Port Vale
The club
Port Vale are based in Burslem, one of the six towns of Stoke-on-Trent, and play at Vale Park, which opened in 1950 and holds 16,800. The club give their founding date as 1876, though research by club historians has argued for 1879; both dates are in circulation and the club uses 1876. They are the Valiants, and have played in white and black since 1921. The Potteries derby against Stoke City is the local fixture, though the two have not been in the same division for many years. Robbie Williams, a Burslem native, invested £240,000 in the club in 2006. Vale hold an unwanted record: 114 seasons in the Football League without ever reaching the top flight, more than any other club.
Recent seasons
Vale were 13th in League Two in 2020/21 with 60 points, then fifth in 2021/22 with 78, going up through the play-offs. They finished 18th in League One in 2022/23 with 49 points and 23rd in 2023/24 with 41, which sent them back down. They came straight back as runners-up in League Two in 2024/25 with 80 points, and were relegated again in 2025/26, finishing 22nd in League One with 42 points from 46 games, ten wins, 12 draws and 24 defeats. The 36 goals they scored in that campaign were the lowest in the division and the reason the season got away from them. So 2026/27 is a fourth division change in five years.
Honours and landmarks
Vale won the Third Division North in 1929/30 and 1953/54, and the Fourth Division in 1958/59. They have won the Football League Trophy twice, in 1992/93 and 2000/01, and came up through the League Two play-offs in 2022. Record attendance is 49,768 against Aston Villa in the FA Cup on 20 February 1960, a figure far beyond anything the modern ground could hold. Roy Sproson made 842 appearances for the club, one of the highest totals recorded for any English club by a one-club player. Wilf Kirkham is the leading scorer with 164 goals. Record fee received is £2,000,000 for Gareth Ainsworth to Wimbledon in 1998; record fee paid is £500,000 for the same player, from Lincoln City in 1997.
Notable scorelines
Record victory: 9-1 against Chesterfield in the Second Division in 1932. Record defeat: 0-10 against Sheffield United in 1892. Precise dates for both were not established from the sources read.
Head-to-head notes
Port Vale do not publish all-time head-to-head records, and none was found for any 2026/27 League Two opponent. Vale open the league season at Oldham Athletic, and open the cup away at Wolverhampton Wanderers, who were relegated from the Premier League and are in the Championship in 2026/27. No published all-time record was established against either. Of the clubs coming down with Vale from League One in 2025/26, Exeter City finished 21st with 49 points, Rotherham United 23rd with 41 and Northampton Town 24th with 35; all four are in League Two together this season.
Right now (2026/27)
Vale are in League Two. Jon Brady is the manager, appointed in January 2025; he took the club up in 2024/25 and back down in 2025/26 and has been retained.
Recruitment has been extensive. Defender Jasper Moon arrived from Burton Albion on a free transfer on 12 June. Goalkeeper Jackson Smith signed from Barnsley for an undisclosed fee on 19 June. Midfielders Matthew Craig, from Tottenham Hotspur, and Kyle Dempsey, from Bolton Wanderers, both joined on free transfers on 1 July. Forward Max Watters signed from Barnsley on a free on 16 July. The club announced winger Onel Hernandez on 8 July, and confirmed loan deals the same day for goalkeeper Mason Terry from West Ham United, forward Mo Faal from Wrexham and forward Oliver Lynch from Luton Town. On 31 July the club announced two more arrivals, defenders Lewis Montsma and Aaron McGowan.
Going the other way, Jordan Shipley's contract was terminated by mutual consent and he joined Cheltenham Town on 23 June. Forward Ruari Paton went to St Johnstone for an undisclosed fee on 25 June. A group of players were released on 30 June. Midfielder Rico Richards joined Southend United permanently on 31 July, and Jack Shorrock went to Sligo Rovers on loan on 28 July.
Pre-season produced a 5-0 win over Tamworth on 14 July, a 3-1 win over Wigan Athletic on 18 July, a 1-1 draw with AFC Bournemouth under-21s on 21 July and a friendly against Real Murcia on 25 July.
The competitive season starts with the Carabao Cup first round away at Wolverhampton Wanderers, at Molineux on Friday 7 August 2026 at 7.45pm. The League Two campaign opens away at Oldham Athletic at Boundary Park on Saturday 15 August 2026 with a 12.30pm kick-off. EFL Trophy group fixtures were confirmed on 30 July.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Vale_F.C. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Port_Vale_F.C._seasons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026%E2%80%9327_Port_Vale_F.C._season https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025%E2%80%9326_EFL_League_One https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026%E2%80%9327_EFL_League_Two https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026%E2%80%9327_EFL_Cup https://www.port-vale.co.uk/news/
Researched and written for not4quarters. Where a fact could not be established from the sources read, this page says so rather than guessing.