1996–97 Port Vale F.C. season
Port Vale 1996–97 football season
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The 1996–97 season was Port Vale's 85th season of football in the English Football League, and third successive season in the First Division. Despite early turbulence, including fan protests against chairman Bill Bell and the high-profile sale of Steve Guppy to Leicester City for £800,000, Vale secured a highly respectable 8th‑place finish, marking their best post-war league position.
| 1996–97 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Bill Bell | ||
| Manager | John Rudge | ||
| Stadium | Vale Park | ||
| Football League First Division | 8th (67 points) | ||
| FA Cup | Third Round (eliminated by Blackburn Rovers) | ||
| League Cup | Third Round (eliminated by Oxford United) | ||
| Player of the Year | Lee Mills | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Tony Naylor (17) All: Tony Naylor (20) | ||
| Highest home attendance | 15,186 vs. Bradford City, 28 January 1997 | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 3,505 vs. Carlisle United, 17 September 1996 | ||
| Average home league attendance | 7,840 | ||
| Biggest win | 6–1 vs. Norwich City, 21 December 1996 | ||
| Biggest defeat | 0–3 (twice) | ||
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Leading the scoring charts was Tony Naylor, who notched 20 goals across all competitions, establishing himself as the club's top scorer for the season. Lee Mills also made a substantial contribution, scoring 15 goals and earning the Player of the Year honours for his efforts. Vale Park remained busy, with a deep run in cup competitions and numerous standout performances. Nonetheless, the league campaign showcased a squad that blended attacking flair with resilience amid turbulence. Contributions from stalwarts like Jon McCarthy, Andy Porter, Steve Guppy, and Martin Foyle added depth and consistency throughout the season.
In the 1996–97 campaign, Port Vale finished in 8th place. Manager John Rudge remained in his position during boardroom changes and player departures, while Naylor and Mills scored frequently throughout the season.
Overview
First Division
The pre-season saw John Rudge sign forward Justin O'Reilly from non-League Gresley Rovers for a £30,000 fee.
The season started poorly, with just two wins in the opening 13 games, and protests began to develop against Chairman Bill Bell and his selling policy. On 2 October, Vale defeated Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road by two goals to one as Rudge experimented with a 4–5–1 formation with Stewart Talbot in place of a striker.[1] A decent October, with wins over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux and Birmingham City at home, was followed by a winless November – in which midfielder Jan Jansson became the first Swede to play for the club when he arrived on loan from IFK Norrköping. However, a run of four consecutive victories in December showed the squad's potential. Tony Naylor put a hat-trick past Charlton Athletic in a 3–1 win at The Valley on 14 December.[2] After the match he said he actually hated playing as a lone striker but conceded that "it worked ok today".[3] The following week Vale pulled Norwich City apart in a 6–1 win – Martin Foyle and Stewart Talbot both claiming braces.[4] Norwich manager Mike Walker said that "the second half was a complete shambles".[5] The run was topped off with a 1–0 win over Manchester City in front of over 30,000 people at Maine Road.[6][7] Meanwhile, O'Reilly was loaned out to Macclesfield Town to gain experience.
Vale's form tailed off, and on 19 January, they managed to go from 4–0 up against Queens Park Rangers at half-time to finish the game drawn 4–4, with Jermaine Holwyn scoring an own goal on his debut.[8][9] Vale had scored a fifth goal, but the linesman had not seen the ball cross the goalline.[10] In February, Rudge spent £75,000 to bring Dutch midfielder Rogier Koordes in from Telstar. On 23 February, Vale recorded a 2–1 win away at Birmingham City after putting in a "disciplined if unspectacular performance" as they came from a goal down following Paul Devlin's eighth-minute penalty – Glover made up for giving away the penalty by scoring the winning goal.[11] However, it was Steve Guppy's last game for the club, who was sold to Premier League side Leicester City for £850,000. On 31 March, a brace from Lee Mills secured a 2–1 home win over Tranmere Rovers.[12] A late spurt of form saw them win four straight games to stand a great chance of reaching the play-offs with just three games to go. O'Reilly was moved to Southport in April, having not appeared in the Vale first-team. On 12 April, Vale beat Oldham Athletic 3–2 thanks to a goal from Mills and two from Naylor, leaving the club in the play-off places with three games left.[13] Captain Neil Aspin correctly theorised that "this may be the best chance we ever have of reaching the play-offs".[14] Rivals Stoke City managed to dampen Vale's hopes by easing to a 2–0 victory at the Victoria Ground. More damaging, though, was the defeat at home to Wolves and a final-day draw with eventual play-off winners Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
They finished eighth with 67 points (a mere four points off Palace in the play-offs), representing their highest finish since 1933–34. They finished three points and four places higher than Stoke.
