1997–98 Port Vale F.C. season
Port Vale 1997–98 football season
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The 1997–98 season was Port Vale's 86th season of football in the English Football League, and fourth successive season in the First Division. Under the stewardship of manager John Rudge and chairman Bill Bell, the club produced a dramatic final-day escape from relegation, securing a vital 4–0 win over Huddersfield Town that ensured Vale survived while Potteries derby rivals Stoke City were relegated — leaving Port Vale as the proud top club in the Potteries.
| 1997–98 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Bill Bell | ||
| Manager | John Rudge | ||
| Stadium | Vale Park | ||
| Football League First Division | 19th (49 Points) | ||
| FA Cup | Third Round (knocked out by Arsenal) | ||
| League Cup | First Round (knocked out by York City) | ||
| Player of the Year | Gareth Ainsworth | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Lee Mills (14) All: Lee Mills (16) | ||
| Highest home attendance | 14,964 vs. Arsenal, 14 January 1998 | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 2,749 vs. York City, 12 August 1997 | ||
| Average home league attendance | 8,263 | ||
| Biggest win | 4–0 vs. Huddersfield Town, 3 May 1998 | ||
| Biggest defeat | 1–5 vs. Ipswich Town, 18 April 1998 | ||
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In cup competitions, Vale put up a commendable fight in the FA Cup, drawing Arsenal away before falling in a tense Third Round replay on penalties. Their League Cup campaign ended at the First Round stage. The campaign also marked a transition in the squad: key departures included high-performing duo Lee Mills and Jon McCarthy, alongside stalwarts Dean Glover, Andy Porter, and Andy Hill. In a bid to strengthen, Vale broke their transfer record by signing Gareth Ainsworth from Lincoln City for £500,000. On the scoring front, Lee Mills finished as both league (14) and season top scorer (16 goals). Attendance peaked at 14,964 for the FA Cup tie against Arsenal and dropped to a low of 2,749 vs. York City, with an average attendance of 8,263. The club's heaviest league reverse was a 5–1 defeat to Ipswich Town on 18 April 1998.
Overview
First Division
The pre-season saw the arrival of Swedish midfielder Jan Jansson from IFK Norrköping for a £200,000 fee. Dutch defender Mark Snijders also signed from AZ.
The Vale started the season in modest form, picking up 14 points in the opening nine games. On 23 August, they defeated Sunderland by three goals to one after Tony Naylor secured the three points in the 72nd minute by nutmegging Andy Melville on a run that began just inside the Sunderland half and ended with a swerving right-foot shot into the corner of the net.[1] On 11 September, John Rudge made the club's record signing by paying Lincoln City £500,000 for the services of midfielder Gareth Ainsworth. To pay for this, Jon McCarthy was sold to Birmingham City for £1.5m.[2] Also heading away from Stoke-on-Trent was Arjan van Heusden, who joined Oxford United on loan. The next month, Gareth Griffiths left for a loan spell at Shrewsbury Town. Disappointment came on 12 October, with a 2–1 defeat to rivals Stoke City at the newly opened Britannia Stadium. Vale's indifferent form continued, one highlight being a 3–2 win over Manchester City at Maine Road on 4 November in which Andy Porter man-marked Georgi Kinkladze out of the game.[3] Later in the year, Paul Beesley joined on loan from Man City, and played a handful of games. The club's indifferent form then turned to a terrible run of ten defeats in twelve games, which included a run of one goal scored in seven games. Their form picked up in February, though they were still inconsistent.
