Port Vale F.C. Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley of ...

is an English professional

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

club based in

Burslem Burslem ( ) is one of the six towns that along with Hanley, Tunstall, Fenton, Longton and Stoke-upon-Trent form part of the city of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. It is often referred to as the "mother town" of Stoke on Trent. T ...

Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England, with an area of . In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 256,375. It is the largest settlement ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

, who play in , as of the season. The club was formed in the 1870s, in 1884 they took the name Burslem Port Vale F.C., dropping the 'Burslem' in 1907. They played their home matches at

The Old Recreation Ground The Old Recreation Ground was a football stadium located in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, England, and home to Port Vale F.C. from 1913 to 1950. It was the sixth ground the club used. Structure and facilities The stadium was in rather bad conditio ...

between 1912 and 1950 and at

Vale Park Vale Park is a football stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, England. It has been the home ground of Port Vale F.C. since 1950. The ground has seen its capacity go up and down, its peak being 42,000 in 1954 against Blackpool, although a club record 49, ...

from 1950 to the present day. The club joined the

English Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engl ...

in 1892 as founder members of the Football League Second Division, resigning in 1907, only to return in 1919. Vale's highest league finish was fifth in the

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

in 1930–31, whilst they were FA Cup semi-finalists in 1953–54. They competed in Europe in the

Anglo-Italian Cup The Anglo-Italian Cup ( it, Coppa Anglo-Italiana, also known as the Anglo-Italian Inter-League Clubs Competition and from 1976 to 1986 as the Alitalia Challenge Cup, Talbot Challenge Cup or Gigi Peronace Memorial) is a defunct European football c ...

on one occasion and would go on to reach

the final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

, losing 5–2 to Italian club

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

on 17 March 1996. Port Vale have won four promotions out of the third tier, going up as champions in 1929–30 and 1953–54, and have won five promotions out of the fourth tier, being crowned champions in 1958–59. They have lifted the

Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Leag ...

twice, in

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

and

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

. Two club records are also Football League records: most clean sheets in a season (30 in 46 Third Division North matches in the 1953–54 season) and biggest league defeat (0–10 against Sheffield United on 10 December 1892).

Roy Sproson Roy Sproson (23 September 1930 – 24 January 1997) was an English footballer and football manager for Port Vale. A one-club man, he holds the all-time appearance record for Vale, making 837 starts (and 5 substitute appearances) for Vale ...

made 842 appearances (760 in the league) for Vale between 1950 and 1972, later becoming manager from January 1974 to October 1977.

Wilf Kirkham Wilfred Thomas Kirkham (26 November 1901 – 20 October 1974) was an English footballer who holds four goalscoring records at Port Vale. His 153 league goals and 164 goals in all competitions are both records, as his tally of 38 goals in the ...

is the club's record goalscorer with 164 goals in all competitions over two spells between 1923 and 1933, and set the record for most Football League goals in a single season with 38 in the 1926–27 campaign.

Gareth Ainsworth Gareth Ainsworth (born 10 May 1973) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the manager of club Queens Park Rangers. A former youth player at Blackburn Rovers, the midfielder, who was known for his crossing ability ...

is the player Vale have both received and spent the highest sum on in the transfer market: £500,000 was given to Lincoln City in September 1997 and £2 million received from

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...

as he departed in October 1998. All top five transfers either in or out were made in the 1990s, before the

Bosman ruling ''Union Royale Belge des Sociétés de Football Association ASBL v Jean-Marc Bosman'' (1995) C-415/93 (known as the Bosman ruling) is a 1995 European Court of Justice decision concerning freedom of movement for workers, freedom of association ...

and the departure of highly successful manager

John Rudge John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

Chris Birchall Christopher Birchall CM (born 5 May 1984) is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He scored 21 goals in 322 league and cup appearances in a 16-year professional career, and scored four goals in 44 international matches ...

is the club record international cap holder with three goals in 27 appearances playing for

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

between 2001 and 2006, including three appearances in the

2006 World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host the ...

Honours and achievements

Football League

Football League Third Division The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the division become the fourth tier level. In 2004, following the f ...

Third Division North The Third Division North of the Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to ...

League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...

(3rd tier) *Champions: 1929–30, 1953–54 *2nd place promotion: 1993–94 *Play-off winners: 1988–89

Football League Fourth Division The Football League Fourth Division was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season. Whilst the division disappeared in name ...

/ Third Division /

League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...

