The 1976–77 season was Port Vale's 65th season of football in the Football League, and their seventh successive season (13th overall) in the Third Division. Under the stewardship of Roy Sproson, the club endured a tense league campaign, finishing 19th with 38 points, just three points clear of relegation.

Vale found greater success in cup competitions, reaching the Fifth Round of the FA Cup for the first time since the 1961–62 season before being eliminated by Aston Villa at Villa Park in front of nearly 50,000 spectators. In the League Cup, they exited in the First Round, knocked out by Wrexham. The season also saw them reach the final of the Debenhams Cup, where they finished as runners-up after a narrow defeat to Chester. Ken Beamish was a shining light up front, finishing as both league top scorer with 12 goals and season top scorer with 18 across all competitions. The club's average home attendance was 4,356, with the highest gate recorded at 18,068 against Burnley on 29 January 1977, and the lowest at 2,984 versus Portsmouth on 2 April 1977. The Player of the Year, as recognised by the club, was David Harris.

Despite a challenging season in the Third Division, Port Vale achieved notable success in cup competitions, advancing to the FA Cup Fifth Round and finishing as runners-up in the Debenhams Cup, supported by Ken Beamish’s goal-scoring contributions and the leadership of Roy Sproson.

Overview

Third Division The pre-season saw manager Roy Sproson add two youngsters to his squad: 22-year-old forward Kevin Kennerley (Burnley) and 23-year-old defender Ian Osborne (Birmingham City). The battle with Stoke-on-Trent City Council continued over the legality of Vale's market trading operation. The club were also in trouble with The Football Association, who fined them £400 for the 47 bookings received in the previous campaign. Vale decided to crack down on player indiscipline by fining players £25 for dissent and £50 for violence. As 'a piece of good business' which 'could not be turned down', the club also sold star defender Terry Lees to Dutch side Sparta Rotterdam for £25,000. Another late signing was Geoff Davies, who had returned from a spell in the United States.

The season opened with a loss, a draw, and then a 2–0 win over Sheffield Wednesday on 28 August. Then only one point was gained in the next six matches. To bolster the side in came Stoke City's veteran defender Eric Skeels, who was also returning from a spell in the USA. Mick Cullerton then severed a cartilage in a 1–1 draw at reading on 18 September, which meant five months out of action for the star striker. To replace him, Sproson signed Blackburn Rovers forward Ken Beamish (£12,000) and Wigan Athletic's top-scorer John Rogers ('a small fee'). The club also informed other clubs that they would listen to any player offers, but there was little interest. Rogers got off to a good start, scoring the winning goal in a 2–1 victory over Northampton Town on 8 October. Later in the month, former England and Wolves defender Bobby Thomson was another player returning from the States. Signing with the Vale, he impressed so much that he was made club captain in his first week at Vale Park after impressing in a 3–2 defeat to Wrexham. Vale ended the month in seventh place.

On 6 November, Vale lost 1–0 at bottom club York City after a flu epidemic hit the squad. On 13 November, Vale faced former player Brian Horton for the first time in front of the television cameras against Brighton & Hove Albion, playing out an entertaining 2–2 draw. A club record run of 42 away games without a clean sheet began on 18 December and would last until 30 September 1978. The first of this run was a 1–1 draw with Rotherham United at Millmoor; after this match "Millers" boss Jimmy McGuigan stated that Vale showed 'the worst exhibition of football thuggery I have ever seen'. Even though the defence struggled away from home, Beamish did not, as he scored his first ten goals for the club away from Burslem. In a 4–2 win over Grimsby Town at Blundell Park on 3 January, Beamish scored a hat-trick. Later in the month Geoff Davies had his contract cancelled by mutual consent. The team were unbeaten throughout January, though only two of their five fixtures came in the league. Vale's form tailed off, though Terry Alcock returned briefly to play a handful of games. Thomson also returned to the US, Ray Williams was transferred to Northwich Victoria for 'a small fee', and Colin Tartt was sold to Chesterfield for £15,000. In their places were new signings Alan Lamb (£5,000 from Preston North End) and Peter Sutcliffe (£3,000 from Stockport County), whilst a fit again Cullerton was like a new signing.

Vale lost 1–0 at Crystal Palace on 1 February, leading Roy Chapman to remark "it's no good being today's heroes and tomorrow's fools". Six days later, they fell to a 2–0 defeat at second-from-bottom York City. The club had drifted into the bottom four, but a six-match unbeaten run with a prolific Cullerton took them to safety. In the background was an ongoing power struggle in the boardroom. In late-March they then received a 6–2 beating at Wrexham and then a 4–0 beating from Chesterfield at Saltergate. The club suffered an injury crisis in April, with both Keith Chadwick and John Brodie having been forced to retire through injury. Relegation was avoided however, with six points from the final five games, beginning with a 4–1 victory over fourth-placed Crystal Palace. The final game of the season was against Rotherham United, who needed a six-goal win margin to gain promotion. The match saw three penalties, three bookings and crowd trouble, though United were four goals ahead they failed to find the remaining two, and instead the "Valiants" scored a late goal.

They finished in 19th place with 38 points, three points above the drop. Their 47 goals scored tally only lower than Grimsby's. They only recorded two victories on their travels. At the end of the season was the short-lived Debenhams Cup competition, Vale lost 4–3 to Chester over two legs, but still received a runners-up prize of £5,000.

