1993–94 Port Vale F.C. season

The 1993–94 season was Port Vale's 82nd season of football in the English Football League and fifth-successive (37th overall) season in the Second Division. Under the guidance of manager John Rudge and chairman Bill Bell, Vale secured promotion to the First Division by finishing as runners-up, narrowly missing the title by just a single point behind Reading, amassing 88 points in total

Port Vale

1993–94 season
Chairman	Bill Bell
Manager	John Rudge
Stadium	Vale Park
Football League Second Division	2nd (88 Points)
FA Cup	Fourth Round (knocked out by Wolverhampton Wanderers)
League Cup	First Round (knocked out by Lincoln City)
Football League Trophy	Area Quarter-finalists (knocked out by Swansea City)
Player of the Year	Neil Aspin
Top goalscorer	League: Martin Foyle (17) All: Martin Foyle (18)
Highest home attendance	12,042 vs. Southampton, 18 January 1994
Lowest home attendance	5,175 vs. Lincoln City, 17 August 1993
Average home league attendance	8,377
Biggest win	6–0 vs. Hartlepool United, 12 November 1994
Biggest defeat	0–4 vs. Reading, 23 October 1993
Home colours
← 1992–93 1994–95 →

A memorable moment in the FA Cup saw Vale cause an upset by eliminating top-flight Southampton before being knocked out in the Fourth Round, while their League Cup run ended at the First Round and their Football League Trophy journey concluded at the Area Quarter-finals. Martin Foyle led the line with distinction, finishing as both league (17) and season top scorer with 18 goals across all competitions, while Neil Aspin earned the Player of the Year award. Support from the terraces was solid, with a highest home attendance of 12,042 (versus Southampton), a low of 5,175 (against Lincoln City), and a league average of 8,377 spectators. Port Vale's most emphatic league victory came in a 6–0 win over Hartlepool United, while their heaviest defeat was a 4–0 loss to Reading.

A season of resurgence, Vale combined cup heroics with an explosive front‑line and solid support to earn a well‑deserved return to the First Division.

Overview

Second Division

The pre-season saw John Rudge sign left-back Allen Tankard from Wigan Athletic for £87,500. Experienced forward Keith Houchen was allowed to join Hartlepool United on a free transfer, and Paul Kerr signed with Leicester City.

The season opened with a 2–1 defeat to Burnley at Turf Moor, a result which belied their tag as favourites for promotion.^[1] Though the season got going for the Vale with their opening home game, as they recorded a 6–0 win over Barnet despite an early sending off for Peter Billing, both Martin Foyle and Bernie Slaven bagging hat-tricks.^[2] This, however, would be the only victory in the first seven league games. In September, Steve Livingstone joined the club on loan from Chelsea. Then, in October, Canadian Ollie Heald signed from Norvan, having impressed whilst on trial. On 2 October, Vale recorded a 3–0 home victory over Wrexham after scoring three goals in the first three minutes of the second half.^[3]

Vale shot up the table with eight victories in ten games. In January, Aidan Newhouse arrived on loan from Wimbledon but only played two games. Rudge made enquiries after Andy Saville, but the club could not afford the £350,000 expected by Birmingham City.^[4] On 5 February, Vale beat Reading 2–1 to record the first away league win for a club at Elm Park in 12 months.^[5] Bernie Slaven left the club in February for Darlington. The next month, Rudge brought Joe Allon to the club after Allon had left Brentford. He also signed winger David Lowe on loan from Leicester City. Vale picked up four clean sheets in the first five games of March but ended the month with two defeats.