(4th tier) *Champions: 1958–59 *3rd place promotion: 1982–83, 2012–13 *4th place promotion: 1969–70, 1985–86 *Play-off winners: 2021–22

*Winners:

Others

North Staffordshire & District League *Champions: 1909–10

The Central League The Central League is a football league for reserve teams, primarily from the English Football League. For sponsorship purposes, it was branded as the Final Third Development League until the 2015/16 season. The league was formed in 1911 and ...

*Runners–up: 1911–12

*Runners–up:

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

Debenhams Cup The Debenhams Cup was one of several short-lived football competitions introduced in the 1970s and 1980s, along with the Watney Cup, Texaco Cup, Anglo-Scottish Cup, the Super Cup and Full Members' Cup. It lasted for just two seasons ( 1976–77 an ...

*Runners–up:

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

Staffordshire Senior Cup The Staffordshire Senior Challenge Cup is a football cup tournament based in the county of Staffordshire in England first competed for in 1877–78. Organised by the Staffordshire Football Association, it is competed for by a mix of clubs from S ...

*Winners: 1898, 1912, 1920, 1947, 1949, 1953, 2001 *Runners–up: 1900, 1928, 1930, 1948, 1973, 2010, 2014

Birmingham Senior Cup The Birmingham Senior Cup is a football competition for Birmingham County FA club teams, organised by the Birmingham County Football Association. It began in 1876 and is the oldest county cup competition still active. The Birmingham Senior Cup is ...

*Winners: 1913 *Runners–up: 1899, 1900, 1914 Staffordshire Junior Cup *Winners: 1910 North Staffordshire Charity Challenge Cup *Winners: 1883, 1885, 1891 *Runners–up: 1886 Staffordshire Senior Charity Cup *Winners: 1892, 1897 North Staffordshire Infirmary Cup *Winners: 1915, 1920, 1922 *Runners–up: 1921, 1923, 1924, 1927, 1930, 1932 Burslem Challenge Cup *Winners: 1885 Hanley Cup *Runners–up: 1910 Coronation Cup *Runners–up: 1953 Supporters' Clubs' Trophy *Winners: 1961 *Runners–up: 1960 ;Notes

Player records

*Youngest first team player: Jack Shorrock, 15 years 145 days (against

Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...

, 20 September 2022). *Oldest first team player:

Tom Holford Thomas Holford (22 February 1878 – 6 April 1964) was an English footballer who played for Stoke, Manchester City, Port Vale and the England national team. His primary position was wing-half, but over the course of his career he played in ma ...

, 46 years 68 days, (against

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 1884 ...

, 5 April 1924). *Youngest first team goalscorer:

Clint Boulton Clinton William Boulton (6 January 1948 – 1 January 2021) was an English professional footballer. A defender, he made 506 league appearances in a 14-year career in the Football League. He began his professional career with Port Vale in Augu ...

, 17 years 110 days (against

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...

, 26 April 1965). *Tallest first team player: Tomáš Holý, . *Most goals in a season:

Joe Brough Joseph Brough (9 November 1886 – 5 October 1968) was an English footballer. He was also an accomplished cycler and sprinter. Able to play at half-back or as a forward, he began his professional career with Burslem Port Vale in February 1 ...

, 43 goals in the 1909–10 season. *Most Football League goals in a season:

, 38 goals in

in the 1926–27 season. *Most club top-scoring seasons:

, 6 (1924–25, 1925–26, 1926–27, 1927–28, 1928–29, 1932–33) *Most goals in a Football League match: 6, Stewart Littlewood (against

Chesterfield Chesterfield may refer to: Places Canada * Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan * Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom * Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England ** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...

, 24 September 1932). *Most goals in any match: 7, Chris Young (against Burton Rangers, Birmingham Senior Cup First Round, 21 September 1914). *Longest consecutive scoring run: 8, John Rowland (1 September to 4 October 1965) & Basil Hayward (28 November 1953 to 26 January 1954). *Most competitive hat-tricks:

, 13. *Quickest competitive goal: 5 seconds,

Ian Bogie Ian Bogie (born 6 December 1967) is a former footballer, and former manager of Gateshead and Stockport County. He spent two decades as a professional player, from 1985 up until 2001 he was playing in the English Football League, where he made 3 ...

(against

Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...

), 12 March 1996. *Quickest competitive hat-trick: 3 minutes, Fred Mitcheson (against

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...

