‘Jesse gave everything and had a great rapport with all the Vale fans
PORT Vale supporters have paid tribute to their hero John James following his death at the age of 72.
James, from Stone, came through Vale’s youth system as a defender, made his first-team debut in 1966, and was also part of the youth side that would reach the quarter-finals of the FA Youth Cup in 1966/67.
Manager Gordon Lee converted him into a striker, with spectacular results as James top scored with 17 goals in Vale’s 1969/70 Division Four promotion season.
He scored 44 goals in total for Vale, but was controversially sold in 1973 for £5,000 to Chester – a club where he also earned legendary status.
He would move on to have spells at Tranmere, Chicago Stings and Stafford Rangers, before moving to Torquay where he and wife Tricia owned a newsagents.
Vale historian Phil Sherwin said: “John James is my first real football hero. I started going to games in 1968 and ‘Jesse’ was the star of the 1969/70 Fourth Division promotion winning team.
“Top scorers always grab the headlines, and his long hair made him stand out even more.
“He always gave everything as well and he had a great rapport with the fans – the Tom Pope of his day.
“It’s hard to think he was a defender originally, then midfield, and was then converted into a striker by manager Gordon Lee.
“He scored 17 in that promotion season and not many Vale players can say they have scored a last minute winner at Old Trafford, even if it was in the FA Cup against Wigan!
“There was also the story of him injuring his ankle at Exeter on a Saturday, then soaking it in the sea at Torquay to recover, then typically scored two days later.
“He scored 15 in 1970/71 as we established ourselves in Division Three, but unfortunately injuries hampered his Vale career from then on and I was devastated when he left.
“He came back to Vale Park as part of the Tranmere side in 1977 and got a tremendous reception. He was cheered every time he touched the ball as fans chanted his name throughout.
“God knows what would have happened had he have scored! I’ve never seen a former player get such a reception either before or since.
“RIP Jesse – definitely one of the Vale greats.”
Fellow supporter Brian Lewis also remembers James fondly.
He said: “He would run and run forever. He would chase a lost cause, he was a local lad working his conkers off for the club so the fans loved ‘Jameo’ or ‘Jesse’ James.
“He wasn’t the biggest lad, but he played off the big man and sniffed out chances, a typical inside forward in those days.
“That 1969/70 team is iconic for fans of my generation, and Jesse ran for every ball. He never gave up. Sometimes you knew he would never get it, but it was ‘gooaarn Jesse’ and he would try and try.
“I can see him now coming off the pitch, mud all over the place on the white kit.
“The Bycars loved him, they’d sing (to the tune of ‘I Was Born Under a Wandering Star’)
“Goals were made for scoring. Jesse is our king. We’ve got Micky Morris, playing on the wing. I was born under the Bycars End.”
Former Vale forward Mick Cullerton’s abiding memory of James is of him as a teenager helping Vale upset Coventry City in the FA Youth Cup on their way to the quarter finals.
Cullerton said: “Geoff Blockley was Coventry’s centre-half – about 6ft 2in and built like a brick outhouse.
“He came out into midfield with the ball and Jameo flew at him, ran in and just knocked him over. Because of that we had the momentum for the next ten or 12 minutes and they never really recovered.
“The pitch was a mud heap and he was covered. At the end of the game a lot of supporters came on the pitch and I looked around and there was John, mud from head to toe, with a great big smile on his face.
“That’s my abiding memory of John. He was a very quiet lad off the pitch, but what a wholehearted character.
“He was brave, never gave up on anything, and didn’t mind getting bashed about for a goal.
“I heard someone call him ‘lionhearted.’ That describes John perfectly.”
The Vale board said low gates had forced their hand, in February 1973, when James was sold on to Chester where he would become a huge success.
He netted 40 goals in 98 league games for them, and was a star of their run to the League Cup semifinals in 1974/75.
He scored twice as the mighty Leeds United were knocked out 3-0, then scored to knock out Newcastle United 1-0, before Chester were finally edged out by Aston Villa in the semi finals 5-4 on aggregate.
Chester FC historian Chas Sumner said: “For a few short weeks in 1974, his name was on everyone’s lips as pictures of him raising both arms in triumph in front of a packed Sealand Road and filling his goalscoring boot with beer adorned the back pages of the national newspapers.”
He added: “He would roam the field with his trademark long blue and white sleeves pulled down past his wrists and shirt cuffs gripped tightly in his fingers, looking like he was suffering badly from the cold.
“But appearances were deceptive and he was a handful for every defender.
“He may not have been blessed with pace and his goals were never spectacular, but he knew where to find the back of the net and was deadly in the six yard box.
“Coupled with an unerring ability to win free kicks and hold the ball up, he was a perfect striker for the time and a key figure in that successful 1974/75 team.”
After retiring from football, John worked for the Michelin before he and Tricia moved to Torquay, running the newsagents for 20 years. They were married for 53 years and were inseparable to the end through his long illness.
Tricia, who is originally from Blurton, said: “He had prostate cancer and dementia, so I nursed him for ten years and he never gave up.
“Sadly, he had a hip operation and it went wrong so he had to have it done again. Two operations in one week took everything from him. He couldn’t walk.
“To see him like that was terrible, but he never complained. He had that cheeky smile on his face and all that he wanted was me.”
They had been together since John was an aspiring footballer at Vale Park.
She added: “He loved cricket as well, he was a good cricketer. I think he played for Little Stoke and always used to play in the Port Vale and Stoke City cricket matches.
“He didn’t know whether to take up cricket as a profession or football. He was a good all round sportsman.
“We used to play squash together and tennis, but he would play any game. Wherever a ball was involved, John would play.
“We even had a ball here in the garden so he was still playing keepie uppies.”
She has given her heartfelt thanks to supporters from all his former clubs for their tributes and comments.
