# 1972–73 Port Vale F.C. season

The 1972–73 season was Port Vale's 61st season of football in the Football League, and their third-successive season (ninth overall) in the Third Division. Their promotion efforts ended with a sixth-place finish, whilst in the two cup competitions they lost out to Newcastle United and West Ham United. Opposition managers condemned the players as overly physical, whilst off the pitch there were sporadic scenes of violence as football hooliganism gripped the club, and the sport in general.

## Overview
### Third Division

The pre-season saw Gordon Lee make several big signings. The most significant was the signing of Ray Williams from Stafford Rangers, who had scored 47 goals for the non-League club the previous season. Williams cost Vale £3,000 and was on a wage of £40 a week (plus incentives). Also arriving was midfielder Freddie Goodwin (Southport); 'controversial' goalkeeper Alan Boswell (Bolton Wanderers); young midfielder Colin Tartt (Alsager College); and trialist goalkeeper Reg Edwards (Nuneaton Borough). Ticket prices were raised to between 40 and 60 pence, whilst season tickets were priced between £8 and £10.
The season opened with six victories in eight league games, though the third match was a huge 7–0 defeat at Millmoor to Rotherham United – the defeat was blamed on Boswell. After mid-September the "Valiants" struggled to score, and recorded six draws in eight games, though they remained in the top three. The club spent £8,500 on new floodlights and a public address system, however, attendances dropped off from the crucial 6,000 break-even number. Lee complained about the lack of support, and said "the people here are not genuinely interested in league football". Offered the management position at Shrewsbury Town, he rejected the offer as he believed the club 'lacked potential' and that he had a 'feeling of loyalty towards the [Vale] players'. Going into the Christmas period Brian Horton was struck by injury, and the team struggled, heading down the league with inconsistent play. In January, Lee sold John James to Chester for £5,000, Ray Harford to Colchester United for £1,750, and Keith Lindsey to Gillingham for £750. To keep up the promotion bid, in February he spent £2,250 to bring 'pacey' striker John Woodward from Walsall. Vale began to pick up wins, though their 2–1 win over Blackburn Rovers led to them being branded by Rovers manager Ken Furphy as 'a brutal and physical side'. Vale lifted themselves into third place, though were out of the race after a 'shattering' 5–0 defeat to Southend United at Roots Hall. Their final home game of the season was a 2–2 draw with champions Bolton Wanderers, in which 'frenzied scenes' included police dogs separating the two sets of fans at the Bycars End, two attempted pitch invasions, and the referee kicked to the ground at the final whistle.
They finished in sixth spot with 53 points, four short of promoted Notts County. The tally of 69 goals conceded was higher than that of all but the bottom two clubs.

### Finances

On the financial side, a £14,304 profit was made after donations of £16,029 from the Sportsmen's Association and the Development Fund. Gate receipts had risen massively from £36,323 to £67,202. The wage bill stood at £59,663, whilst the club's debt was at £44,721, along with £57,860 owed to the directors. At the end of the season, Freddie Goodwin was let go, and he joined Macclesfield Town.

### Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, Vale progressed past Fourth Division Southport and then Third Division Wrexham with home victories. In the Third Round, they faced West Ham United at Vale Park, where the "Hammers" won 'an epic battle' 1–0 in front of a season-best crowd of 20,619. The match raised £8,600, but also the issue of violence, as two Londoners were stabbed, two policemen seriously assaulted, and thirty fans ejected from the stadium. West Ham manager Ron Greenwood claimed that the Vale players attempted 'the most blatant calculated intimidation I have ever seen anywhere in the world'.
In the League Cup, the club recorded their first-ever away victory in the competition with a 1–0 win over Tranmere Rovers at Prenton Park. The Second Round held a home tie with First Division Newcastle United, and the "Magpies" left Stoke-on-Trent having won 3–1 in front of 10,370 spectators.

