‘I opened the local paper and they didn’t give us a chance’
PORT VALE HAVE HISTORY OF BEATING SUNDERLAND IN THE FA CUP. HARRY POOLE AND KEN HANCOCK TALK TO MICHAEL BAGGALEY ABOUT BEATING THE BLACK CATS IN 1962
HARRY Poole cheers Port Vale on from the Bycars End every home game, but an FA Cup tie at home to Sunderland has extra significance. Fifty-six years ago Poole scored for Vale as they knocked the Black Cats out in the fourth round.
Sunderland were in the old second division but battling for promotion and, with a team that included legendary centre-half Charlie Hurley and a fella called Brian Clough up front, were expected to comfortably see off the Valiants.
It didn’t happen as Vale, then of the third division, held them to a goalless draw at Roker Park before winning 3-1 in Burslem.
Harry, now 83, scored the second goal. This isn’t the first time he’s been asked about it this week, but doesn’t mind indulging us.
He said: “I can remember it. I was at the game last Saturday with my son and a friend of his and was explaining to them where I was. I said ‘see that chap on the edge of the box? That’s where I was about 22 or 23 yards out, the goalkeeper came out and I hit it past him’.”
‘Hit it past him’ is no doubt simplifying the finish from a player who scored 79 goals in 493 appearances for the Vale and became noted for his swerving free-kicks.
On this occasion goals from Harry, Brian Jackson and Arthur Longbottom were enough for a Vale team that included Harry’s former school-mates from Carmountside Terry Miles and Ken Hancock.
With Valiants legend Roy Sproson and former England winger Colin Grainger also among the Vale team that night, they didn’t have a bad side.
But, as Harry recalls, not many had expected them to survive the first game at Roker Park against a talented Sunderland team and a crowd of 49,468.
He said: “We were playing pretty well at the time, but I am not sure we fancied our chances. They didn’t fancy our chances in Sunderland. We were having breakfast there and opened the local paper and it was talking about an easy way through for them.
“The thing that sticks in my mind from that game was it was so noisy, I had never experienced anything like it. It was called the Roker Roar and when we came out I could see why... it was deafening.
“But we played fairly well and Ken Hancock did well for us.”
‘Plucky Port Vale Survive Pounding’ was the headline in that evening’s Sentinel. On the day of the replay, on January 31, the paper reported that fans queued from 6am to get their hands on the 350 tickets made available after they had been returned by the Black Cats, then nicknamed the Rokerites.
The biggest crowd of the season was predicted, and achieved as the 28,206 surpassed that campaign’s previous high of 22,895 for a match against the Czechoslovakian national side.
Tickets were priced at seven shillings, the heavens opened, but supporters got their money’s worth as the Vale won to repeat the achievement of the side of 1936 who had knocked out Sunderland in the season the north east giants became league champions of England.
As The Sentinel put it: “Vale spat and hissed like angry alley cats in the floodlit, floodbound thriller to reproduce a 26-year-old nightmare for the pride of Wearside.
“Expensive Sunderland, wounded by the fighting form of their Third Division Cup opponents at Roker, were torn unmercifully in last night’s replay.”
Brian Jackson fired Vale in front from Grainger’s cross on 37 minutes before Poole struck from outside the area four minutes into the second half after collecting Arthur Longbottom’s pass.
Longbottom beat his man before expertly placing home the third, on 70 minutes, before Sunderland “outplayed and looking as dejected as only fallen giants can,” replied three minutes from time with a goal from Willy Mcpheat.
So, yes something similar would do very nicely this Sunday.
Win or lose, Harry, who lives in Leek, will be supporting the Vale from his usual seat in the Bycars with his son Matthew and grandchildren William, aged 18, and Sam, aged 23, who are also regulars or ‘fanatics’ as Harry puts it.
As for Vale’s prospects, Harry said: “I have a feeling Vale have a bit more about them at the moment than they have had recently.
“I shall be there on Sunday and it probably will bring back memories.
“I did see that Sunderland have only lost one match this season - that doesn’t sound good!
“But you’ve always got a chance, especially when you are playing at home.”