Ken Hancock

Port Vale

Hancock joined Port Vale as an amateur in November 1958 after being approached by Lol Hamlett; he signed as a professional with the "Valiants" the next month. He made his debut in a 4–2 defeat by Millwall at The Den on 13 December. He played the remaining 24 games of the 1958–59 season, as manager Norman Low took the club to the Fourth Division title. Hancock lost his first-team place in November 1959 due to injury but managed to regain it off reserve goalkeeper John Poole by April 1960. The pair each played 23 Third Division games in the 1959–60 season. He did, however, miss the FA Cup tie with Aston Villa in front of a Vale Park record crowd of 49,768 due to injury. Hancock went on to keep goal 47 times in the 1960–61 campaign, fending off competition from both Poole and John Cooke. This tally included a clean sheet at Roker Park against a Sunderland front-line led by Brian Clough in the FA Cup; before the match kicked off Hancock had been so overwhelmed by the wall of noise from the 'Roker Roar' that he fell over, though managed to style it out by doing a forward roll. He injured his ankle in the opening minutes of the replay, but with no substitutions allowed, managed to play on with the help of painkilling injections in what ended as a 3–1 victory. This win led to an FA cup fifth round defeat at Fulham. He was an ever-present during the 51 game 1962–63 season, as Vale finished one place and four points shy of the promotion places under new boss Freddie…

After retiring as a player, he returned to Port Vale in July 1975 as a part-time coach under the management of Roy Sproson. He moved on to Cheshire County League side Leek Town as a manager in 1978, later serving as club chairman. He also sat on the Leek and Moorland League management committee. He co-founded Port Vale's Ex-Players Association with former teammate John Poole.

Former teammate Roy Sproson described him as: "strong in dealing with crosses, quick reactions and a fine kicker of the ball". He went on to describe a save in an FA Cup tie with Sunderland as one where "[he] turned in mid-air and managed to push the ball round the post in what still rates as the most fantastic save I have seen to this day." He could also drop-kick the ball into the opposition penalty area.

Kenneth Paul Hancock was born on 25 November 1937 in Milton, and grew up in Abbey Hulton, both areas in the city of Stoke-on-Trent. He spent his youth with Stoke City before he was let go after being judged as too small by assistant manager Arthur Turner. His father, Charlie, had played as a goalkeeper in local non-League football. His elder brother, Ray, played as a goalkeeper for Stoke's Potteries derby rivals Port Vale. Hancock took a job as a bicycle courier for the city council and served his National Service with the North Staffordshire Regiment. By 1958, he had grown to a height of 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m).