John Arthur Frederick Poole (12 December 1932 – 17 November 2020) was an English football goalkeeper who made 33 league appearances for Port Vale in the Football League between 1953 and 1961. He later played for non-League sides Macclesfield Town and Werrington.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Arthur Frederick Poole[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 12 December 1932[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Stoke-upon-Trent, England[1] | ||
| Date of death | 17 November 2020 (aged 87)[2] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[3] | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Ashley | |||
| Penkhull Youth Club | |||
| Stoke City | |||
| Port Vale | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1953–1961 | Port Vale | 33 | (0) |
| 1961–1963 | Macclesfield Town | 79 | (0) |
| 1963 | Werrington | ||
| Total | 112 | (0) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
John Poole was born in Stoke-on-Trent on 12 December 1932.[4] After playing for numerous youth teams, including Ashley, Penkhull Youth Club, and Stoke City's youth team, Poole graduated through the Port Vale juniors to sign professional forms in September 1953.[1] He did his national service with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and served in Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia.[5] Manager Freddie Steele handed him his debut on 28 April 1956, in a 3–2 win over Middlesbrough at Vale Park.[1] Remaining as understudy to Ray King, he featured in three Second Division games in the 1956–57 relegation campaign.[1] He played three Third Division South games in 1957–58, as new manager Norman Low recruited former Wales international Keith Jones as the "Valiants" new number one.[1]
Poole did not play in the 1958–59 Fourth Division winning campaign but had a run of games in the 1959–60 season, including playing in front of a Vale Park record crowd of 49,768 in 2–1 defeat to Aston Villa in the FA Cup.[4][1] He managed to earn the first-team goalkeeping spot off Ken Hancock in November 1959, but he lost this position after fracturing his nose in a 6–3 defeat at Mansfield Town on 25 April 1960 – the penultimate game of the season.[1] Manager Norman Low informed Poole's wife with a brief phone call: "Hello, Mrs Poole, Norman Low here. John's in the hospital with a broken nose. The good news is he hasn't fractured his skull. Goodnight!"[6] He played just three Third Division matches in 1960–61, as Hancock firmly established himself as the club's preferred goalkeeper.[1] Poole left on a free transfer in May 1961, and later played for Macclesfield Town and Werrington.[1] Poole retired from playing in 1963.[4]
Style of play
Poole was a goalkeeper with great anticipation and bravery.[5] He played one game with a broken wrist.[5]
Personal life
Upon his retirement he became a keen Port Vale fan; he co-founded the club's Ex-Players Association with former teammate Ken Hancock.[7] He worked as a motor mechanic.[5] He married Pat, who was named as Miss Port Vale in 1954.[4] He had two sons: Greg and Duncan; and two grandchildren: Reece Poole and Katie Poole. His uncle, Tom Davis, also played for Port Vale in the 1920s.[8] Poole's death was announced by Port Vale on 19 November 2020.[4]
Career statistics
Source:[9]
| Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | Other | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Port Vale | 1955–56 | Second Division | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1956–57 | Second Division | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1957–58 | Third Division South | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1958–59 | Fourth Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1959–60 | Third Division | 23 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | |
| 1960–61 | Third Division | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 33 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 0 | ||
| Macclesfield Town | 1961–62[10] | Cheshire County League | 42 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 51 | 0 |
| 1962–63[10] | Cheshire County League | 37 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 43 | 0 | |
| Total | 79 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 94 | 0 | ||
| Total | 112 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 132 | 0 | ||
References
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