Port Vale 1962-63

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Vale finished 3rd in an impressive season, one place from promotion while promotions for rivals Stoke City (Second to First Tier) and Crewe Alexandra (Fourth to Third Tier) was a good season for local sides all round. The major talking point of the season was Norman Low’s departure and Freddie Steele’s return in October, which came as a shock to the fans.

It was also the year / season of ‘The Big Freeze’ where the English and Scottish fixtures suffered because of the severe effects of the winter weather. A board known as the Pools Panel was set up to adjudicate postponed matches to provide the football pool results with the season extended by four weeks. Some lower-level competitions did not complete the remainder of the season’s fixtures.

The pottery manufacturing companies of Price Bros. (Burslem) Ltd and Kensington Pottery Ltd were both subsidiaries of Arthur Wood & Son (Longport) Ltd. In January 1962 they were amalgamated to make one company: Price & Kensington Potteries Ltd. which operated from the Longport works that Price Brothers already occupied.

It became a world-renowned ceramic tableware company, with a rich heritage. The brand is most known for its teapots which range from bright, bold glazes to neutral, matt finishes. Production moved abroad in 2003 after the company entered administration. The roadside pottery complex off Newcastle Street in Longport was demolished in November 2019. The site has been subject to fires, heritage crime, and dumping of illegal rubbish ever since…