# 1970–71 Port Vale F.C. season

The 1970–71 season was Port Vale's 59th season of football in the Football League, and their first (seventh overall) season back in the Third Division following their promotion from the Fourth Division. Gordon Lee led his team to safety in the league, though Vale exited both cup competitions at the first stage.

## Overview
### Third Division

The pre-season saw the arrival of centre-half Roy Cross (Walsall); inside-forward Brian Horton (Hednesford Town); and full-back Mick Hopkinson (Mansfield Town).
The season began with two wins, but a run of one win in ten games then followed. In September, four of the five directors resigned, one of them (Len Cliff) stated that "the club is being run by outsiders". A new board was formed by November. Meanwhile, on 13 September the club suffered a loss of 7–3 at Gay Meadow to Shrewsbury Town, despite a Bobby Gough hat-trick – the match also saw a sending off, an attempted pitch invasion, and a £35 fine for Gordon Lee for remarks he made to referee Ricky Nicholson. Tommy McLaren then returned from injury to lead Vale on a four match winning streak that included a 2–0 win over fallen-giants Aston Villa in front of a Burslem crowd of 11,224 fans; Lee described the win as his "finest hour". Four straight defeats soon came after this sequence however, as Vale's form was patchy. In December, Ron Wilson left the club as he emigrated to South Africa due to his son's ill health. A 1–0 defeat at Villa Park on 16 January was the first of a nine-match streak without a victory. At the end of the month Lee signed John Brodie from Northern Premier League side Bradford Park Avenue for £250. During this spell forward, Sammy Morgan began to be jeered by fans after losing his scoring touch. He also began studying to be a teacher. Lee said that "I really feel some of our lads have been singled out by the boo boys. If only they realised that encouragement can lift players, things would be so much better". In February, Mark Singer resigned as chairman, and was replaced by Graham Bourne. By then the club were hovering above the relegation zone, but a record of just ten goals conceded in their final twelve games was enough to secure safety, with Brian Horton in good form.
They finished in the seventeenth spot, with 42 points, leaving them three clear of relegation. John James was the top-scorer with fifteen goals. As a reward for their endeavours, the players were taken on a working holiday to Benidorm, Spain.

### Finances

On the financial side, a profit of £3,424 was made, the club's first profitable season since 1962–63. A £19,322 donation from the Sportsmen's Association and the Development Fund helped to reduce the club's total debt to £134,640. Three players were released: Mick Hopkinson (Boston United); John Green (Northwich Victoria); and John King (Wigan Athletic).

### Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, Vale were knocked out in the First Round by Fourth Division Notts County 1–0 in a 'physical' encounter at Meadow Lane.
In the League Cup, Vale were eliminated once again at the first stage, this time Walsall left Burslem with a 1–0 win.

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
| 15 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 12 | 19 | 15 | 63 | 63 | 1.000 | 43 |
| 16 | Rochdale | 46 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 61 | 68 | 0.897 | 43 |
| 17 | Port Vale | 46 | 15 | 12 | 19 | 52 | 59 | 0.881 | 42 |
| 18 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 10 | 22 | 14 | 45 | 55 | 0.818 | 42 |
| 19 | Bradford City | 46 | 13 | 14 | 19 | 49 | 62 | 0.790 | 40 |

## Results

Port Vale's score comes first

### Football League Third Division
#### Results by matchday

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 |
| Ground | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H |
| Result | W | W | L | L | W | L | D | L | L | L | D | D | W | W | W | W | D | L | L | L | L | W | L | W | W | L | D | L | D | D | L | D | L | L | W | W | D | L | W | D | L | L | W | D | W | D |
| Position | 1 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 17 |

