Opponents No.13 - North Vale & Rotherton

North Vale

Welsh side North Vale have always punched above their weight. Vale's presence in the top flight is usually something of a surprise.

But remarkably the Welshmen featured in the First Division continuously for nearly a decade from the mid-70s and returned in the early 90s for the first few years of the Premier League.

One match that Melchester Rovers fans will recall really sums up the determination of the side from the Valleys. The FA Cup 5th Round tie in 1977 saw Mel Park shrouded in thick fog. Vale adapted best as Race's side seemed distracted by the conditions. Rovers supporters would argue that the fog was an unfair leveler, but the press would disagree. Vale won well 3-2, to advance to the quarter-finals. While Rovers were hammered on the back pages: "Racey's men fogbound!" and "Rovers lose their way in fog!" the pick of the headlines.

What this performance showed, was Vale's ability to raise their game and fight for their club, perhaps a result of being the only Welsh club at the top end of English football. North Vale weren't just representing a town and a club, but a footballing nation.


With a small ground and limited finances, Vale were dependent on their own youth system. Perhaps one of their greatest ever players, Gary Walker the lightning fast, blond haired forward, is symbolic of North Vale's position in the soccer world.

Walker made headlines in the early 80s, his unbelievable goalscoring record also attracting the attention of the big clubs. Incredibly fast, a natural finisher, with a great leap, Walker led the line in the First Division while still in his teens. But the very top clubs were reluctant to take a chance, maybe thinking he was just a flash in the pan.

It took a shocking injury to another star teenage forward, Billy Kramer of Tynefield City, to force a move. City, newly promoted to the First Division, were struggling badly. Kramer's broken leg, sustained falling from a roof-top, after being substituted during a poor performance against Walker's North Vale, forced the Reds into the transfer market.

Walker had impressed scoring a fabulous header past Gordon Stewart that afternoon and a £500,000 record transfer fee was soon agreed.

But as always, Vale would take the money, move on and continue to mix it with the big boys!


Rotherton

East Midlanders Rotherton are another club famed for producing their own top quality talent. The Reds have spent the majority of their history in the Second Division, albeit regularly challenging for promotion and enjoying many short spells in the First Division.

The late 70s were Rotherton's most successful period, with an atypical extended run in the First Division. An attractive side, Rotherton played attacking football and produced some outstanding forwards.

First the double centre forward pairing of Frankie Jones and Alfie Stone kept The Reds away from relegation. While they never challenged at the top, Rotherton were still involved in a number of entertaining matches, mostly ending up as the losing side. in 1976/77 reigning European Champions Blackport Rovers thrashed them 6-0. In 1977/78 the point gained from a draw at League Champions Melchester Rovers was celebrated like a FA Cup win. Unfortunately that match was marred by crowd trouble as Rotherton fans contributed to a mass pitch invasion.


The early 80s saw Rotherton yo-yo between the top two divisions. But fans will fondly recall the goalscoring phenomenon that was Peter Acton, probably the Forest's greatest ever player. He would fire Rotherton to promotion, but found the First Division tougher. He still scored for fun, but his goals alone were never enough to secure a safe position in the top flight.

The yo-yoing would continue, relegation in 1985/86 followed promotion in 1983/84. Acton was a class above the Second Division where a weak defence was not fatal. An immediate return was inevitable and this time Rotherton would find a way of surviving. A side supplemented and improved with the addition of a number the 1983/84 FA Youth Cup runners-up squad. Mike Watson, a centre-half and captain of that youth side, easily made the transition to first-grade football and was a fixture in the Rotherton defence for many years.

However without making any real impact in the top-flight, relegation eventually occurred in the mid-90s and it would be a long time before the team famed for their attacking football and great strikers would feature at the top of English football again.