Vale had a solid April, winning six of their eight games, with Foyle scoring a hat-trick past Leyton Orient at Brisbane Road on 4 April. On 26 April, the team won 1–0 away at Swansea City as opposition manager Frank Burrows admitted that "they battered us and nobody has dominated here so much this season".^[6] Four days later, Vale defeated Exeter City by three goals to one, two of which were scored by Foyle – including a diving header for his 20th of the season; a Vale Park pitch invasion ensued on the final whistle.^[7] Two victories from their final two games of the season ensured promotion. A 3–1 victory at Brighton & Hove Albion was witnessed by 15,423 people – the biggest crowd at the Goldstone Ground for six years. Glover opened the scoring and a brace from Foyle confirmed the victory despite the home side pulling a goal back from a Dean Wilkins free kick.^[8]

They finished second with 88 points, despite having finished third the previous season with 89 points. The top scorer was Martin Foyle with 18 goals, though Ian Taylor and Nicky Cross also hit double figures.

At the end of the season, star midfielder Ian Taylor was sold to Sheffield Wednesday for £1 million (plus add-ons). The club also sold Peter Swan to Plymouth Argyle for £300,000. Also leaving the club were Nicky Cross and Trevor Wood, who joined Hereford United and Walsall respectively.

Finances

The club's shirt sponsors were Tunstall Assurance.

Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, Vale brushed aside Blackpool (2–0) and Huddersfield Town (1–0). Drawn against Premier League Southampton in the third round, the "Valiants" earned a 1–1 draw at The Dell with an Andy Porter goal from a free kick, which helped to put more pressure on struggling opposition manager Ian Branfoot, which would have been worse still without Iain Dowie's equaliser.^[9] Back at Burslem, Vale achieved a giantkilling with a Bernie Slaven goal on a mud-filled Vale Park pitch; a clean sheet was achieved as Neil Aspin kept Matt Le Tissier quiet.^[9] In the fourth round they faced First Division Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux, and were defeated 2–0.

In the League Cup, Vale exited in the first round to Third Division Lincoln City on away goals, having drawn 2–2 at Vale Park and 0–0 at Sincil Bank.

In the Football League Trophy, Vale reached the Area Quarter-finalists. They would not enter the competition again until 2000–01.

Results

Football League Second Division

Main article: 1993–94 Football League

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion or relegation
1	Reading (C, P)	46	26	11	9	81	44	+37	89	Promotion to the First Division
2	Port Vale (P)	46	26	10	10	79	46	+33	88
3	Plymouth Argyle	46	25	10	11	88	56	+32	85	Qualification for the Second Division play-offs
4	Stockport County	46	24	13	9	74	44	+30	85
5	York City	46	21	12	13	64	40	+24	75

Source: ^{[citation needed]}
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted

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	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	A
Result	L	W	L	D	D	L	D	W	W	W	W	W	L	W	W	D	W	L	W	D	D	W	L	W	D	W	D	W	L	D	W	W	W	W	L	L	D	W	W	W	L	W	W	W	W	W
Position	16	9	14	14	16	18	21	18	13	9	9	7	8	5	7	8	6	7	4	4	4	4	5	6	7	7	7	6	6	6	5	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	4	2	4	3	2	2
Points	0	3	3	4	5	5	6	9	12	15	18	21	21	24	27	28	31	31	34	35	36	39	39	42	43	46	47	50	50	51	54	57	60	63	63	63	64	67	70	73	73	76	79	82	85	88

Source: Statto^[10]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

Burnley v Port Vale

14 August 1993 1	Burnley	2–1	Port Vale	Burnley
			Taylor	Stadium: Turf Moor Attendance: 12,592

Port Vale v Barnet

21 August 1993 2	Port Vale	6–0	Barnet	Burslem
	Foyle Slaven			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,538

Plymouth Argyle v Port Vale

28 August 1993 3	Plymouth Argyle	2–0	Port Vale	Plymouth
				Stadium: Home Park Attendance: 6,072

Port Vale v Cambridge United

31 August 1993 4	Port Vale	2–2	Cambridge United	Burslem
	Cross Kerr			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,484

Port Vale v Cardiff City

4 September 1993 5	Port Vale	2–2	Cardiff City	Burslem
	Slaven			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 8,140

