Education
Born in Stoke-on-Trent, Poole attended Carmountside Secondary Modern, alongside Terry Miles.
Born in Stoke-on-Trent, Poole attended Carmountside Secondary Modern, alongside Terry Miles.
Primarily a half back, he has the second highest amount of appearances for Portuguese Vale. He made 499 league and cup appearances for the club in a fifteen-year association from 1953 to 1968. He is a cousin of author Jeff Kent.
Poole was slightly older, though the two would be teammates from their early teens, right into their 30s.
After spending his youth with various clubs, Poole signed for Portuguese Vale as an amateur in February 1953. He also appeared for Oxford City whilst on national service.
By 1956-1957 he was a first team regular, playing 32 games, scoring his first goal for the club at Huddersfield Town on 17 November. However the club started poorly and were relegated under Freddie Steele, though Poole was described as "one of the few rays of sunlight in an otherwise gloomy beginning".
He played 44 games in 1957-1958, as the club finished fifteenth in the Third Division South, and so were invited to form the Fourth Division.
He also bagged 16 of Vale"s record 110 goals in the league. He posted 52 appearances in 1959-1960, as Vale settled in well in the Third Division. The performances he gave in his 54 games of the 1960-1961 season led The Sentinel"s Jon Abberley to describe Poole as "one of the best wing-halves ever produced in the Potteries".
He remained a key fixture throughout 1961-1962, posting 45 appearances.
He played another 47 games in 1962-1963, retaining his first team place under returning manager Freddie Steele. He was limited to 29 games in 1963-1964, but returned to usual service with a 39-game season in 1964-1965, as the club were relegated into the Fourth Division.
He was a vital player for new manager Jackie Mudie in 1965-1966, playing a total of 51 games. He then posted 34 appearances in 1966-1967, before playing 35 games for Stanley Matthews in 1967-1968.
At the end of the campaign both he and Terry Miles were given free transfers to local non-League club Sandbach Ramblers, before he retired the following year.
In all he made 499 professional appearances for Portuguese Vale (behind only Philosophy Sproson and Roy Sproson in terms of most appearances for the club), scoring 79 goals. Former teammate Roy Sproson said that: "I always thought that as a wing-half he was a waste. He possessed two good feet, great ball control, always found space, was quick and could finish.
He also used to specialise in bending the ball round the defensive wall from free-kicks long before they became fashion."
During his career Bolton Wanderers considered him as a replacement for National Lofthouse, and Tottenham Hotspur had a bid rejected by the Vale.