport	H	4–1	9,788	Poole (2), Cunliffe, Wilkinson
4 October 1958	Chester	A	2–1	8,197	Steele (2)
6 October 1958	Torquay United	H	3–1	13,102	Wilkinson (2), Hall
11 October 1958	Oldham Athletic	H	0–0	13,432
18 October 1958	Barrow	A	2–1	4,909	Wilkinson, Cunliffe
25 October 1958	Carlisle United	H	1–1	12,894	Wilkinson (pen)
1 November 1958	Gillingham	A	2–0	9,940	Jackson, Steele
8 November 1958	Exeter City	H	5–3	14,282	Steele (2), Poole, Jackson, Cunliffe
22 November 1958	Shrewsbury Town	H	2–0	12,047	Poole, Wilkinson
29 November 1958	Darlington	A	0–2	6,160
13 December 1958	Millwall	A	2–4	11,056	Steele, Barnett
20 December 1958	Northampton Town	A	4–2	6,907	Poole (2), Kinsey, Barnett
26 December 1958	Gateshead	H	8–0	16,899	Cunliffe (2), Poole (2), Steele (2), Jackson (pen), Barnett
1 January 1959	Gateshead	A	4–0	4,674	Cunliffe (2), Steele, Poole
23 January 1959	Walsall	H	2–1	11,569	Barnett, Wilkinson
31 January 1959	Bradford Park Avenue	H	4–2	12,377	Wilkinson (2), Steele, Kinsey
7 February 1959	Aldershot	H	3–2	10,608	Barnett (2), Steele
14 February 1959	Crystal Palace	A	1–1	13,305	Cunliffe
21 February 1959	Chester	H	4–0	8,851	Wilkinson, Jackson, Steele, Barnett
28 February 1959	Oldham Athletic	A	2–0	7,515	Barnett (2)
2 March 1959	Workington	H	2–0	10,978	Poole, Kinsey
7 March 1959	Barrow	H	4–1	10,034	Wilkinson (2), Cunliffe, Barnett
14 March 1959	Carlisle United	A	3–0	6,110	Barnett (2), Steele
16 March 1959	Coventry City	A	0–1	28,429
21 March 1959	Gillingham	H	3–1	11,119	Steele, Cunliffe, Barnett
27 March 1959	Crewe Alexandra	A	0–2	15,330
28 March 1959	Exeter City	A	4–3	12,088	Steele (2), Poole, Sproson
30 March 1959	Crewe Alexandra	H	1–1	20,524	Jackson (pen)
4 April 1959	Coventry City	H	3–0	20,916	Wilkinson (2), Jackson (pen)
11 April 1959	Shrewsbury Town	A	3–4	10,619	Barnett (2), Cunliffe
15 April 1959	York City	A	0–0	9,755
18 April 1959	Darlington	H	1–1	11,577	Barnett
22 April 1959	Torquay United	A	1–1	5,036	Barnett
25 April 1959	Walsall	A	1–1	6,626	Barnett
27 April 1959	Millwall	H	5–2	13,473	Barnett (2), Poole, Jackson, Cunliffe

FA Cup


Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
R1	15 November 1958	Torquay United	A	0–1	6,526

Player statistics

Appearances and goals

Pos.	Name	Football League		FA Cup		Total
Pos.	Name	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
GK	Keith Jones	21	0	1	0	22	0
GK	Ken Hancock	25	0	0	0	25	0
DF	Roy Sproson	21	1	1	0	22	1
DF	David Raine	28	0	1	0	29	0
DF	Selwyn Whalley	11	0	0	0	11	0
DF	Fred Donaldson	11	0	0	0	11	0
DF	Roy Pritchard	18	0	0	0	18	0
MF	Albert Leake	46	0	1	0	47	0
MF	John Cunliffe	45	15	1	0	46	15
MF	Terry Miles	45	0	1	0	46	0
MF	Alan Martin	16	0	0	0	16	0
MF	Peter Hall	9	2	0	0	9	2
MF	Brian Jackson	37	8	1	0	38	8
FW	Harry Poole	35	16	1	0	36	16
FW	Stan Steele	46	22	1	0	47	22
FW	Jack Wilkinson	33	21	1	0	34	21
FW	Noel Kinsey	36	3	1	0	37	3
FW	Dennis Bailey	1	0	0	0	1	0
FW	Graham Barnett	22	20	0	0	22	20

Top scorers

Place	Position	Nation	Name	Fourth Division	Total
1	FW	England	Stan Steele	22	22
2	FW	England	Jack Wilkinson	21	21
3	FW	England	Graham Barnett	20	20
4	FW	England	Harry Poole	16	16
5	MF	England	John Cunliffe	15	15
6	MF	England	Brian Jackson	8	8
7	FW	Wales	Noel Kinsey	3	3
8	MF	England	Peter Hall	2	2
9	DF	England	Roy Sproson	1	1
–	–	–	Own goals	2	2
			TOTALS	110	110

Transfers

Transfers in

Date from	Position	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
Summer 1958	DF	Roy Pritchard	Notts County	Free transfer	^[4]
May 1958	MF	Peter Hall	Stoke City	Free transfer	^[4]
July 1958	MF	Brian Jackson	Liverpool	£1,700	^[4]
August 1958	FW	Dennis Bailey	Bolton Wanderers	Free transfer	^[4]
November 1958	GK	Ken Hancock	Stoke City	Free transfer	^[4]

Transfers out

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
April 1959	GK		Keith Jones	Crewe Alexandra	Free transfer	^[4]
Summer 1959	MF		Alan Martin	Northwich Victoria	Released	^[4]

References

Specific

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac Kent, Jeff (1990). "Fame and Fortune (1950–1959)". The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale. Witan Books. pp. 171–196. ISBN 0-9508981-4-7.
^ Fielding, Rob (3 October 2019). "Five of the best thumping Port Vale home victories". onevalefan.co.uk. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
^ Port Vale 1958–1959 : Results & Fixtures Archived 2 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.

General

Kent, Jeff (1993). The Port Vale Record 1879-1993. Witan Books. ISBN 0-9508981-9-8.

[Kent-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac Kent, Jeff (1990). "Fame and Fortune (1950–1959)". The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale. Witan Books. pp. 171–196. ISBN 0-9508981-4-7.

[2] Fielding, Rob (3 October 2019). "Five of the best thumping Port Vale home victories". onevalefan.co.uk. Retrieved 5 June 2020.

[3] Port Vale 1958–1959 : Results & Fixtures Archived 2 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.

[transfers-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e Port Vale F.C. seasons
1880–81 1881–82 1882–83 1883–84 1884–85 1885–86 1886–87 1887–88 1888–89 1889–90
1890–91 1891–92 1892–93 1893–94 1894–95 1895–96 1896–97 1897–98 1898–99 1899–00
1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10
1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20
1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30
1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40
1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50
1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60
1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70
1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80
1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90
1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00
2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10
2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20
2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26 2026–27 2027–28 2028–29 2029–30