Port Vale F.C.

Port Vale Football Club are an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's rivals in the city are Stoke City, games between the two clubs are known as the "Potteries derby". Games against Crewe Alexandra are also called a derby, although Alex are in south Cheshire.

Port Vale are not named after a place, which is unusual for an English league clubs. The two symbols on the clubs badge are a bottle kiln and the Stafford knot.

 Name 
 1876-1911 Burslem Port Vale F.C.
 1911-present Port Vale F.C.

 Stadiums 
 The Old Recreation Ground 
The Rec was Port Vale's home from 1913 to 1950. The Old Recreation Ground was in Hanley and stood on what is now the car park for the Potteries Shopping Centre. 

 Vale Park 

Vale Park has been Port Vale's home ground since 1950. Vale Park has a capacity of around 22,000.

Vale Park is not the oldest ground in the world, it has had several upgrades in its history. The original ground consisted of two stands (The Railway side and the Lorne Street main stand) with banks of terracing at the Bycars and Hamil ends of the ground. Stands were added behind each set of goals during the 1980s and 1990s as the ground began to be made more modern. The paddock at the front of the Railway Stand was also made into an all-seated area, with just the Lorne Street side now being left as a standing area. Vale fans stood for the last time on Lorne Street at the end of the 1997-98 season, with the stand being demolished before work began on a new £3,000,000 structure. Work has yet to been finished on this, due to low funds and a change in ownership of the club. However, once new owners V2001 had taken care of the financing, work was finally begun on finishing the second half of the stand. It is due to be completed sometime in 2008.

 Robbie Williams 

Among the club's famous fan base is singer Robbie Williams, who was raised in Stoke-on-Trent. He is now a major shareholder, having, in February 2006, bought £240,000 worth of the £250,000 worth of available shares in the club. Castle Comfort Stairlifts, the club's sponsors, at the same time bought the remainder for £10,000."Robbie buys into Vale", BBC.co.uk, 27 February 2006

"Although I can't be at the Vale often, my investment is just to say that my heart is still there and I'm a huge supporter. I'm really excited about what we may be able to do with the club in the future." Robbie Williams speaking in 2006.

For the computer game FIFA 2000, he provided an original theme song with It's Only Us, on the condition that Port Vale were included in the game, which they were, and are in the Rest of World section. This song was also featured on the only FIFA Soundtrack CD release by EMI.

In 2005 Williams founded Los Angeles Vale F.C., a Super Metro League team in the United States, named for Port Vale and based at his L.A. home.

 Honours and achievements 
 League 
Football League Division Three North: 2
 Champions: 1929-1930, 1953-54
 Runners-up: 1952–53not promoted

Football League Division Four: 1
 Champions: 1958-1959

 Other promotions 
 1969-70: Football League Division Four - 4th (promotion to Football League Division Three)
 1982-83: Football League Division Four - 3rd (promotion to Football League Division Three)
 1985-86: Football League Division Four - 4th (promotion to Football League Division Three)
 1988-89: Football League Division Three - Play-off winners (promotion to Football League Division Two)
 1993-94: Football League Division Two - Runners Up (promotion to Football League Division One)
 2012-13  Npower League 2 - 3rd (promotion to Npower League 1)

 Cups 
Staffordshire Senior Cup: 1
 Winners: 2000-01

Anglo-Italian Cup
 Runners-up: 1995-96

Debenhams Cup
 Runners-up: 1976-77

 Trophies 
Football League Trophy: 2
 Winners 1992-93, 2000-01

 League position 
SeasonLeaguePosition2000/01Second Division11th2001/02Second Division14th2002/03Second Division17th2003/04Second Division7th2004/05League One18th2005/06League One13th2006/07League One12th2007/08League One23rd2008/09League Two18th

 Former position 

 Statistics 
 Club Records 

Highest home attendance30,000: vs Aston Villa, 20 February 1960, FA Cup R5Largest league win9-1: vs Chesterfield, 24 September 1932, Second DivisionHeaviest league defeat0-10: vs Sheffield United, 10 December 1892, Second DivisionLargest cup win7-1: vs Irthlingborough Town, 12 January 1907, FA Cup R1Most capped playerChristopher Birchall: 22, Trinidad and TobagoMost League appearancesRoy Sproson: 761, 1950-1972Most League goalsWilf Kirkham: 154, 1923-1933Most goals in a seasonWilf Kirkham: 38, 1926-27 (Second Division)Highest transfer fee paid£500,000: Gareth Ainsworth from Lincoln City, 11 September 1997Highest transfer fee received£2,000,000: Gareth Ainsworth to Wimbledon, 29 October 1998

 Highest Football League finishes 
Before the War: 
 1930-31: Football League Division Two 5th

After the War:
 1996-97: Football League Division One 8th

 Best Cup runs 
FA Cup
 Semi Finalists: 1953-54

League Cup
 Round 4: 2006–07

 Managers in the past 
 1876 Enoch Hood
 1896 Sam Gleaves
 1905 Tom Clare
 1911 A.S. Walker
 1912 H. Myatt
 1914 n/a (WWI)
 1919 Tom Holford
 1924 Joe Schofield
 1930 Tom Morgan
 1932 Tom Holford
 1936 Warney Cresswell
 1937 Tom Morgan  
 1938 n/a (WWII)
 1945 Billy Frith
 1946 Gordon Hodgson
 1951 Freddie Steele
 1957 Norman Low
 1962 Freddie Steele
 1965 Jackie Mudie
 1967 Stanley Matthews
 1968 Gordon Lee
 1974 Roy Sproson
 1977 Bobby Smith
 1978 Dennis Butler  
 1979 Alan Bloor
 1979 John McGrath
 1983 John Rudge
 1999 Brian Horton
 2004 Martin Foyle
 2007 Lee Sinnott
 2008 Dean Glover

 Other websites 
 Official site 
 News Coverage at BBC Sport
 News Coverage  at The Sentinel

 References 

Category:English football clubs
Category:Organisations based in Stoke-on-Trent
Category:1873 establishments in England