On 1 March, Stoke, who were also in relegation danger, escaped from Vale Park with a goalless draw. On 7 March, Vale beat Reading 3–0 at Elm Park after going into a two-goal lead inside 20 minutes.[4] Later in month Rudge signed young Tottenham Hotspur forward Paul Mahorn on non-contract terms. On 14 March, a 2–1 win over Manchester City was to prove crucial – the club's first home win over Manchester City, though Vale were still in danger of the drop.[5] Going into their final game with Huddersfield Town at the Alfred McAlpine Stadium Vale had lost three straight games, and needed a win to ensure their safety in the league.[6] A brace from Jansson, and one each from Martin Foyle and Lee Mills earned Vale a 4–0 win. Rudge said: "It all ended happily in the end but we must take that as a warning and not ignore it".[7]
They finished in 19th place, one point above Manchester City in the relegation zone. Stoke City were also relegated, and had Stoke beat Vale in Burslem, then Vale would have taken Stoke's place in the relegation zone.[6] Lee Mills was the club's top-scorer with 16 goals, whilst Tony Naylor also hit double-figures.
At the end of the season, Lee Mills was signed by Premier League Bradford City, becoming Bradford's first million-pound player. Twelve-year club veteran Andy Porter signed for Wigan Athletic, as did Griffiths. Another major departure was nine-year club veteran defender Dean Glover, who joined non-League Kidderminster Harriers. Another older player, Andy Hill, retired outright. Other departures were Dave Barnett to Lincoln City, Dean Stokes to Third Division Rochdale, and Dutch keeper Arjan van Heusden also headed into the basement division with Cambridge United. Fellow Dutchman Jermaine Holwyn returned to the Netherlands to play for HFC Haarlem.
Finances
The club's shirt sponsors were Tunstall Assurance.
Cup competitions
In the FA Cup, Vale faced a trip to Highbury to face Arsenal. Rudge's "Valiants" battled to a goalless draw with the "Gunners" to take the Londoners back to Burslem; manager Arsène Wenger remarked that it was "amazing how teams who do not do especially well in their own league suddenly become monsters".[8] Again goalless, Dennis Bergkamp scored in the tenth minute of extra time, but Wayne Corden equalized eight minutes before the full-time whistle.[9] Lee Dixon missed the first penalty of the shoot-out, but Arsenal recovered to win the game 4–3 on penalties, and later went on to lift the cup.[10][11] Rudge later told the story of the kit lady informing him the washing machine had broken down before the match and could Rudge contact the suppliers, leaving him to contemplate "I wonder if Arsene Wenger is doing this?"[12] Bell said the club made a total of £300,000 from the two ties.[12]
In the League Cup, Second Division York City eliminated the Vale with a 3–2 aggregate victory.
Results
Football League First Division
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | Bury | 46 | 11 | 19 | 16 | 42 | 58 | −16 | 52 |
| 18 | Swindon Town | 46 | 14 | 10 | 22 | 42 | 73 | −31 | 52 |
| 19 | Port Vale | 46 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 56 | 66 | −10 | 49 |
| 20 | Portsmouth | 46 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 51 | 63 | −12 | 49 |
| 21 | Queens Park Rangers | 46 | 10 | 19 | 17 | 51 | 63 | −12 | 49 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goals scored; 3) Goal difference
Results by matchday
Matches
| 9 August 1997 1 | Port Vale | 0–1 | Nottingham Forest | Burslem |
| 15:00 BST | Report | Campbell  39' |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 12,533 Referee: Phil Richards |
| 16 August 1997 2 | Portsmouth | 3–1 | Port Vale | Portsmouth |
| Aloisi 24' Svensson 38', 47' |
Report | Talbot 43' |
Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 10,605 Referee: Rob Harris |
| 23 August 1997 3 | Port Vale | 3–1 | Sunderland | Burslem |
| Mills 3' Naylor 39', 72' |
Report | Phillips 76' |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 8,290 Referee: Andy D'Urso |
