# 2006–07 Port Vale F.C. season

The 2006–07 season was Port Vale's 95th season of football in the English Football League, and third-successive season in League One. Martin Foyle's side again finished in mid-table whilst exiting the FA Cup and the Football League Trophy in the Second Round. Vale, notoriously poor performers in the League Cup, managed to reach the Fourth Round for the first time, at which point they were beaten by top-flight Tottenham Hotspur. Strike partners Leon Constantine and Akpo Sodje put in a 42-goal partnership, with Sodje picking up the club's Player of the Year award. At the end of the season, top-scorer Constantine left the club, as did senior midfielder Danny Sonner, scuppering Foyle's long-term plans.

## Overview
### League One

The pre-season saw Martin Foyle make a number of signings, including: Danny Sonner (Peterborough United); Jason Talbot (Mansfield Town); Paul Harsley (Macclesfield Town); Richard Walker (Crewe Alexandra); Danny Whitaker (Macclesfield Town); Colin Miles (Yeovil Town); and Akpo Sodje (Darlington). He also took Stefan Moore on loan from Queens Park Rangers, and utility player Ritchie Humphreys from Hartlepool United. Youth team player Danny Glover, son of assistant manager Dean Glover, was also given a squad number.
The season started with Vale in fine form, winning their first four games for the first time in 77 years. His four goals meant Constantine was named the division's Player of the Month for August. This run stopped with four defeats in the next five games, with Vale scoring just three goals. In November, Ross Gardner was signed on loan from Nottingham Forest and would join permanently in the January transfer window. Foyle also signed defender Clayton Fortune on a season-long loan for a second time, this time from Leyton Orient. Heading into December with just three wins in fifteen league games, they won their first four games, with Constantine hitting five of Vale's nine goals. On 16 December, Vale won 1–0 at home to Brentford as Foyle recovered in hospital from an infected knee, with assistant Dean Glover taking charge in his absence.
In January, Foyle splashed out £30,000 on Crewe Alexandra striker Luke Rodgers. He also signed former teammate Paul Musselwhite as an emergency back-up goalkeeper following an injury to Mark Goodlad, as well as Cardiff City midfielder Malvin Kamara. He also turned down an offer from Barnsley of £200,000 (plus Marc Richards) for Constantine, who claimed to be happy at Vale Park. However, he did sell skilful winger Jeff Smith to Carlisle United for £60,000. Also leaving Burslem was Louis Briscoe, who was allowed to join Leek Town. Vale's form had left them once again, as they failed to pick up a win in a sequence of seven games. In February, defender Rhys Weston joined on a short-term contract, having left Norwegian club Viking FK. On 10 March, Vale travelled to the Don Valley Stadium, and Sodje managed to hit four goals past the Rotherham United defence to give Vale a 5–1 win. This gave Vale fans a sliver of hope of reaching the play-offs, but Vale failed to string two wins together in their final nine games, despite a 3–0 win over nearby Crewe Alexandra.
They finished in twelfth place with sixty points, a clear distance from both the play-off and the relegation zones. They again had the lowest number of draws in the division, recording just six stalemates. Constantine was the second-highest scorer in the division after Billy Sharp of Scunthorpe United. Player of the Year, Sodje also hit sixteen goals. Captain George Pilkington and midfielder Danny Whitaker missed just two games between them all season.
At the end of the season a number of players were released: Nathan Lowndes (Chester City); George Abbey (Crewe Alexandra); Rhys Weston (Walsall); Michael Husbands (Macclesfield Town); Christian Smith (Clyde); Ross Gardner (Ilkeston Town); Malvin Kamara (Huddersfield Town); Michael Walsh and Mark Soboljew. Leon Constantine also decided against signing a new contract at Vale. Instead, he joined Leeds United. Danny Sonner also rejected his contract offer, and moved on to Walsall, but not before making a parting shot at the club's leadership.

### Finances

The club had to make monthly repayments of around £19,000 for a £2.25 million loan from the local council in 2005. The club's shirt sponsorship came from local company BGC Gas.

### Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, Vale advanced past League Two side Lincoln City with a 2–1 victory at Sincil Bank. However, they then were on the end of a 4–0 hiding from Hereford United at Edgar Street in the Second Round.
In the League Cup, Vale faced Preston North End, who they defeated with goals from Sodje and Constantine. The "Valiants" then vanquished Queens Park Rangers 3–2 in the Second Round. This left them facing Norwich City, the third Championship club of the season to travel to Burslem in the League Cup. Vale again upset the odds by winning the penalty shoot-out 3–2 following a goalless draw against a strong "Canary" side. Premier League Tottenham Hotspur awaited in the Fourth Round, who at White Hart Lane proved to be too much of a challenge for the Vale. Constantine put Vale into the lead, but a Tom Huddlestone goal took the game into extra time before both Huddlestone and Jermain Defoe scored to give "Spurs" a 3–1 win, thus saving Martin Jol's blushes. This represented the club's greatest achievement in the competition, as Vale had never reached the fourth round before, and would not do so again until 2023.
In the Football League Trophy, Vale advanced past Scunthorpe United after winning on penalties at Glanford Park. They then had a home tie with local rivals Crewe Alexandra. The "Railwaymen" won the game 3–2 despite a brace from Constantine.

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 10 | Millwall | 46 | 19 | 9 | 18 | 59 | 62 | −3 | 66 |
| 11 | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 52 | 47 | +5 | 63 |
| 12 | Port Vale | 46 | 18 | 6 | 22 | 64 | 65 | −1 | 60 |
| 13 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 17 | 9 | 20 | 66 | 72 | −6 | 60 |
| 14 | Northampton Town | 46 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 48 | 51 | −3 | 59 |

## Results

Port Vale's score comes first

### Football League One
#### Results by matchday

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 |
| Ground | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H |
| Result | W | W | W | W | L | L | W | L | L | L | D | W | L | W | L | D | L | L | L | W | W | W | W | L | L | D | L | L | D | L | W | L | W | L | W | D | W | L | W | D | L | L | W | L | L | W |
| Position | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 12 |

#### Matches

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 5 August 2006 | Leyton Orient | H | 3–0 | 5,631 | Constantine (2), Sodje |
| 8 August 2006 | Oldham Athletic | A | 1–0 | 4,975 | Sodje |
| 12 August 2006 | Cheltenham Town | A | 1–0 | 4,309 | Constantine |
| 19 August 2006 | Chesterfield | H | 3–2 | 5,622 | Constantine (2), Pilkington |
| 26 August 2006 | Yeovil Town | A | 0–1 | 4,827 | |
| 3 September 2006 | Doncaster Rovers | H | 1–2 | 4,862 | Whitaker |
| 9 September 2006 | Blackpool | H | 2–1 | 5,171 | Constantine, Sodje |
| 12 September 2006 | Scunthorpe United | A | 0–3 | 3,473 | |
| 16 September 2006 | Bradford City | A | 0–2 | 7,829 | |
| 23 September 2006 | Bristol City | H | 0–2 | 5,295 | |
| 26 September 2006 | Nottingham Forest | H | 1–1 | 7,388 | Husbands |
| 30 September 2006 | Northampton Town | A | 2–0 | 5,316 | Pilkington, Moore |
| 8 October 2006 | Rotherham United | H | 1–3 | 4,810 | Constantine (pen) |
| 13 October 2006 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 2–1 | 7,866 | Smith, Constantine |
| 21 October 2006 | Huddersfield Town | H | 1–2 | 5,225 | Constantine |
| 28 October 2006 | Millwall | A | 1–1 | 10,189 | Sodje |
| 4 November 2006 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 1–2 | 7,632 | Abbey |
| 18 November 2006 | Swansea City | H | 0–2 | 4,615 | |
| 25 November 2006 | Carlisle United | A | 2–3 | 7,543 | Harsley, Smith |
| 5 December 2006 | Gillingham | H | 2–0 | 3,077 | Gardner, Constantine |
| 9 December 2006 | Bournemouth | A | 4–0 | 4,538 | Constantine (2), Pilkington, Sodje |
| 16 December 2006 | Brentford | H | 1–0 | 4,166 | Pilkington |
| 23 December 2006 | Brighton and Hove Albion | H | 2–1 | 4,349 | Constantine (2 [1 pen]) |
| 26 December 2006 | Nottingham Forest | A | 0–3 | 22,999 | |
| 30 December 2006 | Bristol City | A | 1–2 | 12,776 | Smith |
| 1 January 2007 | Scunthorpe United | H | 0–0 | 4,869 | |
| 6 January 2007 | Bradford City | H | 0–1 | 4,146 | |
| 13 January 2007 | Blackpool | A | 1–2 | 6,661 | Sodje (pen) |
| 27 January 2007 | Brighton and Hove Albion | A | 0–0 | 5,177 | |
| 3 February 2007 | Leyton Orient | A | 1–2 | 4,295 | Gardner |
| 6 February 2007 | Northampton Town | H | 1–0 | 3,353 | Whitaker |
| 17 February 2007 | Chesterfield | A | 0–3 | 3,752 | |
| 20 February 2007 | Oldham Athletic | H | 3–0 | 4,061 | Whitaker, Pilkington, Constantine (pen) |
| 24 February 2007 | Doncaster Rovers | A | 0–1 | 7,848 | |
| 3 March 2007 | Yeovil Town | H | 4–2 | 4,202 | Constantine (2), Whitaker, Rose (og) |
| 6 March 2007 | Cheltenham Town | H | 1–0 | 3,340 | Kamara |
| 10 March 2007 | Rotherham United | A | 5–1 | 3,854 | Sodje (4), Pilkington |
| 17 March 2007 | Tranmere Rovers | H | 2–3 | 4,809 | Sonner, Constantine |
| 24 March 2007 | Millwall | H | 2–0 | 3,973 | Whitaker, Sodje |
| 31 March 2007 | Huddersfield Town | A | 2–2 | 10,313 | Sodje (2) |
| 7 April 2007 | Carlisle United | H | 0–2 | 4,882 | |
| 9 April 2007 | Swansea City | A | 0–3 | 12,465 | |
| 14 April 2007 | Crewe Alexandra | H | 3–0 | 5,740 | Hulbert, Constantine, Rodgers |
| 21 April 2007 | Gillingham | A | 2–3 | 5,928 | Whitaker, Constantine (pen) |
| 28 April 2007 | Brentford | A | 3–4 | 5,125 | Constantine (2), Rodgers |
| 5 May 2007 | Bournemouth | H | 2–1 | 5,080 | Sodje, Rodgers |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 | 11 November 2006 | Lincoln City | A | 2–1 | 3,884 | Whitaker, Sodje |
| R2 | 2 December 2006 | Hereford United | A | 0–4 | 4,076 | |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 | 23 August 2006 | Preston North End | H | 2–1 | 3,522 | Sodje, Constantine |
| R2 | 19 September 2006 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 3–2 | 3,550 | Smith, Whitaker, Walker |
| R3 | 24 October 2006 | Norwich City | H | (3)0–0(2) | 4,518 | |
| R4 | 8 November 2006 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1–3 | 34,560 | Constantine |