At the end of the season, legendary midfielder Ray Walker ended his nine years of association with the club, becoming a player-coach with non-League Leek Town. Another popular player's Vale career was starting, however, with Jan Jansson signing permanently for a £200,000 fee.
Finances
The club's shirt sponsors were Tunstall Assurance. The club made a profit of £621,000 for the season, primarily due to the sale of Steve Guppy.[15]
Cup competitions
In the FA Cup, Premier League Blackburn Rovers proved to be too strong, as Vale left Ewood Park having suffered a 1–0 defeat.
In the League Cup, nearby Second Division side Crewe Alexandra lost 1–0 at Vale Park, before Vale blasted them away with a 5–1 win at Gresty Road. They then advanced past Third Division Carlisle United with a 3–2 aggregate victory. Pitted against Oxford United in the third round, a 2–0 defeat at the Manor Ground meant Vale were out of the competition.
Results
Pre-season
| 26 July 1996 Isle of Man International Football Festival | Wrexham | 2–2 (6–5 p) | Port Vale | Douglas, Isle of Man |
| 14:45 BST | Connolly  51' Watkin 75' |
Report | Naylor 45' McGregor 47' (og.) |
Stadium: National Sports Centre Attendance: 450 Referee: R Radcliffe Assistant referees: A Quayle, K Giles Fourth official: P Crompton |
| Penalties | ||||
Hardy  Watkin  Brammer Connolly Chalk Williams Carey Phillips |
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Football League First Division
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Crystal Palace (O, P) | 46 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 78 | 48 | +30 | 71 | Qualification for the First Division play-offs |
| 7 | Portsmouth | 46 | 20 | 8 | 18 | 59 | 53 | +6 | 68 | |
| 8 | Port Vale | 46 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 58 | 55 | +3 | 67 | |
| 9 | Queens Park Rangers | 46 | 18 | 12 | 16 | 64 | 60 | +4 | 66 | |
| 10 | Birmingham City | 46 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 52 | 48 | +4 | 66 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goals scored; 3) Goal difference
(O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted
Results by matchday
Matches
| 17 August 1996 1 | Port Vale | 1–1 | Bolton Wanderers | Burslem |
| Naylor 72' |
Report | Thompson 23' |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 10,057 |
| 24 August 1996 2 | Swindon Town | 1–1 | Port Vale | Swindon |
| Robinson 62' |
Report | McCarthy 32' |
Stadium: County Ground Attendance: 8,706 Referee: G. Pooley |
| 27 August 1996 3 | Tranmere Rovers | 2–0 | Port Vale | Prenton |
| Mahon 45' Branch 44' |
Report | Stadium: Prenton Park Attendance: 6,123 |
| 31 August 1996 4 | Port Vale | 2–0 | Oxford United | Burslem |
| Naylor 41' Mills 62' |
Report | Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,016 |
| 7 September 1996 5 | Portsmouth | 1–1 | Port Vale | Portsmouth |
| Russell 23' |
Report | Porter 58' |
Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 6,448 |
| 10 September 1996 6 | Port Vale | 0–2 | Manchester City | Burslem |
| Report | Rösler 10' Dickov 68' |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 10,770 Referee: Neale Barry |
| 14 September 1996 7 | Port Vale | 1–1 | Grimsby Town | Burslem |
| Hill 12' |
Report | Southall 27' |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 4,892 |
| 21 September 1996 8 | Southend United | 0–0 | Port Vale | Southend-on-Sea |
| Report | Stadium: Roots Hall Attendance: 4,025 |
| 29 September 1996 9 | Bradford City | 1–1 | Port Vale | Bradford |
| Jacobs 83' |
Report | Guppy 37' |
Stadium: Valley Parade Attendance: 4,706 |
| 2 October 1996 10 | Queens Park Rangers | 1–2 | Port Vale | Shepherd's Bush, West London |
