Roy Sproson

Roy Sproson (23 September 1930 – 24 January 1997) was an English footballer and football manager for Port Vale.

Roy Sproson was born above a greengrocer's shop at 3 Slater Street, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent on 23 September 1930.

He was apparently named after the local featherweight boxer Roy Berrisford, after his father returned home from witnessing a Berrisford victory to find his wife had given birth in his absence.

The family later moved to Trent Vale, where a young Sproson played football for the Trent Vale Lifeboys, winning the Sentinel Shield with a 5–0 win over Port Vale.

Sproson played for Stoke City at an amateur level for twelve months in the late 1940s.

He was courted by teams such as Aston Villa, West Ham United and Bolton Wanderers.

His father wished him to follow in his footsteps and sign for Stoke City.

The Stoke manager Bob McGrory promised him a contract after Sproson finished his National service, but after brother Jess introduced him to Port Vale manager Gordon Hodgson, he signed with the Vale for £3 a week while he served his National service.

In July 1949 Sproson's time with the Royal Air Force had finished and he signed with Port Vale as a professional.

A one-club man, he holds the all-time appearance record for Vale, making 837 starts (and 5 substitute appearances) for Vale between 1950 and 1972.

Sproson remained with the club from its highest peaks in the early 1950s until the troughs of the last 1960s near the bottom of the English Football League.

However, he had to wait until 11 November 1950 for his debut, in a 1–1 draw with Gillingham at Priestfield.

He started the last five games of the season after sharing the No. 6 jersey with Jimmy Todd and Bill McGarry.

Hodgson's death in June 1951 did not keep Sproson out of the first XI and he played most games under new manager Ivor Powell.

His first goal came on 22 September in a 2–2 draw at home with Torquay United.

However, following the appointment of Freddie Steele in December 1951, Sproson was dropped in favour of the experienced Stan Palk.

Sproson won his place back in March 1952 and held on to his shirt for many years.

Steele worked to develop the famous 'Iron Curtain' defence, as the Vale defence conceded just 35 times in 46 games in 1952–53.

Only Second Division Huddersfield Town conceded fewer, though Vale still finished one point behind Oldham Athletic.

The 1953–54 season would live on Vale folk-lore.

Sproson was one of the men that made it happen, playing in 53 games.

The club stormed to the Third Division North championship with just 21 goals conceded in 46 games (a Football League record).

Sproson helped keeper Ray King keep thirty clean sheets in the league (again a record).

He also played in Vale's FA Cup semi-final defeat to West Bromwich Albion.

"'At the time, we did not know what it was like to lose and the thought never occurred to us. We were convinced, in fact, that we could not be beaten.'"

He had little trouble adapting to life in the Second Division the following season.

This includes a run of 128 consecutive appearances between April 1954 and March 1957.

He is also sixteenth on the all time Football League appearance list.

He made 45 appearances in 1954–55 and 44 appearances in 1955–56.

However, in 1956–57 the club struggled and suffered relegation – the 'Iron Curtain' was a thing of the past as they leaked 101 goals in the league.

In 1957–58 the club found themselves in the last ever season of the Third Division South.

Norman Low couldn't bring his team to a top twelve finish, which meant the club spent 1958–59 in the new Fourth Division.

Low adopted an attacking policy, but still relied on men like Sproson to hold the fort at the back.

They took the Fourth Division title in 1958–59, though Sproson spent the first half of the season on the sidelines with an ankle injury.

Terry Miles took his No. 6 jersey, though both Alan Martin and Roy Pritchard failed to hold on to the No. 3 jersey, which Sproson claimed in February 1959.

It was the first time in six season he played less than forty games, for the next eleven seasons he would make at least thirty games a season.

He played 49 games in 1959–60.

He served under eight managers before taking the reins himself between 1974 and 1977.

A relic of a bygone era when it was common for players to only play for a few clubs throughout their entire careers, his record for the club is unlikely ever to be equalled or bettered.

He finished with around 350 more appearances for the club than his closest rival, and teammate of fifteen years, Harry Poole.