The 1979–80 season was Port Vale's 68th season of football in the Football League, and their second-successive season (eighth overall) in the Fourth Division. The season saw immense managerial turbulence, with Dennis Butler starting the season, Alan Bloor succeeding him on 30 August (serving until 1 December), followed by a brief stint from caretaker Bill Bentley, and ultimately John McGrath taking charge in December. On the pitch, Vale endured one of their worst campaigns in their history, finishing 20th with just 36 points, the club's lowest-ever league finish to that point.

They suffered early exits in both cup competitions, being eliminated in the First Round of the FA Cup, and in the League Cup, losing to Tranmere Rovers. Neville Chamberlain emerged as both the league and season top scorer for the club, netting 11 goals, while Kenny Beech earned the Player of the Year award after scoring four goals in 49 appearances. Attendance remained subdued, with an average of 3,462. The highest attendance was 6,756 in the match against Walsall on 8 March 1980, while the lowest was 2,338 against Doncaster Rovers on 3 May 1980. The season also featured a notable 7–1 away defeat to Huddersfield Town on 22 September 1979 — one of the club's heaviest losses of the era.

Off the field, the season was marred by financial losses, disciplinary issues, and slack governance. Vale began the season with six consecutive defeats, incurred a £500 FA fine for poor discipline, briefly became the first club in the division to feature shirt sponsorship (with T.I.Creda), and underwent a significant squad clear-out initiated by McGrath — yet still recorded a staggering loss of £82,069. Nearby rivals Crewe Alexandra finished below them, offering the supporters a small consolation in an otherwise grim campaign.

A tumultuous and financially fraught campaign saw Vale endure managerial revolving doors, a historically poor league finish, and off-field instability, offset only marginally by Chamberlain's goal-scoring and Beech's dependable performances.

Overview

Fourth Division The pre-season saw manager Dennis Butler sign three players on free transfers: 29-year-old striker Terry Owen (Rochdale), second striker Alan Woolfall (Bury), and 19-year-old forward Steve Jones (Manchester United). Meanwhile, the club was fined £500 by The Football Association for the team's ongoing poor disciplinary record.

The season began with four consecutive league defeats, which led to the dismissal of Butler as manager. Only 2,744 fans turned up to Vale Park for the opening home game of the campaign, a 1–0 defeat to Hereford United. Alan Bloor took over as caretaker manager, who threatened the players with a place on the bench if they failed to deliver in the first XI, and to prove his point he replaced Bernie Wright with Neville Chamberlain. Chamberlain rewarded him with both goals in a 2–0 victory over Crewe Alexandra at Gresty Road. A 5–0 thrashing of Northampton Town followed eight days later, with both Chamberlain and Wright claiming a brace. However, the following week they were 'massacred' 7–1 at high-flying Huddersfield Town's Leeds Road. Chris Harper of The Sentinel reported that it was "probably the most unprofessional performance I have witnessed by a Vale side in more than ten years". He further added that "the constant changes [in management] are totally opposed to the stability required to achieve success". Despite conceding serven goals, Trevor Dance retained his place in goal, with John Connaughton 'in a huff' with the club. Coach Graham Hawkins left the club as he felt that, as the assistant manager, he should have been put in caretaker charge over Bloor. By the end of September, Bloor was made manager on a permanent basis. Vale celebrated with a 5–1 beating of Rochdale on 29 September, whilst Ken Todd was sold to Portsmouth for £20,000. Ged Stenson had his contract cancelled, and signed with Morecambe.

Losing five of their seven games in October, Vale drifted to third-from-bottom. Gordon Banks was demoted to coaching the reserves. Bloor spent £30,000 on Crewe Alexandra defender Paul Bowles. Undefeated in November in the league, Vale then lost 5–1 to a York City side at Bootham Crescent that was marashlled by Peter Lorimer. Later in the month, Vale became the first Fourth Division club to strike a shirt advertising deal, signing a deal with TI Creda for £5,000. A surprise came though when Bloor resigned his position, stating that "I do not have what it takes". Gordon Banks was also dismissed, and he blamed the players for his downfall, claiming they did not like hard work. Bill Bentley was appointed as caretaker manager, as the club approached numerous managers – including former player Ronnie Allen. The job went to John McGrath, who had been working as a coach at Southampton. He appointed Torquay United coach John Rudge as his second in command.

