Port Vale, Vale Park – Hoppers Guide #165

Into ‘Enemy’ Territory

This week sees us back in my home territory to take in the game between Port Vale and Exeter City.

The game sees us fulfil a promise to visit and review Vale Park, after the club kindly followed us on Twitter.

Despite being a Stoke City fan, I’ve never had the traditional dislike of Vale that usually goes with the territory.

Maybe that’s because I was brought up in Uttoxeter, rather than Stoke itself. A town divided between Stoke City and Derby County fans, including my son!

This makes Derby the chief rival in my mind. Plus, my grandad was a Vale fan. How can I dislike my grandad’s team?

Not only that, it’s good for the city if both of its football teams are doing well. Footfall increases, bringing in extra revenue, and improves the local economy.

Joining me for a rare outing today is Mrs Hopper. This will be her first game since we went to Hebburn Town for the inaugural Hoppers Guide meet-up in October last year.

I’ve been to Vale Park a couple of times before, and I look forward to visiting again to review it for Hoppers Guide.

So without further ado, let’s get on with it.

Port Vale – The Journey

Having travelled down from the Northeast yesterday, the trip to Vale Park was a relatively short one in miles. Though nothing ever feels short when travelling by bus, does it?

We set out to catch the 09:05 32A to Hanley, only to discover that it doesn’t run until 10:43 on a Saturday, and we needed to be in Burslem by midday.

So, this left the railway replacement bus to Kidsgrove. After getting down to the railway station in time, we caught the 09:20 bus, arriving in Kidsgrove an hour later.

From Kidsgrove station, we walked to Tesco to wait for the 10:35 #103 to Burslem.

We disembarked onto Bycars Road just after 11:00 and made our way to see a legend.

While we walk there, why not have a quick read about the town of Burslem?

Burslem

Burslem is a town in the county of Staffordshire. It is one of the six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent.

The town lies near the headwaters of the River Trent, which springs just to the north near Biddulph. It is an area rich in clay and coal, commodities later pivotal to its industrial development.

Burslem is situated approximately 49 miles north of Birmingham, 36 miles south of Manchester, and 21 miles northwest of Uttoxeter. The town is around 31 miles east of the Welsh border, and Hetton-le-Hole lies 180 miles to the northeast.

In the 2021 Census, Burslem had a population of approximately 7,771.

Burslem was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ‘Bacardeslim’.

A number of different explanations of the name exist, but it seems to be a combination of someone called ‘Burghweard‘ and a woodland clearing in what was then the Forest of Lyme.

Heart of the Potteries

Burslem became internationally renowned during the 18th century as the commercial heart of the Staffordshire Potteries. Its access to local raw materials and growing transport links allowed the town to flourish as a centre of pottery production.

The arrival of the Trent and Mersey Canal in 1777, followed by the railway in the 19th century, accelerated Burslem’s expansion, allowing locally produced pottery to be transported efficiently across the UK and beyond.

Burslem-born Josiah Wedgwood was instrumental in the construction of the Trent and Mersey Canal. He was something of a marketing pioneer, too. He introduced direct mail, money-back guarantees, self-service, free delivery, buy-one-get-one-free, and illustrated catalogues.

Burslem is sometimes referred to as ‘The Mother Town’, due to its important role in the industrialisation of the Stoke-on-Trent area.

In 1910, Burslem became part of the newly formed city of Stoke-on-Trent.

Post-War Burslem

The town suffered a decline in the mid-20th century as traditional pottery manufacturing waned.

Despite these economic challenges, Burslem retained its strong cultural identity.

The town was the birthplace of Wedgwood pottery, and ceramics were made in Burslem right up until the closure of its last pot bank, Royal Stafford, in February 2025.

Today, regeneration efforts in Burslem focus on heritage-led development, creative industries, education, and small businesses, building on the town’s historic architecture and industrial legacy.

Unemployment levels in Burslem have historically been higher than the national average. Though targeted regeneration and investment, hopefully, will provide a lifeline to economic recovery.

