1963–64 Port Vale F.C. season


The 1963–64 season was Port Vale's 52nd season of football in the English Football League, and their fifth season in the Third Division. Freddie Steele spent big on transfers, bringing in players such as Billy Bingham, Albert Cheesebrough, and Jackie Mudie. However it was a disappointing season in the league and a disaster financially. The highlights of the season came in the FA Cup, where Vale beat top-flight Birmingham City at St Andrew's, and drew 0–0 with Liverpool at Anfield.

Overview

Third Division

The pre-season saw manager Freddie Steele spend unprecedented sums of money – though Vale's spending was insignificant to the standard of many of their rivals. Steele brought in Northern Ireland international Billy Bingham from Everton for £15,000; Albert Cheesebrough from Leicester City for another £15,000; as well as Walsall's Tim Rawlings for £4,000. Chairman Tom Talbot approved of these signings despite the club's financial problems. The club also took a tour of Northern Ireland, though a friendly with Benfica was cancelled due to fixture congestion.
The season opened with a 1–0 defeat to Shrewsbury Town at Gay Meadow. This was followed with two victories, including a 4–1 win over Bristol City in which Tony Richards bagged a hat-trick. After another three poor away games came a 3–0 win over Brentford in which Cheesebrough scored a hat-trick, and a 4–0 win over nearby Crewe Alexandra in front of 17,118 fans. Richards sustained a bad leg injury in this win over Crewe. In the beginning of October, Steele bought winger Ron Smith from Crewe for £6,500. Vale improved as a consequence, and three successive victories followed, leaving Vale in fifth spot. However with Richards' return came a downturn in form, as Vale's impressive strikers failed to find the net in a run of one win in nine league games. This one win was a 1–0 victory over struggling Barnsley at Vale Park, though a subsequent pitch invasion by youths emphasised a growing hooligan culture that would plague the club and the sport itself for decades.
In November, Vale paid Stoke City £12,000 for both ex-Scotland striker Jackie Mudie and left-back Ron Wilson. The defeats kept coming, and so Steele experimented with a 4–2–4 formation, dropping Richards from the first eleven. Vale then went six league games unbeaten, including a 4–4 draw with Bristol Rovers at the Eastville Stadium. However a 1–0 home loss inflicted by Notts County sent Vale on a run of seven defeats and two draws in nine league games. By March the club was in a relegation battle, though results then began to go Vale's way. Only one defeat in their final eleven games ensured safety, as the season ended with a 5–0 drubbing of relegated Wrexham.
They finished in thirteenth place with 46 points, a poor finish for the money spent on transfers. Only 53 goals were scored, as Richards and Cheeseborough were affected with injuries, and Bingham struggled to find his footing in the third tier. Their 49 goals conceded was an excellent record though.

Finances

On the financial side, good attendance figures failed to prevent a massive loss of £42,650, which had come from a £45,567 deficit in transfer fees. A donation of the £19,867 from the Sportsmen's Association and the social club could not disguise the disaster of poor finances. The wage bill had also risen by 20% to over £40,000. Leaving the club were Colin Grainger to Doncaster Rovers and Terry Harkin to Crewe Alexandra for a £3,000 fee.

Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, Vale conquered Fourth Division Bradford City with a 2–1 win at Valley Parade. They then defeated Workington 2–1 in a 'slipshod affair'. The Third Round held First Division Birmingham City at St Andrew's. Three thousand of the 21,652 spectators were Vale fans, who 'sung and chanted their way through' a 2–1 victory. In the Fourth Round Vale were drawn against top-flight giants Liverpool at Anfield. The "Reds" had inflicted a 6–1 thrashing of Stoke on Boxing day, in an ominous sign of the challenge the "Valiants" faced. Vale achieved a goalless draw in front of 52,327 fans – 8,000 of them Vale supporters – in a fantastic team performance. The replay at Vale Park ended in a 2–1 loss in front of 42,179 paying fans. Crowd trouble ate into the £8,000 worth of gate receipts, and more significantly caused the death of a Leek man, and saw serious injuries inflicted to Liverpool fans Harry Taylor and James McDonough, as well as Vale supporter Billy Poulson.
In the League Cup, a First Round exit came with a 2–1 defeat at Southend United's Roots Hall.

League table

Results

Port Vale's score comes first

Football League Third Division

Results by matchday

Matches

DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
24 August 1963Shrewsbury TownA0–19,710
26 August 1963Mansfield TownH1–014,451Richards
31 August 1963Bristol CityH4–110,363Richards, Rowland
7 September 1963Oldham AthleticA0–114,730
9 September 1963Mansfield TownA1–112,064B.Hancock
14 September 1963Notts CountyA0–27,309
16 September 1963BrentfordH3–011,539Cheesebrough
21 September 1963Crewe AlexandraH4–017,118Cheesebrough, Bingham, Steele, Richards
28 September 1963Crystal PalaceA0–215,044
1 October 1963BrentfordA2–111,914Poole, Cheesebrough
5 October 1963WalsallH2–212,760Bingham, o.g.
9 October 1963Luton TownA0–15,914
12 October 1963Southend UnitedH4–110,306Rowland, Smith, Harkin, Miles
14 October 1963Luton TownH1–011,449Rawlings
19 October 1963WrexhamA2–16,781Bingham
23 October 1963ReadingA0–18,731
26 October 1963Bournemouth & Boscombe AthleticH0–012,402
28 October 1963ReadingH0–09,492
2 November 1963Hull CityA1–48,460Richards
9 November 1963BarnsleyH1–09,083Steele
23 November 1963Colchester UnitedH0–211,108
30 November 1963WatfordA1–19,890Poole
14 December 1963Shrewsbury TownH1–16,906Mudie
21 December 1963Bristol CityA0–06,021
26 December 1963Bristol RoversH1–011,442Mudie
28 December 1963Bristol RoversA4–412,954Richards, Mudie
11 January 1964Oldham AthleticH1–012,322Richards
18 January 1964Notts CountyH0–17,337
31 January 1964Crewe AlexandraA0–19,425
8 February 1964Crystal PalaceH1–28,204Richards
15 February 1964WalsallA1–27,056Mudie
22 February 1964Southend UnitedA1–17,612Smith
29 February 1964Peterborough UnitedH1–26,613Poole
7 March 1964Bournemouth & Boscombe AthleticA0–37,584
16 March 1964MillwallA1–38,312Mudie
23 March 1964Peterborough UnitedA1–110,408Steele
28 March 1964MillwallH1–05,385Bingham
30 March 1964Coventry CityH1–117,567Steele
31 March 1964Coventry CityA1–129,641Smith
4 April 1964Colchester UnitedA2–13,263Miles, Rowland
6 April 1964Queens Park RangersH2–07,167Steele, Smith
11 April 1964WatfordH0–07,698
13 April 1964Hull CityH1–06,090Rowland
18 April 1964Queens Park RangersA0–34,955
20 April 1964BarnsleyA0–04,918
25 April 1964WrexhamH5–04,497Richards, Bingham, Smith, Cheesebrough

FA Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R116 November 1963Bradford CityA2–18,189Whalley, Richards
R27 December 1963WorkingtonH2–110,286Steele, Bingham
R34 January 1964Birmingham CityA2–121,652Sproson, Mudie
R425 January 1964LiverpoolA0–052,327
R4 Replay27 January 1964LiverpoolH1–242,179Cheesebrough

League Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R225 September 1963Southend UnitedA1–26,126Harkin

Player statistics

Appearances

Top scorers

Transfers

Transfers in

Transfers out