1971–72 Port Vale F.C. season

The pre-season saw the arrival of left-half John Flowers from Doncaster Rovers and full-back Tony Loska from Shrewsbury Town for 'a small fee'.^[1] Meanwhile, three players picked up injuries: John James (cartilage), Roy Sproson (ribs), and Stuart Sharratt (ankle); whilst Sammy Morgan threatened to quit altogether after falling out with manager Gordon Lee over his decision to remain resident in Great Yarmouth rather than moving nearer to Burslem.^[1] Violence broke out in pre-season games, as the sport was in the grip of hooliganism.^[1]

The season opened with a 1–1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion in front of just 4,384 fans, causing Lee to warn that such low attendances would require him to sell off the club's best players.^[1] By the end of September Vale were performing well on the pitch, and off it had sold the main car park to The Co-operative Group for £30,000.^[1] Goals were at a premium despite a 4–3 win over York City and 4–4 draw with Aston Villa at Vale Park.^[1] Sporadic violence continued to break out at many matches, as local businesses had their windows smashed, local residents were menaced and fights broke out.^[1] In November, Clint Boulton was sold to Torquay United for £10,000.^[1] The next month Lee brought Ray Harford from Mansfield Town for a £5,000 fee, as well as Keith Lindsey from Southend United for 'a small fee'.^[1] Vale comfortable in the league, Chairman Graham Bourne resigned in January, along with colleague and fellow director George Sanders.^[1] This left the board of directors with just two members, one of which, previous chairman Mark Singer, was re-elected as chairman.^[1] The Sentinel's Chris Harper stated that "Vale will never make progress while they are plagued by trouble at the top".^[1] The team continued with good home form, but invariably lost away from Vale Park.^[1] On 16 February, Sammy Morgan scored on his debut for Northern Ireland, and picked up six further caps whilst at the club.^[1] On 4 March, only 2,809 bothered to turn out for a 1–0 home win over Mansfield Town in strong wind and snow, whilst rivals Stoke City won the 1972 League Cup final in front of a crowd of nearly 100,000 at Wembley Stadium.^[1] Vale went on to go ten games without a win, also scoring just one goal in a run of seven games, to the frustration of their supporters.^[1] Despite this, the now annual 'Meet the Manager' evening 'warmed the heart' of Lee.^[1] A 1–0 win over Barnsley at the end of April ensured the club's safety from the drop.^[1] On 8 May, Sproson made his farewell competitive appearance for the club in front of only 2,743 supporters, in a 2–1 defeat to Rotherham United.^[1] Lee angrily declared that "the attendance was nothing short of a disgrace to mark the end of a legend".^[1] Four days later there was an even smaller turnout for a final day 1–1 draw with Rochdale.^[1]

They finished in fifteenth place with 41 points, 30 of which were won at home.^[1] With just 43 goals scored, they had the lowest goal tally outside the bottom four.^[1]

On the financial side, a drop in average home attendance of over a thousand failed to prevent a profit of £596.^[1] This profit was due to a £10,000 transfer credit and £13,967 worth of donations from the Sportsmen's Association and the Development Fund.^[1] The club's total debt stood at £100,130.^[1] Four players were let go at the end of the campaign: Mick Morris (Stafford Rangers), Keith Ball (Stourport), Stuart Sharratt (retired), and John Flowers (Eastwood).^[1] Sproson also retired as a player, but stayed on as a scout and coach.^[1]

In the FA Cup, Vale beat Blackburn Rovers 3–1 following a 1–1 draw at Ewood Park. A last-minute Sammy Morgan goal then defeated Fourth Division Darlington in the Second Round.^[1] Vale then were defeated 3–0 at St Andrew's by Second Division Birmingham City.

In the League Cup, Vale made 'their annual early exist', losing 2–0 at home to Shrewsbury Town.^[1]

Port Vale's score comes first

Specific

General

• Kent, Jeff (1993). The Port Vale Record 1879-1993. Witan Books. ISBN 0-9508981-9-8.