In 2019, it became the first large town in the UK to have zero free-to-use cash machines, with the closure of the last bank in town.

You can find out more about what Burslem has to offer visitors via the Stoke-on-Trent City Council website.

Notable People from Burslem

Multi-time darts World Champion, Phil Taylor – Football referee, Anthony Bates – artists James Astbury Hammersley and James Holland – Punch magazine editor, Bernard Hollowood – Moorcroft Pottery founder, William Moorcroft – Wedgewood Pottery founder, Josiah Wedgwood – singer, Robbie Williams, and Molly Leigh, who was believed to be a 17th-18th century witch…

My personal favourite native of Burslem is Ian Fraser Kilmister, better known as Lemmy, and lead singer of Motörhead.

It would be remiss of me not to post a good old rock n’ roll tune from the boys… one of my personal favourites.

Enjoy!

Homage to the Man

After leaving the bus, we headed to the area between Wedgewood Street and Market Place. This area has been unofficially dubbed ‘Lemmy Plaza’.

Following the rock star’s death, a statue was unveiled in Lemmy Plaza on 9th May 2025, with fans from around the country and beyond in attendance.

Since then, it has become something of a shrine, with miniature bottles of Lemmy’s favourite drink, Jack Daniels, being left at the foot of the plinth. Drained, of course… Lemmy would hate to see it go to waste.

The statue shows him in a familiar pose astride a microphone with a guitar in hand. A great tribute to a musical legend.

The building opposite, on Wedgewood Street, appears to be an old post office, and Lemmy posters are plastered over all the windows. Probably the first and only refurbishment this building has seen in a few years.

This is a problem throughout Stoke.

A lack of investment, a lack of civic pride in its heritage, and lovely, historic buildings falling into ruin. The result is a city turning into an eyesore in places.

The Lemmy posters do at least brighten it up a little, even if they are black and white.

On the corner of Market Place is a fantastic little art shop which sells all kinds of paintings, books, ceramics and glass items.

The prices were a little hefty for my tastes, but that is the price of genuine quality. It’s also why the potbanks in Stoke are failing, with cheap imports muscling them aside.

Still, well worth a look around, and the lady inside was incredibly helpful and friendly.

A Special Treat

Today was slightly different to my normal ground reviews, thanks to Port Vale’s Twitter admin(s).

I had tweeted about them being one of my favourite admins due to the humour in some of their posts. I also promised to come and review Vale Park if the club agreed to my cheeky request for a follow-back.

They did, so here I am, a man of my word.

Not only did they follow Hoppers Guide, but agreed to give me a look behind the scenes at Vale Park.

Fantastic stuff!

So, with the instruction to be at the main reception for 12:00, we left Mr Kilmister and walked up Hamil Road.

Port Vale – Vale Park

With a few minutes to spare, we headed into the club shop. From here, I purchased a programme and a pin badge, costing a combined £8.00.

Unfortunately, when I got home, I discovered the pin wasn’t connected to the badge. So I had to superglue it back on and hope it stays affixed.

EDIT: It broke apart again when I tried to push it through the material where I keep my badges. 😭

Programme

The programme was a special 150-year anniversary edition priced at £4.50.

For that, you get 66 pages of Port Vale history and content.

This wasn’t a matchday programme, and there is no mention of Exeter City, today’s team news, or league tables, etc. This is purely a celebration of everything that has gone before, including stories, famous matches, and photographs from the club’s past.

There are 12 full pages of adverts, which doesn’t feel like too many, though it would have been nice to keep it to zero for such a special edition and the magazine’s cost.

There are words from the owner, Carol Shanahan; the chief executive; a club timeline; features on legendary manager John Rudge; ex-manager Micky Adams is interviewed; an all-time Vale XI, as chosen by the fans; and many other interesting articles.

Despite the price, I think this edition represents decent value for money and will be a treasured keepsake for Vale fans for years to come.

Overall 8.5/10.

Port Vale Club Shop

The club shop itself is situated on the southern corner of the Hamil Road Stand beyond the car park.

It is a pretty spacious store with all the usual suspects for sale, including the lovely retro home shirt that Vale are wearing this season.