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 4 | Oldham Athletic | 46 | 19 | 16 | 11 | 72 | 54 | 1.333 | 54 | |
| 5 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 77 | 56 | 1.375 | 53 | Qualified for 1973 Watney Cup |
| 6 | Port Vale | 46 | 21 | 11 | 14 | 56 | 69 | 0.812 | 53 | |
| 7 | AFC Bournemouth | 46 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 66 | 44 | 1.500 | 50 | |
| 8 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 74 | 66 | 1.121 | 50 | Qualified for 1973 Watney Cup |
* 1 2 The two teams who scored the most goals in each division, and did not qualify for Europe and were not promoted, qualified for the Watney Cup.

## 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 | H | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A |
| Result | D | W | L | W | W | W | W | W | L | L | W | L | D | W | D | D | | W | D | D | L | W | L | L | D | W | L | W | L | W | W | L | W | W | L | W | D | W | L | W | D | W | L | W | D | L |
| Position | 10 | 4 | 15 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

#### Matches

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 12 August 1972 | Rochdale | A | 0–0 | 2,661 | |
| 19 August 1972 | York City | H | 2–1 | 4,112 | Horton, Goodwin |
| 26 August 1972 | Rotherham United | A | 0–7 | 4,788 | |
| 28 August 1972 | Wrexham | H | 3–2 | 3,885 | Mountford, James, Morgan |
| 2 September 1972 | Bristol Rovers | H | 2–1 | 3,468 | Goodwin, Horton (pen) |
| 9 September 1972 | Chesterfield | A | 2–1 | 7,854 | Loska, Horton (pen) |
| 16 September 1972 | Brentford | H | 1–0 | 4,663 | Williams |
| 18 September 1972 | Halifax Town | H | 2–1 | 5,715 | Morgan, Loska |
| 23 September 1972 | Walsall | A | 0–2 | 8,159 | |
| 26 September 1972 | Bournemouth | A | 0–4 | 12,145 | |
| 30 September 1972 | Southend United | H | 3–1 | 4,005 | Gough, Morgan, Williams (pen) |
| 7 October 1972 | Oldham Athletic | H | 0–2 | 5,352 | |
| 10 October 1972 | Watford | A | 1–1 | 5,556 | Morgan |
| 14 October 1972 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 1–0 | 6,500 | Morgan |
| 21 October 1972 | Tranmere Rovers | H | 0–0 | 4,007 | |
| 23 October 1972 | Shrewsbury Town | H | 1–1 | 5,213 | James |
| 28 October 1972 | Notts County | A | 1–1 | 8,544 | Horton (pen) |
| 4 November 1972 | Bournemouth | H | 2–1 | 6,414 | Morgan (2) |
| 11 November 1972 | Halifax Town | A | 2–2 | 2,026 | Williams, Horton |
| 25 November 1972 | Plymouth Argyle | H | 1–1 | 3,881 | McLaren |
| 2 December 1972 | Charlton Athletic | A | 0–2 | 4,391 | |
| 16 December 1972 | Scunthorpe United | H | 2–0 | 3,833 | o.g., McLaren |
| 23 December 1972 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 0–2 | 12,643 | |
| 26 December 1972 | Walsall | H | 1–2 | 6,787 | Mountford (pen) |
| 30 December 1972 | York City | A | 0–0 | 3,589 | |
| 27 January 1973 | Chesterfield | H | 2–1 | 3,806 | James, McLaren |
| 30 January 1973 | Bristol Rovers | A | 1–4 | 10,009 | Loska |
| 3 February 1973 | Watford | H | 1–0 | 3,987 | Williams |
| 10 February 1973 | Brentford | A | 0–5 | 6,694 | |
| 24 February 1973 | Scunthorpe United | A | 1–0 | 2,734 | Summerscales |
| 26 February 1973 | Rotherham United | H | 4–1 | 4,433 | o.g., Gough, Woodward, Williams |
| 3 March 1973 | Oldham Athletic | A | 0–1 | 6,998 | |
| 6 March 1973 | Grimsby Town | A | 1–0 | 14,092 | Williams |
| 10 March 1973 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 2–1 | 7,854 | Woodward (2) |
| 16 March 1973 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 0–2 | 5,346 | |
| 19 March 1973 | Swansea City | H | 3–1 | 5,104 | Morgan (2), Summerscales |
| 24 March 1973 | Notts County | H | 1–1 | 8,920 | Williams |
| 27 March 1973 | Shrewsbury Town | A | 3–2 | 4,419 | Woodward (2), Williams |
| 31 March 1973 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 1–2 | 9,416 | Williams |
| 7 April 1973 | Charlton Athletic | H | 3–1 | 5,076 | Williams, Morgan, Woodward |
| 9 April 1973 | Rochdale | H | 0–0 | 6,413 | |
| 14 April 1973 | Swansea City | A | 1–0 | 2,594 | Morgan |
| 20 April 1973 | Southend United | A | 0–5 | 9,395 | |
| 21 April 1973 | Grimsby Town | H | 3–0 | 3,772 | Woodward (2), Williams |
| 23 April 1973 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 2–2 | 14,168 | Horton (pen), Woodward |
| 27 April 1973 | Wrexham | A | 0–5 | 3,543 | |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 | 20 November 1972 | Southport | H | 2–1 | 4,624 | James, Horton |
| R2 | 9 December 1972 | Wrexham | H | 1–0 | 5,980 | Brodie |
| R3 | 13 January 1973 | West Ham United | H | 0–1 | 20,619 | |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 | 16 August 1972 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 1–0 | 4,003 | o.g. |
| R2 | 5 September 1972 | Newcastle United | H | 1–3 | 10,370 | Summerscales |

