Port Vale 1953-54

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The 1953–54 season was Port Vale’s 42nd season of football in the English Football League, and their fifth season overall in the Third Division North. Freddie Steele’s side were crowned Third Division North champions with 69 points out of a possible 92, eleven points ahead of their nearest rivals Barnsley. They also reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, and would be denied an appearance in the final due to a controversial goal from a dubious penalty. Former “Valiant” star Ronnie Allen converted the resulting spot-kick. It denied the Vale being the first third-tier club to reach an FA Cup final.

7 still-standing club records were set this season, including 3 Football League records. One Football League record was for the fewest Football League goals conceded in a 46 match season – 26, just over one every two games. Five of these were conceded at home, another Football League record. This was based upon 30 clean sheets, again a Football League record. They also recorded a club record low of three league defeats, and a club record home clean sheet streak of eleven matches, lasting from 7 September 1953 to 13 February 1954. Another club record was a streak of 6 away draws, lasting from 20 March to 26 April. They were undefeated at home all season, continuing a 42 match unbeaten run started on 8 November 1952, that would last until 18 September 1954. These achievements were based upon a record- breaking ‘Iron Curtain’ defence, and a solid squad of 19 players, most of whom had taken the club to 2nd in the league the previous season.

During this era, the Great Smog of 1952 took place. It was a severe air pollution event that affected London. A period of unusually cold weather, combined with an anticyclone & windless conditions, collected airborne pollutants mostly arising from the use of coal to form a thick layer of smog over the city. It lasted from Friday 5th to Tuesday 9thDecember 1952, then dispersed quickly when the weather changed. It led to several changes in practices and regulations, including the Clean Air Act 1956 which saw the end of Stoke-on-Trent’s iconic bottleoven. The 1956 Act was a significant milestone in the development of a legal framework to protect the environment…