1966–67 Port Vale F.C. season

The pre-season saw general manager Stanley Matthews injured in a car accident with a National Coal Board lorry on 29 July, Jackie Mudie was also in the car but remained relatively unharmed.[1] As Matthews recovered in came four new forwards, the most significant of which was Crystal Palace's Ian Lawson.[1] Lawson cost £1,000 with an additional £1,000 signing on fee.[1] Other new faces included winger Mick Mahon (Loughborough United); inside-forward Jimmy Goodfellow (Bishop Auckland); and Billy McCartney (Rangers).[1] There was a kit change to an all-white strip, upon the suggestion of Stanley Matthews.[1]

The season opened with a 2–1 home win over Southport using an optimistic 4–2–4 formation.[1] Following Roy Sproson's winning goal there was a pitch invasion – by then a disturbingly common occurrence.[1] Six games without a loss followed, leaving the club in fourth position.[1] Goals were still rare however, and so Lawson was dropped from the first XI, despite the departure of in-form forward John Rowland to Mansfield Town for £6,500.[1] Financial difficulties made the atmosphere around Burslem quite gloomy, not helped by the news that former Valiant John Nicholson had been killed in a car crash.[1] Vale's form suffered, though the defence remained quite strong.[1] Young Scot Mick Cullerton was a ray of sunshine for the club in front of goal.[1]

Good form in the Christmas period continued into an unbeaten January in the league, as the club climbed to within five points of the promotion places.[1] In came forward Mel Charles from Porthmadog for a £1,250 fee.[1] A 1–0 defeat at Gresty Road to Crewe Alexandra in front of an unruly crowd marked the first of a crucial seven game sequence against the promotion hopefuls.[1] A win over Barrow and a draw at Stockport County were succeeded by five straight defeats, killing Vale's promotion hopes dead.[1] They reversed the decline by doing the double over Rochdale within two days, including a 5–0 victory witnessed by 3,004 fans at Vale Park.[1] In April, popular player John Ritchie was sold to Preston North End for £17,500.[1] Mel Charles sidelined with a knee injury, Vale limped to the season's end without a win in their final five games.[1] On 3 May, Stuart Chapman made his debut at the age of fifteen in a 2–2 draw with Lincoln City.[1] Five days later, manager Jackie Mudie tendered his resignation as player-manager, citing 'personal reasons'.[1]

They finished in thirteenth place with 43 points, marking a slight improvement on the previous campaign.[1] Mick Cullerton's twelve goals in all competitions were enough to make him the top-scorer.[1] In the club's first ever Player of the Year ceremony, veteran defender Roy Sproson was bestowed with the honour.[1] Meanwhile, the club's youth team performed brilliantly, reaching the quarter-finals of the FA Youth Cup, where they were eliminated 3–0 by Scunthorpe United.[1]

On the financial side, there was a loss of £7,925 despite a transfer credit of £20,425 and a donation of £19,381 from the Sportsmen's Association and the Development Pool.[1] Gate receipts were just £30,298, whilst the club's overdraft stood at £82,373.[1] Nine players were released at the end of the season, most notably: Mel Charles (Oswestry Town); Ian Lawson and Brian Taylor (Barnsley); and untested reserve Ray Kennedy – who would take a break from football before returning to the game to play for Liverpool and England.[1] Roddy Georgeson was also released at his own request to work in a bank,[1] though he soon turned out for Dundee before beginning a long career in Scottish football.

In the FA Cup, a 4–3–3 formation was used to defeat Bradford City 2–1 at Valley Parade with a 40 yards (37 m) 'goal of a lifetime' from John Ritchie.[1] Vale drew Barnsley in the Second Round, and earned a replay with a 1–1 draw at Oakwell. The replay attracted 12,784 supporters, but "Tykes" ran out 3–1 winners.

In the League Cup, Third Division Walsall knocked out the Vale at the first stage with a 3–1 win.