| Barker 79' |
Report | Guppy 70' Naylor 76' |
Stadium: Loftus Road Attendance: 8,727 |
| 5 October 1996 11 | Oldham Athletic | 3–0 | Port Vale | Oldham |
| Ormondroyd 15', 38' Banger 42' |
Report | Stadium: Boundary Park Attendance: 6,051 |
| 13 October 1996 12 | Port Vale | 1–1 | Stoke City | Burslem |
| Mills 90' |
Report | Keen 65' |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 14,396 |
| 16 October 1996 13 | Port Vale | 0–2 | Crystal Palace | Burslem |
| Report | Dyer Roberts |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 4,522 |
| 19 October 1996 14 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0–1 | Port Vale | Wolverhampton |
| Report | Naylor 65' |
Stadium: Molineux Stadium Attendance: 22,755 Referee: D Orr |
| 26 October 1996 15 | Huddersfield Town | 0–1 | Port Vale | Huddersfield |
| Report | McCarthy 54' |
Stadium: Kirklees Stadium Attendance: 11,017 |
| 29 October 1996 16 | Port Vale | 1–3 | Barnsley | Burslem |
| Guppy 52' |
Report | Hendrie 45' de Zeeuw 62' Marcelle 88' |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 5,231 |
| 2 November 1996 17 | Port Vale | 3–0 | Birmingham City | Burslem |
| Naylor 22', 41' Guppy 68' |
Report | Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 8,388 |
| 9 November 1996 18 | West Bromwich Albion | 1–1 | Port Vale | West Bromwich |
| Taylor 35' |
Report | Guppy 17' |
Stadium: The Hawthorns Attendance: 13,975 |
| 16 November 1996 19 | Port Vale | 0–0 | Sheffield United | Burslem |
| Report | Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 8,352 |
| 23 November 1996 20 | Ipswich Town | 2–1 | Port Vale | Ipswich |
| Tanner 34' Mason 77' |
Report | Naylor |
Stadium: Portman Road Attendance: 9,491 |
| 30 November 1996 21 | Port Vale | 0–0 | Huddersfield Town | Burslem |
| Report | Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,026 |
| 7 December 1996 22 | Reading | 0–1 | Port Vale | Reading, Berkshire |
| Report | Talbot 73' |
Stadium: Elm Park Attendance: 6,445 |
| 14 December 1996 23 | Charlton Athletic | 1–3 | Port Vale | Charlton, London |
| Chapple 21' |
Report | Naylor 34', 46', 49' |
Stadium: The Valley Attendance: 10,003 |
| 21 December 1996 24 | Port Vale | 6–1 | Norwich City | Burslem |
| Porter 7' Talbot 43', 62' Foyle 47', 90' Mills 69' |
Report | Fleck 90' |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,278 |
| 26 December 1996 25 | Manchester City | 0–1 | Port Vale | Manchester |
| Report | Foyle 42' |
Stadium: Maine Road Attendance: 30,344 Referee: Roger Furnandiz |
| 28 December 1996 26 | Port Vale | 0–2 | Portsmouth | Burslem |
| Report | Hall 11' Svensson 47' |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,382 |
| 11 January 1997 27 | Grimsby Town | 1–1 | Port Vale | Cleethorpes |
| Mendonca 54' |
Report | Tankard 62' |
Stadium: Blundell Park Attendance: 3,863 |
| 19 January 1997 28 | Port Vale | 4–4 | Queens Park Rangers | Burslem |
| Glover 24' Mills 35' Jansson 41' Brazier 45' (og.) |
Report | Holwyn 66' (og.) Impey 85' Murray 88' Spencer 90' |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 5,736 |
| 25 January 1997 29 | Port Vale | 2–1 | Southend United | Burslem |
| Guppy 56' McCarthy 84' |
Report | Thomson 37' |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 5,588 |
| 28 January 1997 30 | Port Vale | 0–1 | Bradford City | Burslem |
| Report | Watson 20' |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 15,186 |
| 1 February 1997 31 | Port Vale | 2–2 | West Bromwich Albion | Burslem |
| Naylor 23', 82' |
Report | Peschisolido 7', 61' |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 8,093 |
| 8 February 1997 32 | Barnsley | 1–0 | Port Vale | Barnsley |