Bristol Rovers v Port Vale

11 September 1993 6	Bristol Rovers	2–0	Port Vale	Bath, Somerset
				Stadium: Twerton Park Attendance: 4,908

Huddersfield Town v Port Vale

14 September 1993 7	Huddersfield Town	1–1	Port Vale	Huddersfield
			Slaven	Stadium: Leeds Road Attendance: 5,154

Port Vale v Hartlepool United

18 September 1993 8	Port Vale	1–0	Hartlepool United	Burslem
	Kerr			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,279

Brentford v Port Vale

25 September 1993 9	Brentford	1–2	Port Vale	Brentford, West London
			Cross van der Laan	Stadium: Griffin Park Attendance: 5,106

Port Vale v Wrexham

2 October 1993 10	Port Vale	3–0	Wrexham	Burslem
	Cross Kerr			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 8,722

Port Vale v Hull City

9 October 1993 11	Port Vale	2–1	Hull City	Burslem
	Cross			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 9,459

Blackpool v Port Vale

16 October 1993 12	Blackpool	1–3	Port Vale	Blackpool
			Cross Taylor	Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 8,969

Port Vale v Reading

23 October 1993 13	Port Vale	0–4	Reading	Burslem
				Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 9,252

Rotherham United v Port Vale

30 October 1993 14	Rotherham United	0–2	Port Vale	Rotherham
			Foyle Taylor	Stadium: Millmoor Attendance: 4,786

Port Vale v Swansea City

6 November 1993 15	Port Vale	3–0	Swansea City	Burslem
	Cook og' Glover Taylor			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,854

Exeter City v Port Vale

20 November 1993 16	Exeter City	1–1	Port Vale	Exeter
			van der Laan	Stadium: St James Park Attendance: 3,908

Port Vale v Brighton & Hove Albion

27 November 1993 17	Port Vale	4–0	Brighton & Hove Albion	Burslem
	Cross Foyle Taylor			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,261

AFC Bournemouth v Port Vale

7 December 1993 18	AFC Bournemouth	2–1	Port Vale	Bournemouth
			Jeffers	Stadium: Dean Court Attendance: 2,954

Barnet v Port Vale

11 December 1993 19	Barnet	2–3	Port Vale	Chipping Barnet
			Foyle Kerr Taylor	Stadium: Underhill Stadium Attendance: 3,100

Port Vale v Burnley

18 December 1993 20	Port Vale	1–1	Burnley	Burslem
	Slaven			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 10,710

Fulham v Port Vale

27 December 1993 21	Fulham	0–0	Port Vale	Fulham, West London
				Stadium: Craven Cottage Attendance: 5,760

Port Vale v Leyton Orient

29 December 1993 22	Port Vale	2–1	Leyton Orient	Burslem
	van der Laan			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 8,978

York City v Port Vale

1 January 1994 23	York City	1–0	Port Vale	York
				Stadium: Bootham Crescent Attendance: 5,903

Port Vale v Blackpool

15 January 1994 24	Port Vale	2–0	Blackpool	Burslem
	Briggs og' Cross			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,915

Hull City v Port Vale

22 January 1994 25	Hull City	0–0	Port Vale	Kingston upon Hull
				Stadium: Boothferry Park Attendance: 6,918

Reading v Port Vale

5 February 1994 26	Reading	1–2	Port Vale	Reading, Berkshire
			Foyle Kent	Stadium: Elm Park Attendance: 7,645

Port Vale v Stockport County

12 February 1994 27	Port Vale	1–1	Stockport County	Burslem
	Foyle			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 10,628

Port Vale v Plymouth Argyle

19 February 1994 28	Port Vale	2–1	Plymouth Argyle	Burslem
	Lowe Taylor			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 9,093

Cambridge United v Port Vale

22 February 1994 29	Cambridge United	1–0	Port Vale	Cambridge
				Stadium: Abbey Stadium Attendance: 2,543

Port Vale v Bradford City

1 March 1994 30	Port Vale	0–0	Bradford City	Burslem
				Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,294

Port Vale v Bristol Rovers

5 March 1994 31	Port Vale	2–0	Bristol Rovers	Burslem
	Taylor			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 8,682