## 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 | Alan Boswell | 44 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 49 | 0 |
| GK | Reg Edwards | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| DF | Bill Summerscales | 45 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 50 | 3 |
| DF | Roy Cross | 35 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 0 |
| DF | John Brodie | 35 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 1 |
| DF | Keith Lindsey | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| DF | Tony Loska | 41 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 3 |
| MF | Tommy McLaren | 41 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 3 |
| MF | Brian Horton | 39 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 7 |
| MF | Tony Lacey | 25 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
| MF | Ray Harford | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| MF | Freddie Goodwin | 27 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 2 |
| MF | Colin Tartt | 29 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 |
| FW | John James | 16 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 4 |
| FW | Bobby Gough | 27 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 2 |
| FW | Sammy Morgan | 39 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 11 |
| FW | Bob Mountford | 17 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 2 |
| FW | John Woodward | 17 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 9 |
| FW | Ray Williams | 44 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 49 | 11 |

### Top scorers

| Place | Position | Nation | Name | Third Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Total |
| 1 | FW | England | Ray Williams | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| – | FW | Northern Ireland | Sammy Morgan | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| 3 | FW | England | John Woodward | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 4 | MF | England | Brian Horton | 6 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| 5 | FW | England | John James | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 6 | DF | England | Tony Loska | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| – | MF | Scotland | Tommy McLaren | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| – | DF | England | Bill Summerscales | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 9 | MF | England | Freddie Goodwin | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| – | FW | England | Bob Mountford | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| – | FW | England | Bobby Gough | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 12 | DF | England | John Brodie | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| – | – | – | Own goals | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| | | | TOTALS | 56 | 3 | 2 | 61 |

## Transfers
### Transfers in

| Date from | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| July 1972 | GK | Alan Boswell | Bolton Wanderers | Free transfer |
| July 1972 | MF | Freddie Goodwin | Southport | Free transfer |
| July 1972 | FW | Ray Williams | Stafford Rangers | £3,000 |
| September 1972 | GK | Reg Edwards | Nuneaton Borough | Free transfer |
| February 1973 | FW | John Woodward | Walsall | £2,250 |

### Transfers out

| Date from | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| January 1973 | DF | Keith Lindsey | Gillingham | £500 |
| February 1973 | DF | Ray Harford | Colchester United | £1,750 |
| February 1973 | FW | John James | Chester | £5,000 |
| May 1973 | MF | Freddie Goodwin | Macclesfield Town | Free transfer |
| May 1973 | MF | Bob Peyton | | Released |

### Loans out

| Date from | Position | Nationality | Name | To | Date to | Ref. |
| December 1972 | DF | | Keith Lindsey | Gillingham | January 1973 | |