Finding his new team to be undisciplined, McGrath said that 'the holiday is over', and began fining players for various reasons. He offloaded Connaughton to Altrincham, loaned Paul Bowles to Southampton, and discovered that Wright was no longer willing to play for the club. On 12 January, a 3–2 victory was achieved at well-placed Doncaster Rovers to take the club out of the bottom four temporarily. In February, McGrath signed 19-year-old goalkeeper Mark Harrison and defender Lee Harwood from Southampton, as well as forward Tony Sealy on loan from Crystal Palace. He also placed 15 players on the transfer list, after which the Vale went on a six-game unbeaten run.

Lee Harwood and Phil Sproson made a solid defensive pair, whilst young Mark Chamberlain (brother of Neville) was used in midfield. Phil Sproson struck a solid defensive partnership with Harwood. The final game of the unbeaten run was a 2–2 draw with league leaders Walsall. In March, John Fleming arrived on loan from Lincoln City, and the club went on a run of one win in twelve games, ending with a 2–1 defeat at Vale Park to fellow strugglers York City. In April, Felix Healy left the club to return to his native Northern Ireland. A Sealy goal earned Vale two points in their penultimate game with Stockport County at Edgeley Park, and their final game was a 3–0 win over Doncaster Rovers in front of just 2,338 supporters. These wins took Vale out of the re-election zone on goal difference.

They finished in twentieth place with 36 points, finishing ahead of Hereford United in the re-election zone on goals scored. Hereford United needed to win by three goals in their final game to finish above Vale, but could only manage a 2–0 victory over Rochdale.

Finances On the financial side, a loss of £82,069 was recorded. The financial picture led Chairman Arthur McPherson to describe 1979–80 as 'probably the worst season in the club's history'. Leaving the club at the end of the season were: Bernie Wright (Kidderminster Harriers); Bill Bentley (Stafford Rangers); Terry Owen (Northwich Victoria); Bob Delgado (Miami Americans); and Kevin Tully (Chorley). Several players remained in Burslem on virtue of having extended contracts.

Cup competitions In the FA Cup, Vale were knocked out in the first round after losing 3–1 at home to Doncaster Rovers.

In the League Cup, Vale were defeated by Tranmere Rovers 3–1 on aggregate.

Results Football League Fourth Division

League table

Results by matchday

Matches

FA Cup

League 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 PlacePositionNationNameFourth DivisionFA CupLeague CupTotal1FWNeville Chamberlain1100112FWBernie Wright90093FWTony Sealy60064MFPeter Farrell50055DFNeil Griffiths4004–MFKenny Beech31047DFPhil Sproson3003–FWTerry Owen30039FWAlan Woolfall201310DFGerry Keenan1001–DFLee Harwood1001–MFKen Todd1001–MFKevin Tully1001–MFIan Elsby1001–FWSteve Jones1001–DFRussell Bromage1001–––Own goals3003TOTALS561158

Transfers

Transfers in Date from Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref. May 1979 FW Steve Jones Manchester United Free transfer Summer 1979 FW Terry Owen Rochdale Free transfer August 1979 FW Alan Woolfall Bury Free transfer 25 October 1979 DF Paul Bowles Crewe Alexandra £30,000 11 February 1980 GK Mark Harrison Southampton Free transfer 7 February 1980 DF Lee Harwood Leatherhead Free transfer

Transfers out Date from Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref. August 1979 FW Brian Sinclair Winsford United Sacked October 1979 DF Graham Hawkins Retired October 1979 MF Ged Stenson Morecambe Released 5 October 1979 MF Ken Todd Portsmouth £20,000 1980 GK John Connaughton Altrincham Free transfer 1980 FW Terry Owen Northwich Victoria Free transfer February 1980 MF Kevin Tully Chorley Released May 1980 DF Bill Bentley Stafford Rangers Free transfer May 1980 DF Bob Delgado Miami Americans Released July 1980 FW Felix Healy Coleraine Free transfer Summer 1980 DF Billy Leese Retired Summer 1980 FW Bernie Wright Kidderminster Harriers Free transfer

Loans in Date from Position Nationality Name From Date to Ref. 7 February 1980 FW Tony Sealy Crystal Palace End of season March 1980 MF John Fleming Lincoln City March 1980

Loans out Date from Position Nationality Name To Date to Ref. 3 January 1980 DF Paul Bowles Southampton January 1980

References Specific

General