She said: “We have read them all. It is so lovely that people remembered him as he was.
“He was brave and he gave everything he possibly could every single time he played.”
THIS Friday marks “International Tug of War Day”.
It’s not necessarily something that makes the average member of the public sit up and take notice, however perhaps more people would if they knew that England and Great Britain were amongst the most successful countries in the world at the sport, and that a number of the most successful teams in the country are based in the local area.
Such names include Leek, Sheen, Bosley and Norton, all of whom have won world and European championship titles.
In total, these clubs have represented England on the world and European stage on several occasions, winning 16 gold medals at European level, 18 gold medals at world level and three gold medals at the World Games, which are held every four years for non-olympic sports under the patronage of the IOC.
Otherwise, these clubs have amassed hundreds of gold medals between them at national level.
The history of tug of war goes back hundreds of years, but in more recent history, the sport was in the Olympics up until 1920, after which it remained an organised sport under the auspices of the Amateur Athletic Association until the Tug of War Association was founded in 1958.
At this time, a lot of athletics clubs, working men’s clubs, army regiments, police forces, towns and villages and factories all had teams, with many good teams coming from Staffordshire and Cheshire.
An industrial area with a surrounding rural hinterland meant that there were lots of hardy miners, steel workers, farmers and quarry men who were used to physically demanding work meant that there was a large number of physically strong people for which tug of war suited their particular aptitudes as well as offering an opportunity to socialise.
Of course, local rivalries then flourished, providing clubs with the competition they needed to spur them on to the top. With de-industrialisation in more recent times, a lot of teams have disappeared, however some local teams still compete at the top level to this day.
Once the Tug of War Association was founded 1958, the Bosley team were the early pioneers of post Olympic tug of war in England and Internationally, winning their first AAA title in 1959 and their first national title in 1960.
In 1964, the first TWIF international was held as a European Championship at the Baltic Games in Malmo, Sweden. Bosley were invited to represent England at this event as national champions and became the first team from the UK to represent their country in tug of war since tug of war was removed from the Olympics after 1920.
From then on, several clubs from the area achieved national and international success. Sheen and Bosley enjoyed a great local rivalry on the tug of war field in the 1960s and 1970s, with Sheen later becoming pioneers on the indoor tug of war circuit, eventually amassing over 100 national gold medals in the indoor version of the sport.
Leek has also had successful teams on the circuit, with its mens team becoming world champions on the indoor and outdoor circuit, and the Leek Ladies team later going on to win a world indoor title in 1997. The first and only English ladies team to do so to date.
Sadly the Leek teams have not competed in recent years, but their former training facilities are still put to good use with the Norton team making use of them on a site next to the Holly Bush Inn at Denford. Norton have enjoyed very much of the more recent tug of war success in the area, having won several national and international titles, their most recent title, which was very much the feather in the cap, was the gold medal win at the 2017 World Games.
In more recent years, participation in tug of war by women has increased with the introduction of more ladies weight classes, as well as the introduction of the mixed weight class where teams compete of eight pullers made up of four men and four women, a weight class which is certainly increasing in popularity, with the Sheen team winning silver and bronze medals at world level in this weight class, and some of the Norton team winning world gold with the England mixed team in 2018.
Of course, all of the recent successes of our local clubs have had to be put on hold due to the Coronavirus pandemic, however the Tug of War Association is hopeful that it will be able to resume outdoor competitions later in the Spring as and when the Government allow.
If anyone is interested in finding out more about the sport of tug of war, wishes to join a team, start a team or organise an event, then you can find more information about the sport of tug of war on the Tug of War Association web site at www.tugofwar.co.uk.
PORT Vale chief executive Colin Garlick says his club have made ‘a hell of a statement’ by taking manager Darrell Clarke from Walsall.
The 43-year-old has left the Saddlers to become Vale’s new boss after the clubs agreed compensation.
Vale are delighted to get a manager who guided Bristol Rovers to successive promotions, from the National League and into League One, in his four-and-a-half years there.
He joined Walsall in the summer of 2019 and news yesterday he was to leave sparked speculation he would be joining League One sides Rovers or Northampton.
But Vale have got their man, a week after the club appointed David Flitcroft as director of football.
Garlick, pictured, said: “We are very pleased with the way this has gone. To have got the calibre of Darrell and Dave in is amazing for us as a football club and it makes one hell of a statement about our intentions and our commitment, particularly on behalf of the owners.
“These are quality appointments and they speak volumes.
“His experience, his success, the way he conducts himself. We have been keen to look at the strategy here. I know supporters have asked why we hadn’t got a manager at times through January and part of February but I am hoping now they will understand the process we have been through and to get where we are.
“To bring the calibre of people in that we have really says it all.
“Darrell has a very impressive record and he fits with where we want to go and how we want to develop the club.
“He knows
Dave Flitcroft very well and I think a big factor for Darrell was we had made David’s appointment. Also David’s role speaks about the club’s intentions.
“So, I think all of those factors are why we are fortunate to get Darrell.”
Garlick revealed Flitcroft and Clarke know each other from taking their coaching qualifications together, as well as competing as managers. He said: “Aside of general football, they did their Prolicence together. Also, they have been in competition with each other and there is a mutual respect for what they have achieved in their careers. “But that Pro-licence course was demanding. It had a number of high-profile players, ex-premier League players with the likes of Gianfranco Zola on it.
“These are two lads that formed a bond. Their footballing philosophies tie in with each other.”
Garlick said the club had plenty of interest in the job.
He added: “We had an amazing amount of interest in terms of the number and quality of candidates.
“We have done due diligence, we have taken our time and to be where we are now is great.”
Clarke took training on Tuesday and be in charge of his first game at Leyton Orient on Saturday.