We got there early, so there were plenty of spare staff and no queues. I’m sure this scenario changes as kick-off time approaches.

Port Vale Fanzone

As we passed through the fanzone, a brass band was setting up, and we would see them again later, performing in the stadium.

We also took a look at the statue of John Rudge, which stands outside the Port Vale social club.

We headed on round to the Lorne Street Stand, passing the new mosaic photos on the opposite corner of the Hamil Road End.

Port Vale legends, consisting of photographs of Port Vale fans, make for a clever and striking design. There is another one, which shows Vale Park, again made up of Vale fan photographs.

Outside the main reception is a statue dedicated to the Sproson family. The main statue depicts Roy Sproson, who played in a club record 837 games and also managed the club.

The plinth also recognises his brother, Jess and Jess’s son, Phil Sproson, who also made a hefty 495 appearances for Vale.

Unfortunately, the wording on Phil Sproson’s side of the plinth has started to wear away. It would be nice to see it given a bit of love and rekindle his story on the statue.

We headed down to the Bycars End, where away fans are housed.

Behind the stand is a training pitch, where Port Vale players had been going through some last-minute drills. They were walking past us as we wandered over to take a look.

It was quite amusing having professional footballers saying “Alright mate”, as they wandered past. I have to be honest, though, I didn’t know a single one of them.

Don’t hate me for it…

After a brief walk behind the Bycars Stand, it was time to get back to reception.

Behind the Scenes at Vale Park

After some initial confusion about who the hell I was, we eventually found Dan, the club stadium announcer and one of the Twitter admins.

He was kind enough to leave his duties for long enough to give us a tour of the Lorne Street Stand facilities.

We started with the kit room, which includes a pigeonhole for each player, some industrial-looking washing machines, and, of course, a room to store all the different kits.

Dan showed us where the dressing rooms and match officials’ rooms were, and the lesser-discussed ‘doping room’, where drug tests are randomly conducted. This being a match day and the players already around, going inside wasn’t an option, unfortunately.

We then moved upstairs, where today’s guests of honour were already starting to arrive, with John Rudge in the boardroom area.

There aren’t too many trophies knocking around at either of Stoke’s league clubs, but there were a couple of display cases in the open area at the top of the stairs.

These contained the recent League Two runner-up trophy (when did participation trophies start being awarded?); the 1993 Autoglass winners trophy, and the 2022 Playoff Final Trophy, which they won by beating Mansfield Town 3-0.

We looked inside a packed Legend’s Bar before moving up to the TV gantry, which gave us a fantastic view of Vale Park.

Dan then took us down the players’ tunnel to the pitchside.

Unfortunately, an emergency drill practice was underway, so a steward asked us to move back inside. However, it was good to see that part of the ground up close and personal, too.

Again, a huge thank you to Dan for his time and patience in showing us around on what I know was a busy day for him.

Oatcakes!

With that part of the day done, our minds turned to food, and we returned to a food truck we had passed earlier, on Hamil Road.

We ordered a double cheeseburger for Mrs Hopper (typical American, eh?) and two cheese-and-bacon oatcakes for me (typical Stokie, eh?).

At £11, it wasn’t cheap, but the staff were very friendly, and the food was very nice. It also fixed my oatcake craving for a while, at least, although my mouth is watering again as I write this!

With food eaten, we got talking to a steward outside the ground.

Again, very friendly, and we enjoyed chatting with you, Ken. We also took you up on your advice to wander around Burslem Park, opposite the stadium.

Burslem Park

If you head to Vale Park and find yourself with time to kill and don’t really fancy a pint, then Burslem Park is great.

It’s a quiet, peaceful place with lots of nice spots to sit and relax (or ‘chill’ if it’s January).

We spent some time wandering around, and it’s a lot larger than I expected.

Getting In

However, it was now time to head back to the ground and enjoy some football.

I purchased our tickets from the Port Vale website and printed them at home. They cost £25.00 each and were for the Hamil Road end of the ground.

Our tickets were scanned at the gate, and we made our way inside Vale Park.

