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1996–97 Port Vale F.C. season

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. 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.

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.

Vale's 1996–97 campaign was a triumph of resilience and ambition — as manager John Rudge weathered boardroom uncertainty and player exits to deliver an outstanding 8th‑place finish powered by prolific form from Naylor and Mills.

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][3] After the match he said he actually hated playing as a lone striker but conceded that "it worked ok today".[4] The following week Vale pulled Norwich City apart in a 6–1 win – Martin Foyle and Stewart Talbot both claiming braces.[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] 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.[10] 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.[11] 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.[12] Captain Neil Aspin correctly theorised that "this may be the best chance we ever have of reaching the play-offs".[13] 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.

Results

Football League First Division

Main article: 1996–97 Football League

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
Source: [14]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goals scored; 3) Goal difference
(O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted

Results by matchday

Round12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546
GroundHAAHAHHAHAAHHAAHHAHAHAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAHAHHAHAHA
ResultDDLWDLDDDWLDLWWLWDDLDWWWWLDDWLDLDWWLDWLWWWWLLD
Position1016181312171918191415172015111312101114161512989101178812109798886555688
Points12256678912121313161919222324242528313437373839424243434447505051545457606366666667
Source: Statto[15]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

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
1 March 1997 35 Port Vale 1–0 Reading Burslem
Naylor 45' Report Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 6,057
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

Main article: 1996–97 FA Cup
4 January 1997 R3 Blackburn Rovers 1–0 Port Vale Blackburn
Bohinen 68' Report Stadium: Ewood Park
Attendance: 19,891

League Cup

Main article: 1996–97 Football 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

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

References

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.
  3. ^ Baggaley, Mike (8 September 2025). "Turning around a poor start". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  4. ^ Baggaley, Mike (4 January 2024). "Injury and transfer window update as Port Vale prepare for Charlton". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  5. ^ Baggaley, Mike (22 December 2024). "Vale booed off after Carlisle frustration". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  6. ^ Baggaley, Mike (21 December 2023). "Port Vale injury and loan updates ahead of Wycombe". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  7. ^ Fielding, Rob (3 October 2019). "Five of the best thumping Port Vale home victories". onevalefan.co.uk. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  8. ^ Sherwin, Phil (2010). The Port Vale Miscellany. Brimscombe Port: The History Press. p. 103. ISBN 978-0-7524-5777-2.
  9. ^ Baggaley, Mike (22 January 2024). "Assessing the squad as Port Vale prepare for transfer deals". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  10. ^ Baggaley, Mike (23 February 2025). "Impressive win comes at a cost". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  11. ^ Baggaley, Mike (30 March 2025). "Back in the top three after a battling win". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  12. ^ Baggaley, Mike (14 April 2024). "Awful second half leaves Vale on the brink". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  13. ^ Baggaley, Mike (20 October 2025). "Learning from Wigan letdown". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
  14. ^ "England 1996–97". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 28 March 2010. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  15. ^ Port Vale 1996–1997 : Results & Fixtures Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  16. ^ a b c d "Port Vale FC Club Details | Transfers | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  17. ^ a b Rollin, Glenda, ed. (1997). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1997–98. London: Headline Book Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7472-7738-5. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
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