# 1996–97 Port Vale F.C. season

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
### 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 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. 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. After the match he said he actually hated playing as a lone striker but conceded that "it worked ok today". The following week Vale pulled Norwich City apart in a 6–1 win – Martin Foyle and Stewart Talbot both claiming braces. The run was topped off with a 1–0 win over Manchester City in front of over 30,000 people at Maine Road. 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. 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. However, it was Steve Guppy's last game for the club, who was sold to Premier League side 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. 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.

### 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.

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | 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 | |

## Results

Port Vale's score comes first

### Football League First Division
#### 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 | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A |
| Result | D | D | L | W | D | L | D | D | D | W | L | D | L | W | W | L | W | D | D | L | D | W | W | W | W | L | D | D | W | L | D | L | D | W | W | L | D | W | L | W | W | W | W | L | L | D |
| Position | 10 | 16 | 18 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 20 | 15 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 8 |

#### Matches

| 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

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R3 | 4 January 1997 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 0–1 | 19,891 | |

### 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
### Appearances and goals

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

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

### Transfers out

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

### Loans in

| Date from | Position | Nationality | Name | From | Date to | Ref. |
| November 1996 | MF | | Jan Jansson | IFK Norrköping | January 1991 | |

### Loans out

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