Ken Hancock

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Ken Hancock

| image =

| caption =

| fullname = Kenneth Paul Hancock

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1937|11|25|df=y}}

| birth_place = Milton, Staffordshire, England

| height = {{height|ft=6|in=1}}

| position = Goalkeeper

| youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = Stoke City

| years1 = 1958–1964| clubs1 = Port Vale| caps1 = 241| goals1 = 0

| years2 = 1964–1969| clubs2 = Ipswich Town| caps2 = 163| goals2 = 0

| years3 = 1969–1971| clubs3 = Tottenham Hotspur| caps3 = 3| goals3 = 0

| years4 = 1971–1973| clubs4 = Bury| caps4 = 35| goals4 = 0

| years5 = | clubs5 = Stafford Rangers| caps5 = | goals5 =

| years6 = | clubs6 = Northwich Victoria| caps6 = | goals6 =

| totalcaps = 442+| totalgoals = 0+

| manageryears1 = 1978–1979| managerclubs1 = Leek Town

}}

Kenneth Paul Hancock (born 25 November 1937) is an English former football goalkeeper. He is the younger brother of Ray Hancock.

He made 442 league appearances in a 15-year career in the Football League. He began his professional career at Port Vale in December 1958. He helped the club to win the Fourth Division title in 1958–59 and remained the club's first-choice goalkeeper until he was sold to Ipswich Town for a £10,000 fee in December 1964. He kept goal as the club won the Second Division title in 1967–68. He was sold to Tottenham Hotspur for £7,000 in March 1969. He moved on to Bury in July 1971 and later played Northern Premier League football for Stafford Rangers and Northwich Victoria. He later briefly managed non-League Leek Town.

Playing career

Hancock played for Stoke City before joining local rivals Port Vale as an amateur in November 1958; he signed as a professional with the "Valiants" the next month.{{cite book|last=Kent|first=Jeff|title=Port Vale Personalities|publisher=Witan Books|page=125|year=1996|isbn=0-9529152-0-0}} 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. Hancock went on to keep goal 47 times in the 1960–61 campaign, fending off competition from both Poole and John Cooke. 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 Steele. Hancock played 50 games in the 1963–64 campaign, with Cooke deputising on two occasions. He made 22 appearances in the 1963–64 season, but faced pressure from new signing Reg Davies.

Hancock was sold to Bill McGarry's Ipswich Town for a £10,000 fee in December 1964.{{cite web|title=Ken Hancock|url=http://www.tmwmtt.com/sql/players/profile.phtml?first=Ken&last=Hancock|work=tmwmtt.com|access-date=15 September 2012}} He made 20 Second Division appearances in the 1964–65 season. He played 48 games for the "Blues" in 1965–66 and 1966–67. He featured 45 times in 1967–68, as the Portman Road club won the Second Division title. He played 18 First Division games in 1968–69, before new manager Bobby Robson sold him on to league rivals Tottenham Hotspur for £7,000 in March 1969. Hancock played just six league and cup games for Bill Nicholson's "Spurs" in 1969–70 and 1970–71. He worked as Pat Jennings's deputy whilst Barry Daines was still learning the game.{{cite web|title=ken hancock – fact file|url=http://archive.mehstg.com/fact_hancock.htm|work=mehstg.com|access-date=15 September 2012}} He left White Hart Lane and moved on to Bury in July 1971. He played 35 Fourth Division games for the "Shakers" in 1971–72 and 1972–73 under the stewardship of Allan Brown and then Tom McAnearney.{{cite web|title=stats|url=http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player1/kenhancock.html|work=neilbrown.newcastlefans.com|access-date=15 September 2012}} He then left Gigg Lane and later played Northern Premier League football for Stafford Rangers and Northwich Victoria.

Coaching career

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,{{cite web|url=http://www.leektown.co.uk/info/history.php#managers|title=Leek Town FC Managers|publisher=Leek Town F.C.|access-date=5 February 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928120057/http://www.leektown.co.uk/info/history.php#managers|archive-date=28 September 2007}} 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.{{cite news|title=Port Vale: Ex-players chip in to help fans stay dry|url=http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/Port-Vale-Ex-players-chip-help-fans-stay-dry/story-14165388-detail/story.html|access-date=17 December 2011|newspaper=The Sentinel|date=17 December 2011}}

Style of play

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."{{cite web|url=http://www.sprosonfund.com/Stories/sproson%27seleven.html|title=Sproson's Eleven|last=Harper|first=Chris|date=10 February 1975|work=The Sentinel|access-date=23 June 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081119231734/http://www.sprosonfund.com/Stories/sproson%27seleven.html|archive-date=19 November 2008}}

He also could drop-kick the ball into the opposition penalty area.{{cite book|last=Kent|first=Jeff|title=Port Vale Tales: A Collection of Stories, Anecdotes And Memories|publisher=Witan Books|date=December 1991|pages=145|isbn=0-9508981-6-3}}

Career statistics

Source:{{ENFA}}

rowspan="2"\|Club !rowspan="2"\|Season !colspan="3"\|League !colspan="2"\|FA Cup !colspan="2"\|Other !colspan="2"\|Total
class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
rowspan="8"\|Port Vale \|1958–59 \|Fourth Division \|25	0	0	0	0	0	25	0
1959–60 \|Third Division \|23	0	1	0	0	0	24	0
1960–61 \|Third Division \|39	0	3	0	3	0	45	0
1961–62 \|Third Division \|44	0	7	0	1	0	52	0
1962–63 \|Third Division \|46	0	4	0	1	0	51	0
1963–64 \|Third Division \|44	0	5	0	1	0	50	0
1964–65 \|Third Division \|20	0	1	0	1	0	22	0
colspan="2"\|Total !241	0	21	0	7	0	269	0
rowspan="6"\|Ipswich Town \|1964–65 \|Second Division \|20	0	0	0	0	0	20	0
1965–66 \|Second Division \|41	0	2	0	5	0	48	0
1966–67 \|Second Division \|42	0	4	0	2	0	48	0
1967–68 \|Second Division \|42	0	1	0	2	0	45	0
1968–69 \|First Division \|18	0	0	0	1	0	19	0
colspan="2"\|Total !163	0	7	0	10	0	180	0
rowspan="3"\|Tottenham Hotspur \|1969–70 \|First Division \|1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
1970–71 \|First Division \|2	0	0	0	3	0	5	0
colspan="2"\|Total !3	0	0	0	3	0	6	0
rowspan="3"\|Bury \|1971–72 \|Fourth Division \|24	0	4	0	1	0	29	0
1972–73 \|Fourth Division \|11	0	0	0	0	0	11	0
colspan="2"\|Total !35	0	4	0	1	0	40	0
colspan="3"\|Career total !442	0	32	0	21	0	495	0

Honours

Port Vale

Football League Fourth Division: 1958–59{{cite book|last=Kent|first=Jeff|title=The Valiants' Years: The Story of Port Vale|publisher=Witan Books|year=1990|pages=171–196|chapter=Fame and Fortune (1950–1959)|isbn=0-9508981-4-7}}

Ipswich Town