), 21 April 1934. *Most successful penalty-taker: Andy Jones, 20 from 23. *Most penalties in a season: Andy Jones, 12 from 15 in the 1986–87 season. *Most red cards:

Jason Talbot Jason Christopher Talbot (born 30 September 1985) is an English former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football)#Full-back, left back. He started his senior career with Bolton Wanderers F.C., ...

, 5. *Most clean sheets in a season: 29, Ray King, 1953–54. *Most international caps while a Port Vale player:

, 27 for

*Most international goals while a Port Vale player:

, 3 for

*First Port Vale player to appear in the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

finals:

, for

against

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

on 10 June 2006 *Most appearances by a Port Vale player in the World Cup finals:

, three appearances for

at the

. *Most consecutive appearances: John Nicholson, 208 (2 September 1961 – 8 September 1965). *Most goals at

Tom Pope Thomas John Pope (born 27 August 1985) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre forward for side Congleton Town. A Crewe Alexandra Academy graduate, he turned professional with the club in 2005 after impressing at non-leag ...

, 64. *Most

Port Vale F.C. Player of the Year The Port Vale Player of the Year award is voted for annually by Port Vale's supporters in recognition of the best overall performance by an individual player throughout the football season. Towards the end of each season, fans are invited t ...

awards:

, 3 (2013, 2014 & 2018). *Longest time between appearances:

Will Atkinson William Henry Atkinson (born 14 October 1988) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder. Having begun his professional career with Hull City in 2006, Atkinson spent time on loan with Port Vale, Mansfield Town, Rochdale (t ...

, 11 years and 11 months (6 November 2007 – 5 October 2019).

Appearances

Most appearances

Goalscorers

Transfer fees

;Paid: ;Record progression: ;Received: ;Record progression:

PFA Team of the Year

The following players have been included in the

PFA Team of the Year The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's English football; the Premie ...

whilst playing at the club: * 1981–82:

Mark Chamberlain Mark Valentine Chamberlain (born 19 November 1961) is an English former international footballer. He is the younger brother of Neville Chamberlain, and the father of Liverpool and England international player Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Alde ...

(Fourth Division) * 1982–83:

Phil Sproson Phillip Jess Sproson (born 13 October 1959) is an English former association football, footballer who played as a defender (association football), central defender. He played in 500 matches (426 in the league) for Port Vale F.C., Port Vale and ...

Russell Bromage Russell Bromage (born 9 November 1959) is an English former footballer who played as a wing-back. In a fourteen-year career in the Football League he made 400 league appearances, scoring 14 goals. Bromage spent ten years with Port Vale from ...

, Steve Fox (Fourth Division) * 1984–85:

(Fourth Division) * 1985–86:

(Fourth Division) * 1987–88: Ray Walker (Third Division) * 1988–89: Ray Walker (Third Division) * 1992–93: Peter Swan, Ray Walker, Ian Taylor (Second Division) * 1993–94:

Neil Aspin Neil Aspin (born 12 April 1965) is an English football manager and former player. A solid defender who could play at centre-back and right-back, he was a good marker and an adept tackler. He made his debut in the English Football League for L ...

Dean Glover Dean Victor Glover (born 29 December 1963) is an English former football player and manager. A cultured and stylish defender, he had the ball control skills of a midfielder. He played 457 league games in a seventeen-year career in the English ...

, Ian Taylor (Second Division) * 2012–13:

Jennison Myrie-Williams Jennison Machisti Myrie-Williams (born 17 May 1988) is an English Association football, footballer who plays as a Right winger, winger. Myrie-Williams began his career at Bristol City F.C., Bristol City, progressing through the club's youth sys ...

(League Two)

International caps

The following players have won full senior international whilst playing at the club:

Club records

*Most Football League goals scored in a season: 110 in 46 matches, Fourth Division, 1958–59. *Fewest Football League goals scored in a season: 30 in 22 matches,

, 1892–93. *Fewest Football League goals conceded in a season: 21 in 46 matches,

, 1953–54. *Most Football League goals conceded in a season: 106 in 42 matches,

, 1935–36. *Fewest Football League goals conceded at home in a season: 5 in 23 matches,