| 3 September 1997 4 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1–1 | Port Vale | Wolverhampton |
| Bull 74' |
Report | Foyle 82' |
Stadium: Molineux Stadium Attendance: 21,524 Referee: Alan Butler |
| 9 September 1997 5 | Port Vale | 2–1 | Stockport County | Burslem |
| 19:45 BST | Mills 1', 36' |
Report | Dinning 43' (pen.) |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,615 Referee: Graham Laws |
| 13 September 1997 6 | Norwich City | 1–0 | Port Vale | Norwich |
| Fleck 59' |
Report | Stadium: Carrow Road Attendance: 11,269 |
| 16 September 1997 7 | Crewe Alexandra | 0–1 | Port Vale | Crewe |
| Report | Mills 55' |
Stadium: Gresty Road Attendance: 5,519 |
| 20 September 1997 8 | Port Vale | 1–1 | Bury | Burslem |
| Ainsworth 7' |
Report | Swan 82' |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,781 Referee: Trevor Jones |
| 27 September 1997 9 | Port Vale | 2–0 | Queens Park Rangers | Burslem |
| Snijders 17' Naylor 20' |
Report | Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,197 Referee: Eddie Wolstenholme |
| 4 October 1997 10 | Swindon Town | 4–2 | Port Vale | Swindon |
| Hay 49', 81', 85' Taylor 67' |
Report | Glover 36' Foyle 86' |
Stadium: County Ground Attendance: 8,048 Referee: Steve Bennett |
| 12 October 1997 11 | Stoke City | 2–1 | Port Vale | Stoke-on-Trent |
| Forsyth 5' Keen 34' |
Report | Naylor |
Stadium: The Britannia Attendance: 20,125 Referee: Clive Wilkes |
| 18 October 1997 12 | Port Vale | 0–0 | Bradford City | Burslem |
| Report | Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,148 Referee: Paul Danson |
| 21 October 1997 13 | Port Vale | 4–1 | Huddersfield Town | Burslem |
| Horne 26' (og.) Talbot 47' Ainsworth 73' Naylor 83' |
Report | Stewart 86' |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 5,244 Referee: Mike Bailey |
| 25 October 1997 14 | Middlesbrough | 2–1 | Port Vale | Middlesbrough |
| Merson 11', 68' (pen.) |
Report | Foyle 90' |
Stadium: Riverside Stadium Attendance: 30,096 Referee: Scott Mathieson |
| 1 November 1997 15 | Port Vale | 0–0 | Reading | Burslem |
| Report | Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,569 Referee: George Cain |
| 4 November 1997 16 | Manchester City | 2–3 | Port Vale | Manchester |
| Wiekens 15' Dickov 41' |
Report | Snijders 17' Talbot 45' Naylor 50' |
Stadium: Maine Road Attendance: 24,554 Referee: Mike Brandwood |
| 8 November 1997 17 | Tranmere Rovers | 1–2 | Port Vale | Prenton |
| Irons 51' |
Report | Naylor 14', 67' |
Stadium: Prenton Park Attendance: 7,063 Referee: Kevin Lynch |
| 15 November 1997 18 | Port Vale | 1–2 | West Bromwich Albion | Burslem |
| Mills 48' |
Report | Hunt 57' Hamilton 68' |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 11,124 Referee: Roger Furnandiz |
| 22 November 1997 19 | Port Vale | 0–0 | Sheffield United | Burslem |
| Report | Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 8,017 Referee: David Pugh |
| 29 November 1997 20 | Oxford United | 2–0 | Port Vale | Oxford |
| Beauchamp 32' Jemson 57' |
Report | Stadium: Manor Ground Attendance: 5,762 Referee: Mick Fletcher |
| 6 December 1997 21 | Port Vale | 0–1 | Birmingham City | Burslem |
| Report | Cottee 18' |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,509 Referee: Eddie Lomas |
| 13 December 1997 22 | Charlton Athletic | 1–0 | Port Vale | Charlton, London |
| Newton 84' |
Report | Stadium: The Valley Attendance: 11,077 Referee: Mark Halsey |
| 20 December 1997 23 | Port Vale | 1–3 | Ipswich Town | Burslem |
| Foyle 50' |
Report | Mathie 10', 22' Johnson 43' |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 5,784 Referee: Terry Heilbron |
| 26 December 1997 24 | Stockport County | 3–0 | Port Vale | Stockport |
| 15:00 GMT | Travis 66', 80' Bennett 71' |
Report | Stadium: Edgeley Park Attendance: 10,003 Referee: Guy Stretton |
| 28 December 1997 25 | Port Vale | 0–2 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Burslem |
| Report | Muscat 45' Freedman 87' |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 10,898 Referee: Paul Taylor |