#### Matches

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 15 August 1970 | Swansea City | A | 2–0 | 10,713 | Wilson, Morgan |
| 22 August 1970 | Rochdale | H | 4–1 | 6,196 | McLaren (2), James, Morris |
| 29 August 1970 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 1–2 | 7,753 | Morgan |
| 1 September 1970 | Bristol Rovers | A | 0–3 | 7,931 | |
| 5 September 1970 | Preston North End | H | 1–0 | 6,954 | James (pen) |
| 12 September 1970 | Shrewsbury Town | A | 3–7 | 5,856 | Gough (3) |
| 19 September 1970 | Gillingham | H | 1–1 | 5,178 | James |
| 21 September 1970 | Chesterfield | H | 0–2 | 5,930 | |
| 26 September 1970 | Walsall | A | 1–3 | 5,456 | James (pen) |
| 28 September 1970 | Mansfield Town | A | 0–2 | 8,121 | |
| 3 October 1970 | Barnsley | H | 1–3 | 4,490 | Gough |
| 10 October 1970 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 0–0 | 9,383 | |
| 17 October 1970 | Swansea City | H | 4–0 | 4,962 | Gough (2), James, Morris |
| 19 October 1970 | Aston Villa | H | 2–0 | 11,224 | James, Gough |
| 24 October 1970 | Rotherham United | H | 1–0 | 7,215 | McLaren |
| 31 October 1970 | Bury | A | 3–2 | 3,669 | Lacey, Horton, Boulton |
| 7 November 1970 | Tranmere Rovers | H | 2–2 | 5,495 | Morris, McLaren |
| 9 November 1970 | Fulham | H | 0–1 | 8,728 | |
| 14 November 1970 | Reading | A | 1–2 | 5,036 | Morris |
| 28 November 1970 | Halifax Town | A | 0–2 | 3,404 | |
| 5 December 1970 | Torquay United | H | 0–1 | 4,252 | |
| 19 December 1970 | Rochdale | A | 3–0 | 3,619 | James, Summerscales, Morris |
| 26 December 1970 | Wrexham | H | 0–3 | 6,303 | |
| 2 January 1971 | Doncaster Rovers | A | 2–1 | 2,997 | Cross, Gough |
| 9 January 1971 | Mansfield Town | H | 2–0 | 4,412 | Morris, James |
| 16 January 1971 | Aston Villa | A | 0–1 | 28,933 | |
| 23 January 1971 | Bradford City | A | 1–1 | 4,436 | Morris |
| 30 January 1971 | Halifax Town | H | 0–1 | 4,059 | |
| 5 February 1971 | Torquay United | A | 1–1 | 6,817 | Morris |
| 12 February 1971 | Bradford City | H | 0–0 | 4,361 | |
| 20 February 1971 | Fulham | A | 1–4 | 10,389 | Green |
| 27 February 1971 | Bury | H | 0–0 | 3,805 | |
| 6 March 1971 | Rotherham United | A | 1–2 | 6,866 | James |
| 10 March 1971 | Chesterfield | A | 0–3 | 7,592 | |
| 13 March 1971 | Reading | H | 3–1 | 3,450 | McLaren (2), Morgan |
| 15 March 1971 | Doncaster Rovers | H | 1–0 | 4,782 | James (pen) |
| 22 March 1971 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 1–1 | 3,734 | James |
| 27 March 1971 | Preston North End | A | 0–1 | 16,591 | |
| 3 April 1971 | Plymouth Argyle | H | 2–1 | 3,518 | James, Morgan |
| 10 April 1971 | Wrexham | A | 1–1 | 8,186 | Boulton |
| 12 April 1971 | Shrewsbury Town | H | 0–1 | 5,655 | |
| 13 April 1971 | Barnsley | A | 0–1 | 4,837 | |
| 17 April 1971 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 2–1 | 3,789 | Morgan (2) |
| 24 April 1971 | Gillingham | A | 1–1 | 2,207 | James |
| 26 April 1971 | Bristol Rovers | H | 2–0 | 4,525 | James (2) |
| 1 May 1971 | Walsall | H | 1–1 | 5,758 | Lacey |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 | 21 November 1970 | Notts County | A | 0–1 | 15,965 | |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 | 18 August 1970 | Walsall | H | 0–1 | 6,605 | |

## Player statistics
### Appearances and goals

| Pos. | Name | Football League | Football League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Total | Total |
| Pos. | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| GK | Keith Ball | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| GK | Stuart Sharratt | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| DF | Roy Sproson | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| DF | Clint Boulton | 45 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 2 |
| DF | Ron Wilson | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 1 |
| DF | Bill Summerscales | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| DF | Roy Cross | 42 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 1 |
| DF | Mick Hopkinson | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| DF | John Brodie | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| MF | Tommy McLaren | 36 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 6 |
| MF | John Green | 25 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 1 |
| MF | John King | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| MF | Brian Horton | 39 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 1 |
| MF | Tony Lacey | 44 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 2 |
| FW | John James | 45 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 15 |
| FW | Mick Morris | 46 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 8 |
| FW | Bobby Gough | 36 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 8 |
| FW | Sammy Morgan | 38 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 6 |
| FW | Bob Mountford | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |

### Top scorers

| Place | Position | Nation | Name | Third Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Total |
| 1 | FW | England | John James | 15 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| 2 | FW | England | Mick Morris | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| – | FW | England | Bobby Gough | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 4 | MF | Scotland | Tommy McLaren | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| – | FW | Northern Ireland | Sammy Morgan | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 6 | MF | England | Tony Lacey | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| – | DF | England | Clint Boulton | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | DF | Scotland | Ron Wilson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | DF | England | Bill Summerscales | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | DF | England | Roy Cross | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | MF | England | John Green | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | MF | England | Brian Horton | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | | TOTALS | 52 | 0 | 0 | 52 |

## Transfers
### Transfers in

| Date from | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| June 1970 | DF | Roy Cross | Walsall | Free transfer |
| July 1970 | DF | Mick Hopkinson | Mansfield Town | Free transfer |
| July 1970 | MF | Brian Horton | Hednesford Town | 'a pint of shandy' |
| January 1971 | DF | John Brodie | Bradford Park Avenue | £250 |

### Transfers out

| Date from | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| December 1970 | DF | Ron Wilson | Hellenic | Released |
| May 1971 | DF | Mick Hopkinson | Boston United | Free transfer |
| May 1971 | MF | John King | Wigan Athletic | Free transfer |
| Summer 1971 | MF | John Green | Northwich Victoria | Released |