He started his career at Port Vale, signing professional forms in January 1978 to become the club's first black pro.
[1] Vale were relegated out of the Third Division, and manager Bobby Smith left and was replaced by his assistant, Dennis Butler.
[1] The 1978–79 season saw the "Valiants" drop to 16th in the Fourth Division, though Chamberlain's six goals in 28 games did give fans a glimmer of optimism for the future.
[1] However, he then suffered a decline in form, though still managed to hit nine goals in 37 games in 1981–82, as his brother established himself as Vale's top talent.
[1] Manager John McGrath sold his brother to rivals Stoke City, and five games into the 1982–83 promotion campaign "Potters" boss Richie Barker also took the elder Chamberlain to the Victoria Ground for a £40,000 fee.
[5] He scored a hat-trick in a 3–3 draw with Derby County at Pride Park on 22 December, and became the club's top scorer with 17 league and cup goals.
[3] When the pair played together for Port Vale they used to swap shirts at half-time to confuse opposition players attempting to mark his brother.