### Football League Trophy

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 | 30 October 2006 | Scunthorpe United | A | (5)0–0(3) | 3,421 | |
| R2 | 29 November 2006 | Crewe Alexandra | H | 2–3 | 4,694 | Constantine (2) |

## Player statistics
### Appearances and goals

| Pos. | # | Name | League Two | League Two | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Football League Trophy | Total | Total |
| Pos. | # | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| GK | 1 | Mark Goodlad | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 0 |
| DF | 2 | George Pilkington | 46 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 53 | 6 |
| DF | 3 | Jason Talbot | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| MF | 4 | Danny Sonner | 33 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 1 |
| DF | 5 | Michael Walsh | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| DF | 6 | Richard Walker | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 1 |
| FW | 7 | Luke Rodgers | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3 |
| MF | 8 | Paul Harsley | 32 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 1 |
| FW | 9 | Nathan Lowndes | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| FW | 10 | Leon Constantine | 42 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 50 | 26 |
| GK | 12 | Joe Anyon | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| MF | 14 | Danny Whitaker | 45 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 53 | 8 |
| DF | 15 | George Abbey | 24 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 1 |
| DF | 16 | Mark McGregor | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 0 |
| FW | 17 | Michael Husbands | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 1 |
| DF | 18 | Colin Miles | 29 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| MF | 19 | Joe Cardle | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| FW | 20 | Akpo Sodje | 43 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 50 | 16 |
| MF | 21 | Robin Hulbert | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1 |
| MF | 22 | Mark Soboljew | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DF | 23 | Luke Prosser | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DF | 24 | Rhys Weston | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| MF | 25 | Christian Smith | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| GK | 26 | Chris Martin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MF | 27 | Ross Gardner | 16 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 2 |
| FW | 28 | Danny Glover | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DF | 29 | Clayton Fortune | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| MF | 32 | Malvin Kamara | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 |
| GK | 40 | Paul Musselwhite | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Players that left the club mid-season: |||||||||||||
| FW | 7 | Stefan Moore | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 1 |
| MF | 11 | Jeff Smith | 27 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 4 |
| MF | 24 | Louis Briscoe | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| DF | 27 | Ritchie Humphreys | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |

### Top scorers

| Place | Position | Nation | Number | Name | EFL League One | FA Cup | EFL Cup | EFL Trophy | Total |
| 1 | FW | England | 10 | Leon Constantine | 22 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 26 |
| 2 | FW | England | 20 | Akpo Sodje | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 16 |
| 3 | MF | England | 14 | Danny Whitaker | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| 4 | DF | England | 2 | George Pilkington | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 5 | MF | England | 11 | Jeff Smith | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 6 | FW | England | 7 | Luke Rodgers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | MF | England | 27 | Ross Gardner | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | MF | Northern Ireland | 4 | Danny Sonner | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | FW | England | 7 | Stefan Moore | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | FW | Saint Lucia | 17 | Michael Husbands | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | DF | England | 6 | Richard Walker | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| – | DF | Nigeria | 15 | George Abbey | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | MF | England | 8 | Paul Harsley | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | MF | Sierra Leone | 32 | Malvin Kamara | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | MF | England | 21 | Robin Hulbert | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | – | – | – | Own goals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | | | TOTALS | 64 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 74 |

## Transfers
### Transfers in

| Date from | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| May 2006 | MF | Paul Harsley | Macclesfield Town | Free transfer |
| May 2006 | DF | Jason Talbot | Mansfield Town | Free transfer |
| June 2006 | DF | Colin Miles | Yeovil Town | Free transfer |
| June 2006 | DF | Richard Walker | Crewe Alexandra | Free transfer |
| June 2006 | MF | Danny Whitaker | Macclesfield Town | Free transfer |
| August 2006 | FW | Akpo Sodje | Darlington | Free transfer |
| January 2007 | MF | Ross Gardner | Nottingham Forest | Free transfer |
| January 2007 | FW | Malvin Kamara | Cardiff City | 'nominal' |
| January 2007 | GK | Paul Musselwhite | Kettering Town | Free transfer |
| January 2007 | FW | Luke Rodgers | Crewe Alexandra | £30,000 |
| February 2007 | DF | Rhys Weston | Viking | Free transfer |

### Transfers out

| Date from | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| January 2007 | FW | Louis Briscoe | Leek Town | Released |
| January 2007 | MF | Jeff Smith | Carlisle United | £60,000 |
| May 2007 | DF | George Abbey | Crewe Alexandra | Released |
| May 2007 | MF | Ross Gardner | Ilkeston Town | Released |
| May 2007 | MF | Danny Sonner | Walsall | Rejected contract |
| May 2007 | DF | Michael Walsh | Retired | Retired |
| June 2007 | FW | Malvin Kamara | Huddersfield Town | Free transfer |
| June 2007 | FW | Nathan Lowndes | Chester City | Released |
| June 2007 | GK | Paul Musselwhite | Harrogate Town | Free transfer |
| June 2007 | MF | Christian Smith | Clyde | Free transfer |
| July 2007 | FW | Michael Husbands | Macclesfield Town | Released |
| July 2007 | DF | Rhys Weston | Walsall | Released |
| August 2007 | FW | Leon Constantine | Leeds United | Bosman transfer |

### Loans in

| Date from | Position | Name | From | Date to |
| 29 August 2006 | FW | Stefan Moore | Queens Park Rangers | 29 December 2006 |
| 8 September 2006 | MF | Ritchie Humphreys | Hartlepool United | 9 October 2006 |
| 7 November 2006 | MF | Ross Gardner | Nottingham Forest | 8 January 2007 |
| 22 November 2006 | DF | Clayton Fortune | Leyton Orient | 6 May 2007 |

### Loans out

| Date from | Position | Name | To | Date to |
| 25 January 2007 | MF | Christian Smith | Cambridge United | 20 March 2007 |
| 22 March 2007 | MF | Christian Smith | Northwich Victoria | End of season |
| 22 March 2007 | DF | Richard Walker | Wrexham | 8 April 2007 |
| March 2007 | GK | Chris Martin | Kidsgrove Athletic | End of season |