We found ourselves in a concourse behind the seating area, with a photographic mural on the wall.

Once we found our seats, I left Mrs Hopper and went to take a few photos of the stadium.

Hamil Road Stand

The Hamil Road Stand is where Port Vale’s more vocal fans congregate, and is backed by the fanzone and John Rudge statue to the rear.

From memory, I’m fairly certain that this was the away end at one time, and was the scene for much celebrating in the Potteries Derby back in 1992/93.

Of course, Vale got their revenge in the FA Cup that same season, but getting promoted back to the second tier was worth much more than that to Stoke.

Nowadays, it is firmly a place for Vale fans and respectful neutrals.

The words ‘Port Vale Football Club’ are spelt out in black seats, with the rest being yellow.

The Hamil Road Stand houses up to 4,500 spectators.

Railway Stand

To the left is the Railway Stand, which, like all of Vale Park, is covered and all-seater.

A police crowd monitoring centre, constructed in 1990, lies between the Hamil Road Stand and the Railway Stand.

Originally, the Railway Stand was a standing paddock on the bottom tier, with seats in the upper tier. Though this was also changed in the 1990s, with seats replacing the paddock.

Although the Hamil Road Stand is where the majority of Vale’s more vocal fans congregate, the Railway Stand is no stranger to singing, either.

The Railway Stand has a capacity of around 2,000.

Bycars Stand

Opposite our stand is the Bycars Stand, which accommodates away supporters.

With a capacity of 3,500 and decent acoustics, this can be the foundation for a great away day.

Today, a very respectable 385 Exeter City fans had made the long trip up from Devon. They were placed in the end section, nearest to the Railway Stand.

It should be noted that supporting pillars can provide a partially restricted view from every stand, except the Lorne Street Stand.

Between the Railway Stand and the Bycars Stand is a large electronic scoreboard covering the old family stand.

Lorne Street Stand

The Lorne Street Stand is the main hub at Vale Park, containing the dressing rooms, hospitality, boardroom, players’ tunnel, TV gantry, etc.

It has a capacity of 2,045, though this is reduced for safety reasons, with the seating to the right of the players’ tunnel currently closed. There are 48 executive boxes, which seat an additional 711 people.

In fact, the same can be said for much of Vale Park’s capacity.

A lack of toilet facilities, food service areas, and stewarding means parts of Vale Park have a reduced capacity.

Technically, I believe Vale Park can hold over 20,000 supporters, but because of the above reasons, the overall capacity is 16,800, which is reduced to just 15,695 on occasions.

Something I’m sure that the owners will be aware of and working on if and when demand for capacity rises.

Money is the biggest issue, with many other projects, including the playing staff, taking up a large share of any budget.

Gallery

Vale Park Tidbits

Vale Park has served as Port Vale’s home since 1950, after the club moved from the Old Recreation Ground.

During construction, people dubbed Vale Park the “Wembley of the North” in recognition of its ambition, with plans for an 80,000 capacity and a pitch that cost £100, then the most expensive ever laid.

Builders completed the ground at a cost of £50,000 and created a venue capable of holding 40,000 spectators.

Meanwhile, the Bycars End initially featured the Swan Passage Stand. Workers dismantled it from the Old Recreation Ground before reassembling it at Vale Park.

At 525 feet above sea level, Vale Park ranks as the second-highest league ground in the country and eleventh overall.

Vale Park sits atop a filled-in marl pit (essentially a former clay quarry) with coal seams and mine shafts lying deep below the surface.

These qualities directly affect the pitch, with clay dominating the subsurface. This makes it prone to winter freezing and unusually dry conditions.

Lifetime Tickets and Stoke City’s Home

To help fund the construction project, the club sold ‘lifetime’ tickets. Although only 100 fans bought them, I still find it intriguing to know whether any remain in use today. If not, when did someone last use one of them?

Vale Park officially opened on 24th August 1950, and 30,196 supporters watched Port Vale host Newport County.

The club installed floodlights in 1958 and first used them against West Bromwich Albion on 24th September.