| Hendrie 26' |
Report | Stadium: Oakwell Attendance: 12,246 |
| 15 February 1997 33 | Port Vale | 2–2 | Ipswich Town | Burslem |
| Mills 40' Porter 43' (pen.) |
Report | Mason 9' Stockwell 69' |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,115 |
| 23 February 1997 34 | Birmingham City | 1–2 | Port Vale | Birmingham |
| Devlin 8' (pen.) |
Report | Porter 16' Glover 54' |
Stadium: St Andrew's Attendance: 13,192 |
| 4 March 1997 36 | Sheffield United | 3–0 | Port Vale | Sheffield |
| Ward 62' (pen.) Taylor 79' Fjørtoft 82' |
Report | Stadium: Bramall Lane Attendance: 14,950 |
| 8 March 1997 37 | Norwich City | 1–1 | Port Vale | Norwich |
| Jackson 11' |
Report | McCarthy 26' |
Stadium: Carrow Road Attendance: 16,101 |
| 15 March 1997 38 | Port Vale | 2–0 | Charlton Athletic | Burslem |
| Mills 54', 62' |
Report | Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 5,905 |
| 18 March 1997 39 | Bolton Wanderers | 4–2 | Port Vale | Bolton |
| Frandsen 9' Glover 38' (og.) Fairclough 81' Blake 83' |
Report | Bogie 3' Talbot 50' |
Stadium: Burnden Park Attendance: 14,150 |
| 22 March 1997 40 | Port Vale | 1–0 | Swindon Town | Burslem |
| Mills 52' |
Report | Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,142 Referee: E. Lomas |
| 31 March 1997 41 | Port Vale | 2–1 | Tranmere Rovers | Burslem |
| Mills 36', 52' |
Report | Irons 23' |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,469 |
| 5 April 1997 42 | Oxford United | 0–2 | Port Vale | Oxford |
| Report | Mills 31' Naylor 87' |
Stadium: Manor Ground Attendance: 7,370 |
| 12 April 1997 43 | Port Vale | 3–2 | Oldham Athletic | Burslem |
| Naylor 32', 85' Mills 76' |
Report | Garnett 45' Duxbury 82' |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 8,114 |
| 20 April 1997 44 | Stoke City | 2–0 | Port Vale | Stoke-upon-Trent |
| Sheron 44', 85' |
Report | Stadium: Victoria Ground Attendance: 16,246 |
| 27 April 1997 45 | Port Vale | 1–2 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Burslem |
| Naylor 40' |
Report | Thomas 34' Atkins 42' |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 13,615 Referee: W Burns |
| 4 May 1997 46 | Crystal Palace | 1–1 | Port Vale | Selhurst, Croydon |
| Roberts 12' |
Report | Mills 61' |
Stadium: Selhurst Park Attendance: 16,401 |
FA Cup
| 4 January 1997 R3 | Blackburn Rovers | 1–0 | Port Vale | Blackburn |
| Bohinen 68' |
Report | Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 19,891 |
League Cup
| 20 August 1996 R1 1st Leg | Port Vale | 1–0 | Crewe Alexandra | Burslem |
| Naylor 22' |
Report | Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 5,236 |
| 3 September 1996 R1 2nd Leg | Crewe Alexandra | 1–5 (1–6 agg.) | Port Vale | Crewe |
| Adebola 16' |
Report | Bogie 26' McCarthy 34' Foyle 75' Naylor 84' Mills 85' |
Stadium: Gresty Road Attendance: 4,471 |
| 17 September 1996 R2 1st Leg | Port Vale | 1–0 | Carlisle United | Burslem |
| Naylor 49' |
Report | Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 3,505 |
| 24 September 1996 R2 2nd Leg | Carlisle United | 2–2 (2–3 agg.) | Port Vale | Carlisle |
| Thomas 8', 74' |
Report | McCarthy 41' Mills 78' |
Stadium: Brunton Park Attendance: 5,545 |
| 22 October 1996 R3 1st Leg | Port Vale | 0–0 | Oxford United | Burslem |
| Report | Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 4,942 |
| 5 November 1996 R3 2nd Leg | Oxford United | 2–0 (2–0 agg.) | Port Vale | Oxford |
| Jemson 13', 39' |
Report | Stadium: Manor Ground Attendance: 5,279 |
Squad statistics
Appearances and goals
- Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; DF – Defender; MF – Midfielder; FW – Forward
