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1996–97 Port Vale F.C. season

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Port Vale
1996–97 season
ChairmanBill Bell
ManagerJohn Rudge
StadiumVale Park
Football League First Division8th (67 Points)
FA CupThird Round
(knocked out by Blackburn Rovers)
League CupThird Round
(knocked out by Oxford United)
Player of the YearLee Mills
Top goalscorerLeague: Tony Naylor (17)
All: Tony Naylor (20)
Highest home attendance15,186 vs. Bradford City, 28 January 1997
Lowest home attendance3,505 vs. Carlisle United, 17 September 1996
Average home league attendance7,840
Biggest win6–1 vs. Norwich City, 21 December 1996
Biggest defeat0–3 (twice)

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. John Rudge led the club to its joint-second-highest ever league finish, as Vale finished in eighth spot, four points from the play-offs. Vale exited both the FA Cup and the League Cup at the Third Round.

Overview

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First Division

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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 thirteen 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, before the run was topped off with a 1–0 win over Manchester City in front of over 30,000 people at Maine Road.[4][5] 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.[6][7] In February, Rudge spent £75,000 to bring Dutch midfielder Rogier Koordes in from Telstar. However, he had to suffer the departure of winger Steve Guppy, who was sold to top-flight Leicester City for £850,000. Despite the loss, the "Valiants" marched on, as 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.[8] 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

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The club's shirt sponsors were Tunstall Assurance.

Cup competitions

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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.

League table

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Main article: 1996–97 Football League

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
Source: [9]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goals scored; 3) Goal difference
(O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted

Results

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Port Vale's score comes first

Football League First Division

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Results by matchday

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Round12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546
GroundHAAHAHHAHAAHHAAHHAHAHAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAHAHHAHAHA
ResultDDLWDLDDDWLDLWWLWDDLDWWWWLDDWLDLDWWLDWLWWWWLLD
Position1016181312171918191415172015111312101114161512989101178812109798886555688
Source: Statto[10]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

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Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
17 August 1996 Bolton Wanderers H 1–1 10,057 Naylor
24 August 1996 Swindon Town A 1–1 8,706 McCarthy
27 August 1996 Tranmere Rovers A 0–2 6,123
31 August 1996 Oxford United H 2–0 6,016 Naylor, Mills
7 September 1996 Portsmouth A 1–1 6,448 Porter
10 September 1996 Manchester City H 0–2 10,770
14 September 1996 Grimsby Town H 1–1 4,892 Hill
21 September 1996 Southend United A 0–0 4,025
29 September 1996 Bradford City A 1–1 4,706 Guppy
2 October 1996 Queens Park Rangers A 2–1 8,727 Guppy, Naylor
5 October 1996 Oldham Athletic A 0–3 6,051
13 October 1996 Stoke City H 1–1 14,396 Mills
16 October 1996 Crystal Palace H 0–2 4,522
19 October 1996 Wolverhampton Wanderers A 1–0 22,755 Naylor
26 October 1996 Huddersfield Town A 1–0 11,017 McCarthy
29 October 1996 Barnsley H 1–3 5,231 Guppy
2 November 1996 Birmingham City H 3–0 8,388 Naylor (2), Guppy
9 November 1996 West Bromwich Albion A 1–1 13,975 Guppy
16 November 1996 Sheffield United H 0–0 8,352
23 November 1996 Ipswich Town A 1–2 9,491 Naylor
30 November 1996 Huddersfield Town H 0–0 6,026
7 December 1996 Reading A 1–0 6,445 Talbot
14 December 1996 Charlton Athletic A 3–1 10,003 Naylor (3)
21 December 1996 Norwich City H 6–1 6,278 Talbot (2), Foyle (2), Porter, Mills
26 December 1996 Manchester City A 1–0 30,344 Foyle
28 December 1996 Portsmouth H 0–2 7,382
11 January 1997 Grimsby Town A 1–1 3,863 Tankard
19 January 1997 Queens Park Rangers H 4–4 5,736 Glover, Mills, Jansson, Brazier (og)
25 January 1997 Southend United H 2–1 5,588 Guppy, McCarthy
28 January 1997 Bradford City H 0–1 15,186
1 February 1997 West Bromwich Albion H 2–2 8,093 Naylor (2)
8 February 1997 Barnsley A 0–1 12,246
15 February 1997 Ipswich Town H 2–2 6,115 Mills, Porter (pen)
23 February 1997 Birmingham City A 2–1 13,192 Porter, Glover
1 March 1997 Reading H 1–0 6,057 Naylor
4 March 1997 Sheffield United A 0–3 14,950
8 March 1997 Norwich City A 1–1 16,101 McCarthy
15 March 1997 Charlton Athletic H 2–0 5,905 Mills (2)
18 March 1997 Bolton Wanderers A 2–4 14,150 Bogie, Talbot
22 March 1997 Swindon Town H 1–0 6,142 Mills
31 March 1997 Tranmere Rovers H 2–1 7,469 Mills (2)
5 April 1997 Oxford United A 2–0 7,370 Mills, Naylor
12 April 1997 Oldham Athletic H 3–2 8,114 Naylor (2), Mills
20 April 1997 Stoke City A 0–2 16,246
27 April 1997 Wolverhampton Wanderers H 1–2 13,615 Naylor
4 May 1997 Crystal Palace A 1–1 16,401 Mills