A crowd of 48,749 set the record attendance at Vale Park on 20th February 1960 for an FA Cup fifth-round 2–1 defeat to Aston Villa.

In 1976, Vale Park hosted Stoke City’s league match against Middlesbrough after high winds ripped the roof from the Butler Street Stand at the Victoria Ground. This damage ultimately forced Stoke to sell Jimmy Greenhoff to Manchester United.

In November 1989, Vale Park became home to the first purpose-built disabled supporters enclosure, at a cost of £100,000.

Since taking control of the club, Carol and Kevin Shanahan have invested in stadium renovations to make Vale Park Championship-ready.

Vale Park has hosted concerts by Motörhead and Robbie Williams, as well as hosting England U21 and England Women’s International games.

Port Vale Tidbits

The Port Vale Football Club was formed in 1876.

Known as The Valiants, they currently compete in League One, or the third tier of English football.

Notably, Port Vale have never played in the top flight and hold the record for the most seasons in the English Football League without reaching the top division.

The club’s origins are uncertain but officially date back to 1876, although later research suggests it may have formed in 1879.

Originally called Port Vale, they became Burslem Port Vale after relocating to Burslem in 1884.

Soon after this move, they turned professional and became a limited company, one of the first English clubs to do so.

Shortly after becoming professional, Port Vale joined the newly formed Football League Second Division in 1892 as founder members. They spent 13 non-consecutive seasons in the division early on, including two spells in the Midland League between 1896 and 1898.

However, financial struggles led to the club’s resignation from the Football League and liquidation in 1907.

Despite this setback, the Port Vale name survived when a local side called Cobridge Church adopted it and carried the mantle forward, eventually returning to the Football League in October 1919 through re-election.

In the years between world wars, Vale spent extended periods in the Second Division, and in 1929/30, they won the Third Division North title, earning promotion. After several years at this level, they dropped back down at the end of the 1935/36 season.

Post-War

After World War II, the Valiants continued in the lower divisions. In 1953/54, under manager Freddie Steele, they won another Third Division North championship and reached the FA Cup semi-final, one of the club’s most celebrated achievements of any era.

Following this, Port Vale again earned success in 1958/59, when Norman Low led the side to the Fourth Division title in its inaugural season, scoring a club-record 110 league goals.

The 1960s and 1970s proved more difficult, with limited success and another relegation.

During this period, the club even had to apply for re-election after breaching Football Association rules on payments in 1968.

Port Vale secured promotion back to the Third Division in 1969/70. Later, John McGrath guided them to promotion again in 1982/83.

John Rudge Era

The club’s most stable and successful period came under manager John Rudge, who took charge in 1983 and stayed until 1999.

Under Rudge, Port Vale won several promotions: from the Fourth Division in 1985/86, from the Third Division via the play-offs in 1989, and again in 1993/94, helping the club reach a post-war high of eighth place in the second tier in 1996/97.

They also won the Football League Trophy in 1993.

After Rudge’s departure, the club entered a period of decline, culminating in relegation to the Fourth Division and two periods in administration in 2003 and 2012.

These financial difficulties hurt their on-field performance, but the club found stability again under manager Micky Adams, who led them to automatic promotion from League Two in 2012/13.

Smurf Out, Shanahan In

Despite this progress, Port Vale suffered another setback, relegation back to League Two at the end of the 2016–17 season.

Norman Smurthwaite, locally known as Smurf, brought the club out of administration in 2012 as part of a group led by Paul Wildes. He would become the sole owner of the club the following year, but he became increasingly unpopular with the Vale fans.

However, the club’s fortunes changed following a takeover by Carol Shanahan in 2019, who brought fresh investment and long-term planning.

Under manager Darrell Clarke, Port Vale secured promotion from League Two via the 2021/22 play-offs, bouncing back after years of struggle. They were relegated again at the end of the 2023/24 season, but responded immediately, securing another promotion in 2024/25 under Darren Moore.

Throughout their long history, the club has played at several grounds. They initially played at the Athletic Ground in Cobridge and the Old Recreation Ground in Hanley before moving into Vale Park in 1950.