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | First Division | FA Cup | League Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||||
| GK |  ENG |
Matthew Boswell | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| GK | ENG |
Paul Musselwhite | 36 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||
| GK |  NED |
Arjan van Heusden | 17 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |||
| DF | ENG |
Neil Aspin | 38 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |||
| DF | ENG |
Dean Glover | 48 | 2 | 42 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |||
| DF | ENG |
Gareth Griffiths | 31 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |||
| DF | ENG |
Andy Hill | 43 | 1 | 38 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |||
| DF | NED |
Jermaine Holwyn | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| DF |  NIR |
Jon McCarthy | 52 | 6 | 45 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | |||
| DF | ENG |
Dean Stokes | 11 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| DF | ENG |
Allen Tankard | 44 | 1 | 37 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |||
| MF | ENG |
Ian Bogie | 36 | 2 | 31 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | |||
| MF | ENG |
Wayne Corden | 13 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
| MF | NED |
Rogier Koordes | 13 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| MF | ENG |
Andy Porter | 51 | 4 | 44 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |||
| MF | ENG |
Stewart Talbot | 36 | 4 | 34 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||
| MF | ENG |
Ray Walker | 19 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||
| FW | ENG |
Martin Foyle | 43 | 4 | 37 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | |||
| FW | ENG |
Lee Mills | 41 | 15 | 35 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | |||
| FW | ENG |
Tony Naylor | 49 | 20 | 43 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | |||
| FW | ENG |
Justin O'Reilly | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Players who featured but departed the club during the season: | |||||||||||||
| MF | ENG |
Steve Guppy | 40 | 6 | 34 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |||
| MF |  SWE |
Jan Jansson | 12 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
Top scorers
| Place | Position | Nation | Name | First Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FW | England | Tony Naylor | 17 | 0 | 3 | 20 |
| 2 | FW | England | Lee Mills | 13 | 0 | 2 | 15 |
| 3 | MF | England | Steve Guppy | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| – | FW | Northern Ireland | Jon McCarthy | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| 5 | MF | England | Stewart Talbot | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| – | MF | England | Andy Porter | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| – | FW | England | Martin Foyle | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 8 | FW | England | Ian Bogie | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| – | DF | England | Dean Glover | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | DF | England | Allen Tankard | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | DF | England | Andy Hill | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | MF | Sweden | Jan Jansson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| TOTALS | 58 | 0 | 9 | 67 | |||
Transfers
Transfers in
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Transfers out
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Loans in
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Loans out
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