1971–72 Port Vale F.C. season


The 1971–72 season was Port Vale's 60th season of football in the Football League, and their second successive season back in the Third Division. Roy Sproson's 22-year career at the club came to an end, in what was an otherwise unremarkable campaign.

Overview

Third Division

The pre-season saw the arrival of left-half John Flowers from Doncaster Rovers and full-back Tony Loska from Shrewsbury Town for 'a small fee'. Meanwhile, three players picked up injuries: John James, Roy Sproson, and Stuart Sharratt ; whilst Sammy Morgan threatened to quit altogether after falling out with manager Gordon Lee over his decision to remain resident in Great Yarmouth rather than moving nearer to Burslem. Violence broke out in pre-season games, as the sport was in the grip of hooliganism.
The season opened with a 1–1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion in front of just 4,384 fans, causing Lee to warn that such low attendances would require him to sell off the club's best players. By the end of September Vale were performing well on the pitch, and off it had sold the main car park to The Co-operative Group for £30,000. Goals were at a premium despite a 4–3 win over York City and 4–4 draw with Aston Villa at Vale Park. Sporadic violence continued to break out at many matches, as local businesses had their windows smashed, local residents were menaced and fights broke out. In November, Clint Boulton was sold to Torquay United for £10,000. The next month Lee brought Ray Harford from Mansfield Town for a £5,000 fee, as well as Keith Lindsey from Southend United for 'a small fee'. Vale comfortable in the league, Chairman Graham Bourne resigned in January, along with colleague and fellow director George Sanders. This left the Board of Directors with just two members, one of which, previous chairman Mark Singer, was re-elected as Chairman. The Sentinel's Chris Harper stated that "Vale will never make progress while they are plagued by trouble at the top". The team continued with good home form, but invariably lost away from Vale Park. On 16 February, Sammy Morgan scored on his debut for Northern Ireland, and picked up six further caps whilst at the club. On 4 March, only 2,809 bothered to turn out for a 1–0 home win over Mansfield Town in strong wind and snow, whilst rivals Stoke City won the 1972 League Cup Final in front of a crowd of nearly 100,000 at Wembley Stadium. Vale went on to go ten games without a win, also scoring just one goal in a run of seven games, to the frustration of their supporters. Despite this, the now annual 'Meet the Manager' evening 'warmed the heart' of Lee. A 1–0 win over Barnsley at the end of April ensured the club's safety from the drop. On 8 May, Sproson made his farewell competitive appearance for the club in front of only 2,743 supporters, in a 2–1 defeat to Rotherham United. Lee angrily declared that "the attendance was nothing short of a disgrace to mark the end of a legend". Four days later there was an even smaller turnout for a final day 1–1 draw with Rochdale.
They finished in fifteenth place with 41 points, 30 of which were won at home. With just 43 goals scored, they had the lowest goal tally outside of the bottom four.

Finances

On the financial side, a drop in average home attendance of over a thousand failed to prevent a profit of £596. This profit was due to a £10,000 transfer credit and £13,967 worth of donations from the Sportsmen's Association and the Development Fund. The club's total debt stood at £100,130. Four players were let go at the end of the campaign: Mick Morris, Keith Ball, Stuart Sharratt, and John Flowers. Sproson also retired as a player, but stayed on as a scout and coach.

Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, Vale beat Blackburn Rovers 3–1 following a 1–1 draw at Ewood Park. A last-minute Sammy Morgan goal then defeated Fourth Division Darlington in the Second Round. Vale then were defeated 3–0 at St Andrew's by Second Division Birmingham City.
In the League Cup, Vale made 'their annual early exist', losing 2–0 at home to Shrewsbury Town.

League table

Results

Port Vale's score comes first

Football League Third Division

Results by matchday

Matches

DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
14 August 1971Brighton & Hove AlbionH1–14,384Horton
21 August 1971Swansea CityA1–06,457Morris
28 August 1971ChesterfieldH0–24,416
30 August 1971Notts CountyH0–35,298
4 September 1971WrexhamA2–17,407Brodie, Horton
11 September 1971Plymouth ArgyleH0–03,707
18 September 1971Shrewsbury TownA0–05,443
25 September 1971Halifax TownH1–03,724Gough
27 September 1971Blackburn RoversH0–04,963
2 October 1971WalsallA0–24,642
9 October 1971Bolton WanderersH1–16,394Horton
16 October 1971Brighton & Hove AlbionA1–19,007Mountford
19 October 1971BournemouthA2–310,404Morgan, Gough
23 October 1971York CityH4–34,484McLaren, Gough, Morgan
30 October 1971Oldham AthleticA0–18,140
6 November 1971Aston VillaH4–411,118McLaren, Mountford, Morgan, Loska
13 November 1971Mansfield TownA1–05,996Mountford
27 November 1971Torquay UnitedA0–33,710
4 December 1971Tranmere RoversH2–13,701Morgan, McLaren
18 December 1971WrexhamH1–04,310Summerscales
27 December 1971Bristol RoversA1–212,073McLaren
1 January 1972Shrewsbury TownH2–15,056Gough, Horton
8 January 1972ChesterfieldA1–26,532Gough
22 January 1972Blackburn RoversA1–38,495Loska
29 January 1972BournemouthH1–14,937Gough
5 February 1972Bradford CityH1–03,715Lacey
12 February 1972York CityA1–24,319Gough
19 February 1972Oldham AthleticH1–04,506Morgan
26 February 1972Aston VillaA0–232,806
4 March 1972Mansfield TownH1–02,809Morgan
11 March 1972Bolton WanderersA0–36,240
13 March 1972RochdaleA2–33,157James, o.g.
18 March 1972Swansea CityH3–03,257Gough, Harford
21 March 1972BarnsleyA0–04,048
25 March 1972Plymouth ArgyleA0–08,801
1 April 1972Bristol RoversH0–03,823
3 April 1972WalsallH1–15,250Gough
4 April 1972Halifax TownA0–23,319
8 April 1972Bradford CityA0–02,969
15 April 1972Torquay UnitedH0–02,737
18 April 1972Rotherham UnitedA0–34,161
21 April 1972Tranmere RoversA2–33,544McLaren, o.g.
26 April 1972Notts CountyA1–29,033Morgan
29 April 1972BarnsleyH1–02,614Morris
8 May 1972Rotherham UnitedH1–22,743Morris
12 May 1972RochdaleH1–12,475Horton

FA Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R120 November 1971Blackburn RoversA1–16,947Horton
R1 Replay22 November 1971Blackburn RoversH3–15,717Horton, Morgan
R211 December 1971DarlingtonH1–05,402Morgan
R315 January 1972Birmingham CityA0–332,937

League Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R118 August 1971Shrewsbury TownH0–24,638

Player statistics

Appearances

Top scorers

Transfers

Transfers in

Transfers out