| 10 January 1998 26 | Nottingham Forest | 2–1 | Port Vale | Nottingham |
| 15:00 GMT | van Hooijdonk 27', 83' |
Report | Mills 16' |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 17,639 Referee: Andy D'Urso |
| 17 January 1998 27 | Port Vale | 2–1 | Portsmouth | Burslem |
| Talbot 29' Mills 56' |
Report | Durnin 36' |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,028 Referee: Mike Bailey |
| 24 January 1998 28 | Port Vale | 2–3 | Crewe Alexandra | Burslem |
| Naylor 1' Porter 74' (pen.) |
Report | Smith 2' (pen.) Whalley 33' Foran 41' |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,683 Referee: Phil Richards |
| 31 January 1998 29 | Sunderland | 4–2 | Port Vale | Sunderland |
| Johnston 12' Phillips 13' Quinn 20' Carragher 87' (og.) |
Report | Talbot 39' Jansson 90' |
Stadium: Stadium of Light Attendance: 39,258 Referee: Mike Pike |
| 7 February 1998 30 | Bury | 2–2 | Port Vale | Bury, Greater Manchester |
| Battersby 30' Ellis 60' |
Report | Mills 10' Bogie 17' |
Stadium: Gigg Lane Attendance: 5,285 Referee: Brian Coddington |
| 14 February 1998 31 | Port Vale | 2–2 | Norwich City | Burslem |
| Mills 34', 85' |
Report | Grant 64' Jackson 68' |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,664 Referee: Alan Wiley |
| 17 February 1998 32 | Port Vale | 0–1 | Swindon Town | Burslem |
| Report | Collins 4' |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 5,925 Referee: Matt Messias |
| 21 February 1998 33 | Queens Park Rangers | 0–1 | Port Vale | Shepherd's Bush, West London |
| Report | Mills 24' |
Stadium: Loftus Road Attendance: 14,198 Referee: Alan Butler |
| 24 February 1998 34 | Bradford City | 2–1 | Port Vale | Bradford |
| Melville 34' Pepper 58' |
Report | Foyle 29' |
Stadium: Valley Parade Attendance: 13,293 Referee: William Burns |
| 1 March 1998 35 | Port Vale | 0–0 | Stoke City | Burslem |
| Report | Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 13,853 Referee: Paul Rejer |
| 4 March 1998 36 | Port Vale | 0–1 | Tranmere Rovers | Burslem |
| Report | Kelly 47' |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 5,465 Referee: Anthony Leake |
| 7 March 1998 37 | Reading | 0–3 | Port Vale | Reading, Berkshire |
| Report | Mills 7' Talbot 19' Jansson 82' |
Stadium: Elm Park Attendance: 7,139 Referee: Mark Halsey |
| 14 March 1998 38 | Port Vale | 2–1 | Manchester City | Burslem |
| Foyle 13' Ainsworth 73' |
Report | Wiekens 61' |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 13,122 Referee: Roger Furnandiz |
| 21 March 1998 39 | West Bromwich Albion | 2–2 | Port Vale | West Bromwich |
| Flynn 24' Taylor 83' |
Report | Jansson 69' Foyle 90' |
Stadium: The Hawthorns Attendance: 14,242 Referee: Terry Heilbron |
| 28 March 1998 40 | Sheffield United | 2–1 | Port Vale | Sheffield |
| Marcelo 83' Saunders 89' |
Report | Corden 90' |
Stadium: Bramall Lane Attendance: 15,860 Referee: Steve Bennett |
| 4 April 1998 41 | Port Vale | 3–0 | Oxford United | Burslem |
| Mills 29' Naylor 42' Ainsworth 84' |
Report | Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,524 Referee: Kevin Lynch |
| 11 April 1998 42 | Birmingham City | 1–1 | Port Vale | Birmingham |
| Ndlovu 87' |
Report | Ainsworth 58' |
Stadium: St Andrew's Attendance: 17,193 Referee: George Cain |
| 13 April 1998 43 | Port Vale | 0–1 | Charlton Athletic | Burslem |
| Report | Mendonca 73' (pen.) |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 9,973 Referee: Eddie Wolstenholme |
| 18 April 1998 44 | Ipswich Town | 5–1 | Port Vale | Ipswich |
| Johnson 4', 58' Petta 27', 29' Mathie 56' |
Report | Barnett 65' |
Stadium: Portman Road Attendance: 16,205 Referee: Paul Taylor |
| 24 April 1998 45 | Port Vale | 0–1 | Middlesbrough | Burslem |
| Report | Merson 2' |
Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 12,096 Referee: Clive Wilkes |
| 3 May 1998 46 | Huddersfield Town | 0–4 | Port Vale | Huddersfield |
| Report | Foyle 2' Jansson 25', 60' Mills 79' |
Stadium: Kirklees Stadium Attendance: 15,610 Referee: Guy Stretton |
