Port Vale Football Club was formed in 1876, although they became known as Burslem Port Vale for 15 years when they moved to that particular district in 1884.
They reverted back to Port Vale in 1909, but did not settle at their current home Vale Park until 1950. The club joined the Football League as original members of Division Two in 1892, but four years later they failed in their bid for re-election. They returned in 1898.
After resigning from the league in 1907, the Valiants returned to the Football League in 1919 after taking over the fixtures of Leeds City, who were disbanded after financial irregularities.
In 1929, Vale were relegated to Division Three North but responded by winning that title immediately, but throughout the early-1950s they spent their time being shifted between the north and south sections, before lifting the Division Three North Title in 1954.
That same year they also made it to the FA Cup semi-finals before losing 2-1 to West Brom. By the late 1950s the club found themselves in the Fourth Division, but they managed to win the title once more and stayed in the Third Division for six seasons before being relegated in 1965.
At the end of the 1967-68 campaign, the club was expelled from the Football League for making illegal payments, but were immediately re-elected.
More promotions and relegations from the bottom two tiers followed and by the 1990s they had made their way to Division Two, spending six years at that level until their relegation in 2000.
Nine years on, and Vale once again find themselves back in the bottom division, with manager Micky Adams given the task of trying to mastermind a revival.
They finished the 2008/09 season in 17th place, with only two teams in that league recording more losses, and Adams shook things up at the start of the 2009/10 campaign by placing his entire squad on the transfer list.