Hartlepool United v Port Vale

12 March 1994 32	Hartlepool United	1–4	Port Vale	Hartlepool
			Aspin Cross Gilchrist og' Lowe	Stadium: Victoria Park Attendance: 1,798

Port Vale v Huddersfield Town

15 March 1994 33	Port Vale	1–0	Huddersfield Town	Burslem
	Kent			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,010

Port Vale v Brentford

19 March 1994 34	Port Vale	1–0	Brentford	Burslem
	Taylor			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 8,269

Wrexham v Port Vale

26 March 1994 35	Wrexham	2–1	Port Vale	Wrexham
			van der Laan	Stadium: Racecourse Ground Attendance: 7,202

Bradford City v Port Vale

29 March 1994 36	Bradford City	2–1	Port Vale	Bradford
			Foyle	Stadium: Valley Parade Attendance: 5,776

Port Vale v Fulham

2 April 1994 37	Port Vale	2–2	Fulham	Burslem
	Allon			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,380

Leyton Orient v Port Vale

4 April 1994 38	Leyton Orient	2–3	Port Vale	Leyton, East London
			Foyle	Stadium: Brisbane Road Attendance: 3,412

Port Vale v Rotherham United

12 April 1994 39	Port Vale	2–1	Rotherham United	Burslem
	Griffiths			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,804

Port Vale v AFC Bournemouth

16 April 1994 40	Port Vale	2–1	AFC Bournemouth	Burslem
	Cross Taylor			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,603

Stockport County v Port Vale

19 April 1994 41	Stockport County	2–1	Port Vale	Stockport
			Lowe	Stadium: Edgeley Park Attendance: 5,910

Port Vale v York City

21 April 1994 42	Port Vale	2–1	York City	Burslem
	Glover Lowe			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 8,703

Swansea City v Port Vale

26 April 1994 43	Swansea City	0–1	Port Vale	Swansea
			Taylor	Stadium: Vetch Field Attendance: 4,252

Port Vale v Exeter City

30 April 1994 44	Port Vale	3–0	Exeter City	Burslem
	Foyle Kent			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 10,377

Cardiff City v Port Vale

3 May 1994 45	Cardiff City	1–3	Port Vale	Cardiff
			Kent Lowe Taylor	Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 4,705

Brighton & Hove Albion v Port Vale

7 May 1994 46	Brighton & Hove Albion	1–3	Port Vale	Hove
			Foyle Glover	Stadium: Goldstone Ground Attendance: 15,423

FA Cup

Main article: 1993–94 FA Cup

Port Vale v Blackpool

13 November 1993 R1	Port Vale	2–0	Blackpool	Burslem
	Foyle Kerr			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 8,211

Port Vale v Huddersfield Town

3 December 1993 R2	Port Vale	1–0	Huddersfield Town	Burslem
	Tankard			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 8,602

Southampton v Port Vale

8 January 1994 R3	Southampton	1–1	Port Vale	Southampton
			Porter	Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 11,086

Port Vale v Southampton

18 January 1994 Replay	Port Vale	1–0	Southampton	Burslem
	Slaven			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 12,042

Port Vale v Wolverhampton Wanderers

29 January 1994 R4	Port Vale	0–2	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Burslem
				Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 21,999

League Cup

Main article: 1993–94 Football League Cup

Port Vale v Lincoln City

17 August 1993 R1 1st Leg	Port Vale	2–2	Lincoln City	Burslem
	Slaven Taylor			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 5,175

Lincoln City v Port Vale

24 August 1993 R1 2nd Leg	Lincoln City	0–0	Port Vale	Lincoln
				Stadium: Sincil Bank Attendance: 3,642

Football League Trophy

Main article: 1993–94 Football League Trophy

Shrewsbury Town v Port Vale

19 October 1993 R1	Shrewsbury Town	2–2	Port Vale	Shrewsbury
			Kerr Taylor	Stadium: Gay Meadow Attendance: 2,192

Port Vale v Wrexham

9 November 1993 R1	Port Vale	0–0	Wrexham	Burslem
				Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 4,376

Cambridge United v Port Vale

30 November 1993 R2	Cambridge United	2–4	Port Vale	Cambridge
			Foyle Taylor Cross	Stadium: Abbey Stadium Attendance: 1,648

