Roy Sproson
|
Sproson statue outside Vale Park | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Roy Sproson | ||
| Date of birth | 23 September 1930 | ||
| Place of birth | Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England | ||
| Date of death | 24 January 1997 (aged 66) | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Trent Vale | |||
| Stoke City | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1949–1972 | Port Vale | 760 | (30) |
| Total | 760 | (30) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1974–1977 | Port Vale | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Roy Sproson (23 September 1930 – 24 January 1997) was an English footballer and football manager for Port Vale. 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. This includes 128 consecutive appearances between April 1954 and March 1957. He is also 16th on the all-time Football League appearance list.
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. He served under eight managers before taking the reins 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 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 15 years, Harry Poole.