FA Cup

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Main article: 1996–97 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R3 4 January 1997 Blackburn Rovers A 0–1 19,891

League Cup

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Main article: 1996–97 Football League Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R1 1st Leg 20 August 1996 Crewe Alexandra H 1–0 5,236 Naylor
R1 2nd Leg 3 September 1996 Crewe Alexandra A 5–1 4,471 Bogie, McCarthy, Foyle, Naylor, Mills
R2 1st Leg 17 September 1996 Carlisle United H 1–0 3,505 Naylor
R2 2nd Leg 24 September 1996 Carlisle United A 2–2 5,545 McCarthy, Mills
R3 1st Leg 22 October 1996 Oxford United H 0–0 4,942
R3 2nd Leg 5 November 1996 Oxford United A 0–2 5,279

Player statistics

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Appearances and goals

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Pos. Name Football League FA Cup League Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK England Paul Musselwhite 33 0 1 0 2 0 36 0
GK Netherlands Arjan van Heusden 13 0 0 0 4 0 17 0
GK England Matthew Boswell 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DF England Dean Glover 42 2 1 0 5 0 48 2
DF England Neil Aspin 33 0 1 0 4 0 38 0
DF England Allen Tankard 37 1 1 0 6 0 44 1
DF England Dean Stokes 10 0 1 0 0 0 11 0
DF Northern Ireland Jon McCarthy 45 4 1 0 6 2 52 6
DF England Andy Hill 38 1 0 0 5 0 43 1
DF Netherlands Jermaine Holwyn 7 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
DF England Gareth Griffiths 26 0 1 0 4 0 31 0
MF England Andy Porter 44 4 1 0 6 0 51 4
MF England Ray Walker 17 0 0 0 2 0 19 0
MF England Ian Bogie 31 1 1 0 4 0 36 1
MF England Wayne Corden 12 0 0 0 1 0 13 0
MF England Steve Guppy 34 6 1 0 5 0 40 6
MF England Stewart Talbot 34 4 0 0 2 0 36 4
MF Netherlands Rogier Koordes 13 0 0 0 0 0 13 0
MF Sweden Jan Jansson 11 1 1 0 0 0 12 1
FW England Martin Foyle 37 3 1 0 5 1 43 4
FW England Lee Mills 35 13 0 0 6 2 41 15
FW England Tony Naylor 43 17 1 0 5 3 49 20
FW England Justin O'Reilly 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Top scorers

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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 2 0 0 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

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Transfers in

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Date from Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref.
February 1997 MF Netherlands Rogier Koordes Netherlands SC Telstar £75,000 [11]

Transfers out

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Date from Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref.
28 February 1997 MF England Steve Guppy Leicester City £850,000 [11]
May 1997 MF England Ray Walker Leek Town Free transfer [11]

Loans in

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Date from Position Nationality Name From Date to Ref.
November 1996 MF Sweden Jan Jansson IFK Norrköping January 1991 [11]

Loans out

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Date from Position Nationality Name From Date to Ref.
23 September 1996 GK England Matthew Boswell Hinkley Town 1996 [12]
6 December 1996 GK England Matthew Boswell Redditch United ? [12]

References

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Specific
  1. ^ Baggaley, Mike (2 October 2024). "Two points thrown away". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  2. ^ Baggaley, Mike (18 November 2016). "Port Vale archives: When Tony Naylor walloped Charlton". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 19 November 2016.[permanent dead link‍]
  3. ^ Baggaley, Mike (4 January 2024). "Injury and transfer window update as Port Vale prepare for Charlton". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  4. ^ Baggaley, Mike (21 December 2023). "Port Vale injury and loan updates ahead of Wycombe". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  5. ^ Fielding, Rob (3 October 2019). "Five of the best thumping Port Vale home victories". onevalefan.co.uk. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  6. ^ Sherwin, Phil (2010). The Port Vale Miscellany. Brimscombe Port: The History Press. p. 103. ISBN 978-0-7524-5777-2.
  7. ^ Baggaley, Mike (22 January 2024). "Assessing the squad as Port Vale prepare for transfer deals". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  8. ^ Baggaley, Mike (14 April 2024). "Awful second half leaves Vale on the brink". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  9. ^ "England 1996–97". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 28 March 2010. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  10. ^ Port Vale 1996–1997 : Results & Fixtures Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  11. ^ a b c d "Port Vale FC Club Details | Transfers | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  12. ^ a b Rothmans football yearbook, 1997-98. London : Headline. 1997. ISBN 978-0-7472-7738-5. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
General
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