The Valiants are currently managed by Jon Brady.

It would be remiss of me not to include a video highlighting the passion and intensity of a Potteries derby game. I’m sure Vale fans will forgive me for choosing one that shows a City win, rather than a Vale one. 😉

The video shows the old family stand next to the Bycars End still in use, and confirms my suspicion that the Hamil Road Stand used to be the away end. It also shows the Lorne Street Stand when it had a terraced paddock.

They Played for Port Vale

Gareth Ainsworth – Brett Angell – Neil Aspin – Peter Barnes – Darren Beckford – Marcus Bent – Billy Bingham – Ian Bogie – Mark Bright – Michael Brown – Robbie Earle – Martin Foyle – Ron Futcher – Dean Glover – Steve Guppy – Bob Hazell – David Healy – Dean Holdsworth – Brian Horton – Keith Houchen – Lee Hughes – Jordan Hugill – Ray Kennedy – Des Lyttle – Mel Machin – Paul Maguire – Jon McCarthy – Bill McGarry – David McGoldrick – Tony Naylor – Tom Pope – Kevin Scott – Bernie Slaven – Phil Sproson – Mike Stowell – Peter Swan – Gareth Taylor – Ian Taylor – Robin van der Laan and Ray Walker.

Despite the intense rivalry in the Potteries, a surprising number of players have crossed the divide, including some Stoke City and Port Vale legends:

Bill Asprey – Jason Beckford – Alan Bloor – Dave Brammer – Ian Brightwell – Mark Chamberlain – Neville Chamberlain – Carl Dickinson – Alan Dodd – Will Forrester – Marc Goodfellow – Jimmy Greenhoff – Tony Kelly – Tony Lacey – John Lumsdon – Lee Mills – Jackie Mudie – Harry Oscroft – Martin Paterson – Danny Pugh – Romaine Sawyers – Barry Siddall – Eric Skeels – Neville Southall – Freddie Steele and Michael Tonge.

Also making the switch between Vale and City are John Rudge, Micky Adams, and Sir Stanley Matthews, in technical director and managerial roles, respectively.

Port Vale – Pre-Game View of Vale Park

Port Vale v Exeter City – The Game

Form

Coming into today’s game, the Valiants sit rock bottom of League One after 24 games played.

They have amassed 18 points, with four wins, six draws and 14 losses, while scoring 18 goals and conceding 34.

In the last five league games, Vale have won just once and lost four times. The solitary win came against Blackpool at Vale Park, with a fantastic 5-1 win.

They have also progressed to the FA Cup 4th Round with a 1-0 win over Fleetwood Town at Vale Park, on 9th January.

Meanwhile, Exeter City lie mid-table with 33 points from 25 games.

They have won 10, drawn 3 and lost 12, while scoring 28 and conceding 23.

Their last five matches have resulted in 3 wins, a draw and a defeat at league leaders, Cardiff City. They also suffered a heavy 10-1 defeat at Premier League Manchester City in the FA Cup.

Importantly, they bounced back from that defeat and beat Stevenage 3-0 in their last game.

Given all the above information, I would expect Exeter to edge this game by a solitary goal.

However, this is a huge occasion for the home side, being the 150th anniversary game. Therefore, I will add that into the mix and call a draw.

Pre-match prediction: Port Vale 1 Exeter City 1

Kick-Off

Summary

Port Vale started the game well enough, though given their recent form, frustration quickly appeared in the stands.

When Carlos Mendes Gomes put Exeter ahead in the 22nd minute, the goal only intensified the anger. The feel-good atmosphere from the 150-year celebrations quickly faded into memory.

“At least Stoke are losing at Brum,” one person near me said. That didn’t last, either, as Stoke went on to gain an excellent point.

As halftime approached, the Grecians almost scored a stunning second.

With the Vale goalkeeper off his line, Jayden Wareham struck a bouncing volley from long distance. The ball sailed over Gauci’s head and looked goal-bound.

Fortunately for Vale, the ball struck the post and went wide. What a goal that would have been!

