Port Vale F.C.
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| Burslem Port Vale | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Port Vale Football Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | The Valiants | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Founded | 1876 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Vale Park Burslem Stoke-on-Trent |
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| Capacity | 22,356 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman | Bill Bratt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manager |  Martin Foyle |
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| League | League One | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005-06 | League One, 13th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Port Vale are an English association football club who currently play in Football League One. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire -one of the six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. Stoke City and Crewe Alexandra are their local rivals.
Although it is widely believed that Port Vale is one of the few teams not to be named after a geographical location, the name Port Vale exists on maps predating the formation of the club in 1876, and is a reference to a valley of ports on the Trent and Mersey canal, associated with the city's pottery industry.
Port Vale's current manager is Martin Foyle; who was formerly the manager of the youth team – as well as being an important player for the club in the past. Dean Glover is the club's assistant manager, another notable former player.
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[edit] History
Originally called Burslem Port Vale, they were founder members of the Football League Division Two, in 1892. After dropping out of the League, due to financial problems in 1907, they were re-elected to the Football League in 1919, after the Football Association forcibly disbanded Leeds City. Vale themselves were expelled from the League in 1968 (for financial irregularities) and forced to seek re-election, which they achieved.
Their most successful period of modern times was during the late 1980s and early 1990s under the management of John Rudge. He guided the team to four promotions, including two into Division One, where Vale had not played for 30 years. He also took them to three Wembley finals with two of them being in the space of a week in 1993. The team also achieved a number of notable Cup victories against top-flight teams.
[edit] Stadium
Vale Park has been Port Vale's ground home since 1950, when the club moved from the Old Recreation Ground in Hanley, which stood on what is now the multi-storey car park for the Potteries Shopping Centre.
[edit] Robbie Williams
Among the club's fanbase is singer Robbie Williams, who was raised in Stoke-on-Trent. When asked on Jonathan Ross's TV chat show if he had any good memories from his days with boyband Take That, he hesitated and then jokingly replied "Yeah... I remember Port Vale beat Spurs at one point." In February 2006 he bought £240,000 worth of shares in the club.[1]
For the game FIFA 2000 he provided an original theme song with "It's Only Us". This song was also featured on the first and only FIFA Soundtrack CD release by EMI. He did this on the condition that Port Vale were included in the game, which they were, as a special feature team.[2][3]
[edit] Achievements
- Division Three (North) champions: 1929/30; 1953/54
- Promoted from Division Four: 1958/59 (as champions); 1969/70; 1982/83; 1985/86
- Promoted from Division Three: 1988/89 (via play offs)
- Promoted from Division Two: 1993/94 (as runners up)
- FA Cup semi-finalists: 1953/54
- Football League Trophy
- Autoglass Trophy: 1992/93 (beat Stockport County 2-1)
- LDV Vans Trophy: 2000/01: (beat Brentford 2-1)
- Anglo-Italian Cup finalists: 1995/96
[edit] Statistics
| Best attendance | 49768: vs Aston Villa 20 February 1960 FA Cup R5 |
| Best league win | 9 - 1: vs Chesterfield 24 September 1932 Division Two |
| Worst league loss | 0 - 10: vs Sheffield United 10 December 1892 Division Two |
| Best cup win | 7 - 1: vs Irthlingborough 12 January 1907 FA Cup R1 |
| Most capped player | Christopher Birchall : 22, Trinidad and Tobago |
| Most League appearances | Roy Sproson: 761 1950-1972 |
| Most League goals | Wilf Kirkham: 54 1923-1933 |
| Most Goals in a season | Wilf Kirkham: 38 1926/27 Division Two |
| Transfer fee received | £2,000,000: Gareth Ainsworth to Wimbledon 29 October 1998 |
| Transfer fee paid | £500,000: Gareth Ainsworth from Lincoln City 11 September 1997 |
[edit] Current Port Vale squad
as of 25/01/2007.
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[edit] Notable players
- Gareth Ainsworth
- Neil Aspin
- Darren Beckford
- Billy Bingham
- Christopher Birchall
- Mark Bright
- Mark Chamberlain
- Tommy Cheadle
- Robbie Earle
- Martin Foyle
- Anthony Gardner
- Dean Glover
- Steve Guppy
- Wilf Kirkham
- John McCarthy
- Sammy Morgan
- Jackie Mudie
- Neville Southall
- Roy Sproson
- Ian Taylor
[edit] List of Managers
- 1876 - 1896 - To be updated. "Enoch Hood
- 1896 - 1905 - Sam Gleaves
- 1905 - 1911 - Tom Clare
- 1911 - 1912 - A.S. Walker
- 1912 - 1914 - H. Myatt
- 1919 - 1924 - Tom Holdford
- 1924 - 1930 - Joe Schofield
- 1930 - 1932 - Tom Morgan
- 1932 - 1935 - Tom Holford
- 1936 - 1937 - Warney Cresswell
- 1937 - 1938 - Tom Morgan
- 1945 - 1946 - Billy Frith
- 1946 - 1951 - Gordon Hodgson
- 1951 - 1957 - Freddie Steele
- 1957 - 1962 - Norman Low
- 1962 - 1965 - Freddie Steele
- 1965 - 1967 - Stanley Matthews and Jackie Mudie
- 1967 - 1968 - Stanley Matthews
- 1968 - 1974 - Gordon Lee
- 1974 - 1977 - Roy Sproson
- 1977 - 1978 - Bobby Smith
- 1978 - 1979 - Dennis Butler
- 1979 - 1979 - Alan Bloor
- 1979 - 1983 - John McGrath
- 1983 - 1999 - John Rudge
- 1999 - 2004 - Brian Horton
- 2004 - present - Martin Foyle
[edit] Notable fans
- Robbie Williams, singer
- Jonathan Wilkes, TV presenter
- Phil "The Power" Taylor, darts player
- Simon Webbe, singer
- Mark Bright, footballer
- Sean Hawkins, legend
[edit] External links
- The Official Club Site
- Fansite: One Vale Fan
- Fansite: Port Vale Online
- Fansite: PureVale
- Fansite: Port Vale Mad
- BBC Sport article on Williams investment
| Football League One, 2006-2007 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Blackpool | Bournemouth | Bradford City | Brentford | Brighton & Hove Albion | Bristol City | Carlisle United | Cheltenham Town | Chesterfield | Crewe Alexandra | Doncaster Rovers | Gillingham | Huddersfield Town | Leyton Orient | Millwall | Northampton Town | Nottingham Forest | Oldham Athletic | Port Vale | Rotherham United | Scunthorpe United | Swansea City | Tranmere Rovers | Yeovil Town edit |
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