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History of Port Vale F.C.
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History of Port Vale F.C.
The history of Port Vale Football Club, an English association football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, began with the formation of the club, which is officially dated in 1876. However, later research has shown this event probably took place in 1879. In 1884, the club moved to the town of Burslem (which is located within the city of Stoke-on-Trent, just as Stoke-upon-Trent and four other towns), changing their name to Burslem Port Vale in the process. The club joined the Football League Second Division upon its formation in 1892 and spent 13 non-consecutive seasons in the division, punctuated by two seasons in the Midland League (1896–97 and 1897–98). A financial crisis resulted in the club's liquidation in 1907. However, the name of Port Vale F.C. survived as North Staffordshire Federation League side Cobridge Church took on the name and moved into the Old Recreation Ground in Hanley, before progressing through the divisions to win re-election to the Football League in October 1919.
They spent 16 non-consecutive seasons in the Second Division, punctuated by them winning the Third Division North title in 1929–30; they won the division despite having sold club record goalscorer Wilf Kirkham. The club then moved to Vale Park in 1950 after being forced to sell the Old Recreation Ground to pay off a debt. During the 1953–54 season, Vale secured the Third Division North title and a semi-final place in the FA Cup with manager Freddie Steele's "Iron Curtain" defence. After a brief decline, new manager Norman Low led the Vale to the Fourth Division title in 1958–59. However, the 1960s proved to be a tough decade, particularly in 1968 after Stanley Matthews resigned as manager and the club was forced to apply for re-election to the Football League after illegal payments were made to players. New manager Gordon Lee then masterminded promotion in 1969–70, and the Vale would spend most of the 1970s in the third tier until relegation in 1977–78. They were promoted again in 1982–83 before returning to the basement division immediately.
John Rudge was appointed as manager in December 1983 and would remain in the post for the next 16 years. Overseeing a golden period for the club, Vale won promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1985–86 and into the second tier following promotions from the third tier in 1988–89 and 1993–94. They also won the Football League Trophy in 1993. His reign ended in January 1999, and the club entered a decline, slipping into the fourth tier whilst twice entering administration in 2003 and 2012 after the chairmanships of first Bill Bell and then Bill Bratt ended in crises. Norman Smurthwaite took the club out of administration in 2012 and manager Micky Adams achieved automatic promotion from League Two in the 2012–13 season, though they were relegated back into League Two at the end of the 2016–17 season after a failed experiment with a continental staff and playing style. Carol Shanahan bought the club in 2019 and manager Darrell Clarke secured promotion out of the League Two play-offs at the end of the 2021–22 season. Vale were relegated again at the end of the 2023–24 season, though they secured an immediate promotion in 2024–25.
The precise details of the club's founding are not known. A Port Vale cricket club were in existence in 1874, which may or may not have had any relation to the football club. It had been thought that Port Vale were formed during an 1876 meeting at Port Vale House, from where the club was supposed to have taken its name. However, no evidence of such a named public house ever came to light.
However, comprehensive research by historian Jeff Kent indicated that the club was probably formed in 1879 as an offshoot of the Porthill Victoria football club and took its name from its location in the valley of canal ports. Evidence supporting this came from Vale chairman Robert Audley writing that the club was "an organisation of twenty-eight years standing" in 1907. Also, John Hood and an 'E.Hood' were recorded as scoring goals for Porthill Victoria on 4 January 1879, which seems to have disbanded at the end of that season. The 1879 theory suggests that Porthill Victoria players broke away to found Port Vale in 1879, having tired of travelling up the hill to Wolstanton from their workplaces to play their football. Before 1926, the occasional mentions in print of the club's founding had given the year of formation as 1879, and most of the founders would not have reached adulthood by 1876. However, the January 1926 50-year jubilee celebrations saw the 1876 date firmly established as the year of the club's founding; it is unknown what convinced the organizers at the time that the date was correct. To add to the confusion, local newspaper The Sentinel also printed 1879 as the club's founding date on 10 March 1928 and 24 August 1931, despite reporting on the jubilee celebrations in January 1926.
Another theory on the club's origins is that Port Vale was formed from a merger of Wolstanton, Middleport and Burslem St. Paul's, but little evidence supports it. A further theory is that Port Vale were originally a brickworks team, mainly based on the existence of bricks with "Burslem Port Vale" and "Port Vale" marked upon them. However, these names appear to indicate their place of manufacture (in Port Vale, the valley of ports) and often have a company name upon them, so there is no hard evidence to link them to the football club.
The unique name of Port Vale has attracted interest and debate. The players lived near Port Vale Wharf, Port Vale Street, Port Vale Corn Mills and Port Vale House. Also, with nearby Porthill Victoria having played upon a hill, the team of the valley below meant that the name Port Vale was "a rather natural choice." Another theory was that the name came from a shortening of 'Longport Vale'.
The club played football at Limekiln Lane, Longport. From 1880 at Westport, paying £1 for the use of Westport Meadows. The 1851 Ordnance Survey Map of Longport clearly shows the Port Vale Wharf and the adjacent Longport Lime Kilns, including the eponymous lane. Under its founder Enoch Hood, the club rose rapidly above the dozen or so other local Burslem clubs to become the strongest club in the town within a few years. Already in 1880, the club had a reserve team and managed to attract the best players from their local rivals. They began to charge admission to their games and joined the Staffordshire Football Association on 6 September 1882.