Still, Vale supporters hoped a halftime pep talk could turn the game around.

Those hopes faded a minute into the second half when Wareham fired in a second goal in front of the Exeter fans.

Boos (and worse) followed, along with chants proclaiming that Vale… ahem… weren’t very good.

Things worsened on the hour mark when a cross from the right left on-loan Timur Tutierov with a simple tap-in at the far post.

A large part of the crowd had disappeared to get warm in the pub by the time Exeter scored their third goal.

Vale got a consolation goal via Cameron Humphreys with 15 minutes left, and Vale did briefly threaten a second.

That threat never turned into any further goals, however.

You can read a full Match Report here, courtesy of the Port Vale website.

Full-time – Port Vale 1 Exeter City 3

Attendance – 8,432 (385 Exeter City fans)

Entrance Fee – £25.00

Programme – £4.50

Port Vale v Exeter City – Match Highlights

League Table After Today’s Game

Up Next

Next up for Vale is another home game, with AFC Wimbledon the visitors on January 27th. (EDIT: Postponed)

They follow that with a trip to Leyton Orient (31st), before opening February with an all-Staffordshire derby ame against Burton Albion (7th).

A Football League Trophy Quarter -Final game with Stockport County awaits the Valiants on February 10th, and an FA Cup 4th Round tie at home to Bristol City on the 14th.

For Exeter, January ends with games at Reading (27th)(EDIT: 2-2), and at home against Rotherham United (31st).

February begins with a trip to Mansfield Town on the 7th, before hosting Northampton Town on the 14th.

Port Vale Thoughts

Despite being Stoke’s chief rivals, I hope Vale fans can see I have given a (mostly) unbiased review of Vale Park’s matchday experience.

There is a community feel to the stadium, and the renovations carried out since my last visit in the early 90s have much improved the place.

The fanzone area is well utilised, and the improvements have clearly extended to the stadium’s exterior, as well as the interior.

The John Rudge and Roy Sproson statues, along with supporter-based photographic murals and ceramic tiles bearing supporter names, clearly evoke community-minded feelings, which is a good thing at any football club.

It was lovely to sample oatcakes again, something I miss, living in the Northeast nowadays.

Burslem Park, opposite the ground, is a nice place to eat a few minutes before the game. Why not combine things and eat oatcakes in Burslem Park? I’d certainly recommend it!

Vale have a good club shop and although they no longer produce matchday programmes, today’s magazine matches their previous reputation for great publications.

Despite things not going well on the pitch, Vale’s attendances have risen in recent years. Things feel more progressive off the pitch under the Shanahan stewardship, and hopefully, they can eventually stabilise in Division One.

I feel like relegation is almost certain for this season, though.

Overall, I would highly recommend a trip to Vale Park for those yet to visit.

“Get theesen’ an owtcake wharl they’st theer, me owd!”

After the Game

Following the final whistle, we made our way back down Hamil Road to the bus stop on Swan Bank.

From here, we caught the 17:20 #103 to Hanley bus station, arriving at 17:40.

The timing was good, and just five minutes later, we caught the 17:45 32X to Uttoxeter.

We arrived back in Utch at 18:45, grabbing a bag of chips between us before heading to the Old Star pub to have a few drinks with friends.

Another successful Hop in the books!

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Next Up for Hoppers Guide

Next week sees us resume the hunt for the 42 SPFL grounds of Scotland.

We will be heading to Glasgow to check out Queen’s Park’s Lesser Hampden, or City Stadium.

It lies in the shadow of Hampden Park, a ground we have previously reviewed, and where Queen’s Park played their home games for many years.

Having sold the ground to the SFA for a paltry sum of £5 million, they now play a few yards away at the revamped Lesser Hampden.

It will be good to get Queen’s Park back in the check box, and it was a relief to get a ticket early, as the ground has a very limited capacity for a Championship team.

After next week’s trip, we will need to visit just four more grounds to complete the 42.

Onto the next!

Hopper Tales #164 – Gillingham

Hopper Tales #166 – Queen’s Park