Finances On the financial side, a loss of £5,959 was made despite a donation of £23,860 from the Development Fund. Gate receipts had risen to £60,115; however, wages and signing-on fees had risen to £139,012. The bank overdraft stood at £15,000, though the club's total debt stood at £123,863. On the coaching front, Roy Chapman was replaced by Colin Harper. Arthur McPherson replaced Mark Singer as chairman on 17 March. McPherson stated that "the guts were ripped out of the team when Brian Horton and Terry Lees were sold and they have not been replaced". Meanwhile, three players were handed free transfers: ten-year club veteran Tommy McLaren (Telford United), Eric Skeels (Leek Town), and Ian Osborne (Hillingdon Borough). Also John Rogers was sold to Altrincham for £2,000.

Cup competitions In the FA Cup, Vale advanced past Fourth Division side Southport with a John Rogers brace at Haig Avenue. A 3–0 win over Barnsley, also of the Fourth Division, then put Vale into the third round. The Barnsley fixture survived two pitch inspections and a half-time warning from referee Roger Kirkpatrick that if the frostbitten pitch worsened any further than he would call the game off. Vale were one goal ahead at this stage thanks to Ray Williams, and second half goals from Neil Griffiths and Ken Beamish secured the victory. In the third round, they faced Second Division club Hull City, with whom they played out a 1–1 draw at Boothferry Park after Beamish equalised in stoppage time. Trevor Dance played well on his home debut in the return fixture, though Beamish was required the level the score again at 1–1, this time in the 85th minute. In extra-time, goals from Kevin Kennerley and Beamish again secured victory over a hull side led by Billy Bremner. Another Second Division club, Burnley, awaited in the fourth round and 18,068 – the biggest crowd at Vale Park in four years – witnessed Vale secure a 2–1 victory as 38th-minute Colin Tartt and 56th-minute Derek Brownbill goals gave Vale what proved to be an unassailable lead as Brian Flynn's 88th-minute goal proved a mere consolation. The fifth round held First Division club Aston Villa. Villa won 3–0 in front of a crowd of 46,872 at Villa Park. The score was 'flattering' to the "Villans" as they scored two late goals. The match was shown on television.

The club's FA Cup run earned them a place in the Debenhams Cup final against Chester. A 2–0 home win in the first leg gave them a strong advantage heading to Sealand Road, but there they lost 4–1 and so had to be consoled with runners-up medals and £5,000 prize money.

In the League Cup, Welsh club Wrexham knocked the Vale out 2–1 on aggregate, following a 1–1 draw in Burslem and a 1–0 win at the Racecourse Ground.

Results Football League Third Division

League table

Results by matchday

Matches

FA Cup

League Cup

Debenhams Cup

Squad statistics Appearances and goals Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; DF – Defender; MF – Midfielder; FW – Forward

|colspan="14"|Players who featured but departed the club during the season:

Top scorers PlacePositionNationNameThird DivisionFA CupLeague CupDebenhams CupTotal1FWKen Beamish12402182FWMick Cullerton9010103FWJohn Rogers620084MFKenny Beech40004–MFColin Tartt310046FWRay Williams21003–FWDerek Brownbill210038MFTerry Bailey20002–DFNeil Griffiths01012–MFKevin Kennerley1100211DFGarry Dulson10001–DFEric Skeels10001–MFJohn Ridley10001–MFPeter Sutcliffe10001–––Own goals20002TOTALS47111362

Transfers

Transfers in Date from Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref. 1976 MF Geoff Davies Chicago Sting Free transfer 1976 DF Ian Osborne Birmingham City Free transfer 25 May 1976 MF Kevin Kennerley Burnley Free transfer July 1976 FW Dean Martin Stoke City Trial August 1976 MF Chris Dangerfield Wolverhampton Wanderers Trial September 1976 FW Ken Beamish Blackburn Rovers £12,000 September 1976 DF Eric Skeels Stoke City Free transfer October 1976 FW John Rogers Portland Timbers Free transfer October 1976 DF Bobby Thomson Hartford Bicentennials Free transfer February 1977 DF Terry Alcock Blackpool Free transfer March 1977 MF Alan Lamb Preston North End £5,000 March 1977 MF Peter Sutcliffe Stockport County £3,000

Transfers out Date from Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref. August 1976 MF Chris Dangerfield Coventry City Trial ended September 1976 FW Dean Martin Stoke City Trial ended January 1977 MF Geoff Davies San Jose Earthquakes Free transfer March 1977 MF Keith Chadwick Retired March 1977 MF Colin Tartt Chesterfield £15,000 March 1977 DF Bobby Thomson Hartford Bicentennials Free transfer March 1977 FW Ray Williams Northwich Victoria 'small' May 1977 MF Tommy McLaren Telford United Free transfer May 1977 DF Ian Osborne Hillingdon Borough Free transfer May 1977 DF Trevor Robson Released July 1977 FW John Rogers Altrincham £2,000 Summer 1977 DF Eric Skeels Leek Town Free transfer

Loans in Date from Position Nationality Name From Date to Ref. February 1977 DF Andy Clements Bolton Wanderers April 1977

Loans out Date from Position Nationality Name To Date to Ref. 1976 MF Geoff Davies Hartlepool United 1976 1977 DF Terry Alcock Portland Timbers 1977

References Specific

General