THE BEGINNING OF A NEW TOURNAMENT AND PORT VALE

It was on this day (December 10th) that the "modern" UEFA organisers decided, in 1998, to give European football a boot up the backside by expanding the Champions League to 32 clubs, introducing an extra group stage hoping to squeeze out as much money as they could from all European clubs. The European Cup Winners Cup went the other way and was abolished, with the domestic cup winners being put into the UEFA Cup. Lazio became the first club to win the 39 year old competition when Pavel Nedved scored the winner against Real Mallorca at the end of the season.

AND BY THE WAY in 1892, on this day, Robbie William's favourite club, Port Vale, suffered a 0-10 defeat at home to Sheffield United in what remains a record away win in English Football League history.

Port Vale Football Club is based in Burslem, near Stoke, and competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Vale are named after the valley of ports on the Trent and Mersey Canal. They have never played top-flight football, and hold the record for the most seasons in the English Football League (113) without reaching the first tier. After playing at the Athletic Ground in Cobridge and The Old Recreation Ground in Hanley, the club returned to Burslem when Vale Park was opened in 1950. Outside the ground is a statue of Roy Sproson, who played 842 competitive games for the club. The club's traditional rivals are Stoke City, and games between the two are known as the Potteries derby.

After becoming one of the more prominent football clubs in Staffordshire, the Port Vale club was invited to become one of the founder members of the Football League Second Division.

And to embelish this blog, tomorrow, Vale play Doncaster Rovers, at their Echo Power Stadium, in the Second Round of the Football League Trophy. It doesn't get much better than this.

Vale's Upcoming matches: Dec 14: away at Bromley, South London; then on 21st home to Carlisle Utd and on Boxing Day, away at Bradford City 11 am start! MERRY CHRISTMAS. what odds on maximum points?