Port Vale 1961-62

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After trainer Lol Hamlett took the squad on an unpopular seven-mile pre-season run, the1961- 62 season began poorly. In the league Port Vale failed to gain promotion and had to settle for mid-table obscurity. It was most notable for a win over Sunderland in the FA Cup, which followed a goalless draw at Roker Park. The Vale’s defence prevented Brian Clough from even having a shot on goal. Vale also hosted a friendly against the Czechoslovakia national football team, repaying the club for their successful tour of the country the previous season.

Norman Low paid West Bromwich Albion to bring Stan Steele back to Vale Park. A shock to the fans having been released last season. By the end of the season, player coach, Noel Kinsey’s contract was cancelled, as he wished to go into the pottery business in Norwich. At Vale Park, an £8,000 social club was opened, as the club management stated their intention to turn the ground into ‘a real family social centre’.

Used by frequent visitors to Vale Park, the A500 was initially built from the M6 at junction 16 to the A34 road at Talke as part of the motorway construction, opening in 1962. At the southern end, a dual carriageway was constructed from junction 15 of the M6 to the A34 near Trentham, given the number A5006, and opened at the same time.

The northern section of the road was then subsequently extended from Talke to the A53 road. This period also saw the closure of the Sneyd and Hanley Deep Pit collieries in 1962 which reduced the amount of freight trains on the Potteries loop line. It was the mode of transport that had formed the background to Arnold Bennet’s classic ‘Five Towns’ stories and saw his last journey from London to Burslem with his ashes being laid to rest in the Mother Town at Burslem Cemetery.