I T SEEMED just like a mid-table battle at the outset – but no-one who was there will ever forget it. Vale went into the game in 17th place having won only four of their previous 15 games, while Grimsby, despite being 13th had been struggling away from home, losing their previous seven and conceding 24 goals in the process.

Grimsby striker Jack Lewis gave them a 14th-minute lead which they doubled by the half-hour mark when the ball rebounded in off John Ridley for an own goal. When Ron Wigg made it 3-0 in the 53rd minute with a 30-yarder the game looked over.

Six minutes later a cross from Terry Lees was headed home by Dave Harris to make it 3-1 and Grimsby began to panic. Just three minutes elapsed before it was 3-2 when the keeper parried a Neil Griffiths free kick and Lees swept home.

Vale levelled matters in the 66th minute. A Lees free kick saw a Brownbill effort cleared off the line and leading scorer Mick Cullerton headed the equaliser.

As if that wasn't enough, just three minutes later a Terry Bailey shot was parried and it was Cullerton again on the spot to complete a remarkable turn around. Vale had scored four goals in just 10 minutes.

That was the end of the scoring as Vale fans got their breath back. At the end of the season Vale finished in 12th place, whilst Grimsby ended 18th, but on the way they lost a club record 18 away games.

The Supporter

Brian Lewis, a Vale fan for almost 50 years, has chosen this week's Memory Match.

Brian, pictured right, says: "That Grimsby game was one of the most remarkable I've ever seen. At the time I was living in Birches Head, and as usual went to all the home games with friends and family, and we all stood in the Bycars End.

You always have hopes for a victory, but it wasn't looking too good at half time when we were 2-0 down. When it went to 3-0 my mate Keith Parker said: "That's it, I'm off!" He walked down the Bycars, into Lorne Street, only to find the gates locked. He then chucked his crash helmet over, climbed over the gates and rode his bike back to Longton with a dark cloud over his head all the way back.

On the field everything suddenly changed. We got one goal back, then another, and no one could believe it when we equalised. We were all still rubbing our eyes in disbelief when Mick Cullerton went and made it 4-3! It just typified the fighting spirit of the club and just proved that they have a never-say-die attitude.

As euphoric as we were at the final whistle, we couldn't help laughing at the thought of my mate Keith's face when the scores came up on the television! He never did live it down!"

Brian has been the Lottery Manager at the Vale for 10years and he looks after the weekly Lucky Seven draw. He describes it as a labour of love, and being a qualified referee, he has been called upon to run the line on more than one occasion when the referee has retired hurt.

The Players

Mick Cullerton, pictured right, was the main striker that day, scoring two of the goals.

He says: "We never used to lose many home games in those days, and teams didn't really like coming to Vale Park. To be honest I didn't think we had played that badly to go 2-0 down, but at half-time coach Reg Berks ripped into us.

"He usually picked on odd ones to provoke a reaction, but this time we all got it.

"He roared, 'If you lot lose today the manager (Roy Sproson) will get the sack, so I hope you're all satisfied with yourselves'.

"On the way back out I mentioned it to Gary Dulson, who was out of the team at the time and he said 'Thank God for that!'

"We let another goal in, and then there was 10 minutes of mayhem when we scored four times. Whether Reg was right about Sproey I don't know, but it seemed to provoke a reaction."

Mick joined the Vale in 1965, but was freed in 1969 only to rejoin them in 1975 for a fee of £4,000 from Stafford Rangers. By the time he left in 1978 he had scored 58 goals in 200 senior appearances. He also played for Chester, Derby County, Eastwood (Hanley) and Northwich Victoria. He has also been commercial manager at Vale and Stoke, and comments on Vale games for local radio.

Terry Lees, pictured right, played in midfield that afternoon.

He says: "Sproey was nowhere to be seen at half time and Reg Berks told us in no uncertain terms that the manager would be sacked if we lost. They were always like good cop, bad cop, with Reg being the bad one. He admitted to me months later that it was a ploy, but that was him all over. He was a great number two, but didn't make a number one.

"When we got a goal back the confidence just flowed, and then I just flung myself at a rebound from Griff's free kick to make it 3-2. I always was brave. It was one of my free kicks that led to the equaliser and from then there was only going to be one winner.

"I was only at the Vale for a year, but that was the third such game I had played in. My first home match was a League Cup tie against Hereford, and we were 4-0 up before getting knocked out. Then we were 3-0 down at Southend only to come back to get a draw. I really enjoyed it at the Vale, but the fans gave me a hard time at first because I came from Stoke. John Connaughton was my mate, but he would never walk off the pitch with me because he didn't want to be booed off! I think I had won them over though by the time I left for Sparta Rotterdam. I nearly returned to the Vale when Bobby Smith was manager and he said he would take the club out of the Third Division – he did, they went down!"

Terry joined the Vale for £3,000 in 1975 from Stoke City and scored two goals in 47 senior appearances. He left a year later, joining Sparta Rotterdam for £25,000 and has also played for Crewe, San Jose Earthquakes, Roda JC, Birmingham City, Newport County, Blackpool, Stafford Rangers, Scunthorpe United, Macclesfield and Altrincham. Nowadays he runs a burger van.

Do you have a favourite Port Vale or Stoke City game? Write to Memory Match, Features, The Sentinel, Forge Lane, Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 5SS or email yesterdays@thesentinel.co.uk including your full name, telephone number and address.