Career
The decision to found a new team was based on the fact that Porthill was inconveniently far away from Hood and a number of other players wished to play closer to home. He was the captain of the first recorded Vale line-up on 9 December 1882, also scoring the goal of the 5–1 defeat to nearby Stoke. Between November 1884 and April 1885 he played only the occasional match and from that point onwards was mainly a reserve and supporter.