, 1953–54. *Most points in a Football League season: 89 in 46 matches,

1992–93. *Fewest points in a Football League season: 15 in 22 matches,

, 1892–93. *Most wins in a Football League season: 30 in 42 matches,

, 1929–30. *Fewest wins in a Football League season: 6 in 22 matches,

, 1892–93. *Fewest defeats in a Football League season: 3 in 46 matches,

, 1953–54. *Most defeats in a Football League season: 28 in 42 matches,

, 1956–57. *Most draws in a Football League season: 20 in 46 matches, 1977–78 *Fewest draws in a Football League season: 3 in 22 matches, 1892–93 *Most red cards in a season: 7 in 46 games, 1974–75 & 2001–02 *Most clean sheets in a season: 30 in 46 matches,

, 1953–54 *Most players used in a season: 43 in 1998–99

Streaks

*League wins: 8, 8 April 1893 to 30 September 1893 *Draws: 6, 26 April 1981 to 12 September 1981 *Losses: 9, 9 March 1957 to 20 April 1957 *Clean sheets: 7, 11 February 1922 to 18 March 1922 *Without a win: 17, 7 December 1991 to 21 March 1992 *Without a draw: 20, 10 September 1906 to 19 January 1907 & 30 October 2004 to 5 March 2005 *Without a loss: 19, 5 May 1969 to 8 November 1969 *Without a clean sheet: 22, 22 September 1956 to 23 February 1957 *Without failing to score: 22, 12 September 1992 to 13 February 1993 *Without scoring a goal: 6, 19 August 2017 to 12 September 2017 ;Home *Wins: 12, 9 February 1952 to 8 September 1952 *Draws: 6, 10 October 1977 to 27 December 1977 & 20 January 1982 to 6 March 1982 *Losses: 6, 1 January 1992 to 14 March 1992 & 26 December 2018 to 19 February 2019 *Clean sheets: 11, 7 September 1953 to 13 February 1954 *Failing to score: 5, 13 April 1998 to 31 August 1998 *Without a win: 12, 28 March 1978 to 21 October 1978 *Without a draw: 19, 25 August 1928 to 6 April 1929 *Without a loss: 42, 8 November 1952 to 18 September 1954 *Without a clean sheet: 13, 26 September 1964 to 15 March 1965 *Without failing to score: 33, 19 October 1946 to 13 March 1948 ;Away *Wins: 5, 20 March 1993 to 24 April 1993 *Draws: 6, 20 March 1954 to 26 April 1954 & 19 January 1985 to 29 March 1985 *Losses: 14, 21 September 1895 to 18 April 1896 *Clean sheets: 5, 20 March 1993 to 24 April 1993 *Failing to score: 6, 8 January 1966 to 9 March 1966 *Without a win: 29, 17 January 1903 to 8 October 1904 *Without a draw: 27, 26 January 1895 to 3 December 1898 *Without a loss: 10, 5 May 1969 to 8 November 1969 *Without a clean sheet: 42, 18 December 1976 to 30 September 1978 *Without failing to score: 15, 10 January 1998 to 26 September 1998

Matches

*Record win: 16–0 against Middlewich in a friendly, 2 February 1884. *Record away win: 9–0 at Smallthorne in North Staffs & District League, 26 February 1910. *Record Football League win: 9–1 against

, 24 September 1932. *Record defeat: 0–12 at

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...

, 26 January 1891. *Record Football League defeat: 0–10 against

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...

, 10 December 1892. *Record aggregate score: 12 (3–9) at

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...

, 21 November 1931. *Record aggregate cup score: 9 (2–7) at

, 10 January 1925. *Highest home attendance: 49,768 against

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

fifth round, 20 February 1960. *Highest Football League attendance: 40,066 against

, 25 April 1955. *Highest home gate receipts: £170,349: against Everton,

fourth round, 14 February 1996. *Highest average home attendance: 20,708 in 1954–55 *Lowest (competitive first team) attendance at

: 554 against Middlesbrough U21,

EFL Trophy The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Le ...

Group Stage, 16 October 2018. *Lowest Football League attendance at

: 1,924 against

York City York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team compete in the National League, at the fifth tier of the English football league sys ...

, 1 May 1982. ;Notes

European statistics

Record by season

Record by opposition nationality

References

General * Kent, Jeff: "The Valiants' Years: The Story of Port Vale" (Witan Books, 1990, ). * Kent, Jeff: "The Port Vale Record 1879–1993" (Witan Books, 1993, ). * Kent, Jeff: "Port Vale Personalities: A Biographical Dictionary of Players, Officials and Supporters" (Witan Books, 1996, ). Specific {{Lists of football records and statistics in England by club

Records A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, ...