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History of Port Vale F.C.
The history of Port Vale Football Club, an English association football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, began with the formation of the club, which is officially dated in 1876. However, later research has shown this event probably took place in 1879. In 1884, the club moved to the town of Burslem (which is located within the city of Stoke-on-Trent, just as Stoke-upon-Trent and four other towns), changing their name to Burslem Port Vale in the process. The club joined the Football League Second Division upon its formation in 1892 and spent 13 non-consecutive seasons in the division, punctuated by two seasons in the Midland League (1896–97 and 1897–98). A financial crisis resulted in the club's liquidation in 1907. However, the name of Port Vale F.C. survived as North Staffordshire Federation League side Cobridge Church took on the name and moved into the Old Recreation Ground in Hanley, before progressing through the divisions to win re-election to the Football League in October 1919.
They spent 16 non-consecutive seasons in the Second Division, punctuated by them winning the Third Division North title in 1929–30; they won the division despite having sold club record goalscorer Wilf Kirkham. The club then moved to Vale Park in 1950 after being forced to sell the Old Recreation Ground to pay off a debt. During the 1953–54 season, Vale secured the Third Division North title and a semi-final place in the FA Cup with manager Freddie Steele's "Iron Curtain" defence. After a brief decline, new manager Norman Low led the Vale to the Fourth Division title in 1958–59. However, the 1960s proved to be a tough decade, particularly in 1968 after Stanley Matthews resigned as manager and the club was forced to apply for re-election to the Football League after illegal payments were made to players. New manager Gordon Lee then masterminded promotion in 1969–70, and the Vale would spend most of the 1970s in the third tier until relegation in 1977–78. They were promoted again in 1982–83 before returning to the basement division immediately.
John Rudge was appointed as manager in December 1983 and would remain in the post for the next 16 years. Overseeing a golden period for the club, Vale won promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1985–86 and into the second tier following promotions from the third tier in 1988–89 and 1993–94. They also won the Football League Trophy in 1993. His reign ended in January 1999, and the club entered a decline, slipping into the fourth tier whilst twice entering administration in 2003 and 2012 after the chairmanships of first Bill Bell and then Bill Bratt ended in crises. Norman Smurthwaite took the club out of administration in 2012 and manager Micky Adams achieved automatic promotion from League Two in the 2012–13 season, though they were relegated back into League Two at the end of the 2016–17 season after a failed experiment with a continental staff and playing style. Carol Shanahan bought the club in 2019 and manager Darrell Clarke secured promotion out of the League Two play-offs at the end of the 2021–22 season. Vale were relegated again at the end of the 2023–24 season, though they secured an immediate promotion in 2024–25.
The precise details of the club's founding are not known. A Port Vale cricket club were in existence in 1874, which may or may not have had any relation to the football club. It had been thought that Port Vale were formed during an 1876 meeting at Port Vale House, from where the club was supposed to have taken its name. However, no evidence of such a named public house ever came to light.
However, comprehensive research by historian Jeff Kent indicated that the club was probably formed in 1879 as an offshoot of the Porthill Victoria football club and took its name from its location in the valley of canal ports. Evidence supporting this came from Vale chairman Robert Audley writing that the club was "an organisation of twenty-eight years standing" in 1907. Also, John Hood and an 'E.Hood' were recorded as scoring goals for Porthill Victoria on 4 January 1879, which seems to have disbanded at the end of that season. The 1879 theory suggests that Porthill Victoria players broke away to found Port Vale in 1879, having tired of travelling up the hill to Wolstanton from their workplaces to play their football. Before 1926, the occasional mentions in print of the club's founding had given the year of formation as 1879, and most of the founders would not have reached adulthood by 1876. However, the January 1926 50-year jubilee celebrations saw the 1876 date firmly established as the year of the club's founding; it is unknown what convinced the organizers at the time that the date was correct. To add to the confusion, local newspaper The Sentinel also printed 1879 as the club's founding date on 10 March 1928 and 24 August 1931, despite reporting on the jubilee celebrations in January 1926.
Another theory on the club's origins is that Port Vale was formed from a merger of Wolstanton, Middleport and Burslem St. Paul's, but little evidence supports it. A further theory is that Port Vale were originally a brickworks team, mainly based on the existence of bricks with "Burslem Port Vale" and "Port Vale" marked upon them. However, these names appear to indicate their place of manufacture (in Port Vale, the valley of ports) and often have a company name upon them, so there is no hard evidence to link them to the football club.
The unique name of Port Vale has attracted interest and debate. The players lived near Port Vale Wharf, Port Vale Street, Port Vale Corn Mills and Port Vale House. Also, with nearby Porthill Victoria having played upon a hill, the team of the valley below meant that the name Port Vale was "a rather natural choice." Another theory was that the name came from a shortening of 'Longport Vale'.
The club played football at Limekiln Lane, Longport. From 1880 at Westport, paying £1 for the use of Westport Meadows. The 1851 Ordnance Survey Map of Longport clearly shows the Port Vale Wharf and the adjacent Longport Lime Kilns, including the eponymous lane. Under its founder Enoch Hood, the club rose rapidly above the dozen or so other local Burslem clubs to become the strongest club in the town within a few years. Already in 1880, the club had a reserve team and managed to attract the best players from their local rivals. They began to charge admission to their games and joined the Staffordshire Football Association on 6 September 1882.
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