FA Cup
| 3 January 1998 R3 | Arsenal | 0–0 | Port Vale | Highbury, North London |
| Report | Stadium: Arsenal Stadium Attendance: 37,471 Referee: Paul Alcock |
League Cup
Player 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 | 44 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| GK |  NED |
Arjan van Heusden | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | ENG |
Dean Glover | 26 | 1 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| DF | ENG |
Neil Aspin | 29 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| DF | ENG |
Allen Tankard | 42 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| DF | ENG |
Dean Stokes | 9 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| DF |  NIR |
Jon McCarthy | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| DF | ENG |
Andy Hill | 31 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| DF | ENG |
Matt Carragher | 25 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | ENG |
Paul Beesley | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | ENG |
Dave Barnett | 9 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | NIR |
Liam Burns | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | NED |
Mark Snijders | 23 | 4 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | ENG |
Gareth Griffiths | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | ENG |
Andy Porter | 43 | 1 | 40 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| MF | ENG |
Ian Bogie | 41 | 1 | 38 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| MF | ENG |
Wayne Corden | 35 | 2 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| MF | ENG |
Stewart Talbot | 45 | 6 | 41 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| MF | NED |
Rogier Koordes | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF |  SWE |
Jan Jansson | 34 | 5 | 32 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| MF | ENG |
Gareth Ainsworth | 41 | 5 | 39 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | ENG |
Richard Eyre | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF |  WAL |
Scott Ruscoe | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| FW | ENG |
Dean Cunningham | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| FW | ENG |
Martin Foyle | 42 | 8 | 38 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| FW | ENG |
Lee Mills | 45 | 16 | 42 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| FW | ENG |
Justin O'Reilly | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| FW | ENG |
Tony Naylor | 41 | 10 | 37 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| FW | ENG |
Simon Armstrong | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| FW | ENG |
Steve Williams | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Top scorers
| Place | Position | Nation | Name | First Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FW | England | Lee Mills | 14 | 0 | 2 | 16 |
| 2 | FW | England | Tony Naylor | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 3 | FW | England | Martin Foyle | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 4 | MF | England | Stewart Talbot | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 5 | MF | Sweden | Jan Jansson | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| – | MF | England | Gareth Ainsworth | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 7 | MF | England | Wayne Corden | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| – | DF | Netherlands | Mark Snijders | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | DF | England | Dean Glover | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | DF | England | Dave Barnett | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | MF | England | Ian Bogie | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | MF | England | Andy Porter | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | – | Own goals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| TOTALS | 56 | 1 | 2 | 59 | |||
Transfers
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