Swansea City v Port Vale

11 January 1994 Quarter-final	Swansea City	1–0	Port Vale	Swansea
				Stadium: Vetch Field Attendance: 2,630

Player statistics

Appearances and goals

Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; DF – Defender; MF – Midfielder; FW – Forward

Pos.	Name	Football League		FA Cup		League Cup/League Trophy		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
GK	Paul Musselwhite	46	0	5	0	6	0	57	0
DF	Dean Glover	46	3	5	0	6	0	57	3
DF	Neil Aspin	40	1	5	0	6	0	57	1
DF	Peter Swan	40	0	5	0	5	0	50	0
DF	Bradley Sandeman	9	0	1	0	0	0	10	0
DF	Peter Billing	8	0	0	0	1	0	9	0
DF	Gareth Griffiths	4	2	0	0	0	0	4	2
DF	Dean Stokes	21	0	3	0	1	0	25	0
DF	Allen Tankard	26	0	2	1	5	0	33	1
MF	Andy Porter	37	0	5	1	3	0	45	1
MF	John Jeffers	25	1	5	0	5	0	35	1
MF	Robin van der Laan	33	5	5	0	5	0	43	5
MF	Kevin Kent	30	4	2	0	4	0	36	4
MF	Ian Taylor	42	13	2	0	6	3	50	16
MF	Paul Kerr	25	4	3	1	6	1	34	6
MF	Ray Walker	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
FW	Nicky Cross	37	12	5	0	5	1	47	13
FW	Martin Foyle	37	17	3	1	5	2	45	20
FW	Bernie Slaven	23	7	4	1	4	1	31	9
FW	Joe Allon	4	2	0	0	0	0	4	2
FW	Ollie Heald	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
FW	Steve Livingstone	5	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
FW	David Lowe	19	5	0	0	0	0	19	5
FW	Aidan Newhouse	2	0	1	0	0	0	3	0

Top scorers

Place	Position	Nation	Name	Second Division	FA Cup	League Cup	Football League Trophy	Total
1	FW	England	Martin Foyle	17	1	0	2	20
2	MF	England	Ian Taylor	13	0	1	2	16
3	FW	England	Nicky Cross	12	0	0	1	13
4	FW	Scotland	Bernie Slaven	7	1	1	0	9
5	MF	England	Paul Kerr	4	1	0	1	6
6	FW	England	David Lowe	5	0	0	0	5
–	MF	Netherlands	Robin van der Laan	5	0	0	0	5
8	MF	England	Kevin Kent	4	0	0	0	4
9	DF	England	Dean Glover	3	0	0	0	3
10	FW	England	Joe Allon	2	0	0	0	2
–	DF	England	Gareth Griffiths	2	0	0	0	2
12	DF	England	Neil Aspin	1	0	0	0	1
–	MF	England	John Jeffers	1	0	0	0	1
–	DF	England	Allen Tankard	0	1	0	0	1
–	MF	England	Andy Porter	0	1	0	0	1
–		–	Own goals	3	0	0	0	3
			TOTALS	79	5	2	6	92

Transfers

Transfers in

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
January 1993	DF		Dean Stokes	Halesowen Town	Free transfer	[11]
February 1993	DF		Gareth Griffiths	Rhyl	£1,000	[11]
May 1993	DF		Peter Billing	Coventry City	£35,000	[11]
July 1993	DF		Allen Tankard	Wigan Athletic	£87,500	[11]
September 1993	MF		Ollie Heald	Norvan	Free transfer	[11]
March 1994	FW		Joe Allon	Brentford	Free transfer	[11]

Transfers out

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
September 1993	FW		Brian Mills		Released	[11]
February 1994	FW		Bernie Slaven	Darlington	Free transfer	[11]
May 1994	FW		Nicky Cross	Hereford United	Free transfer	[11]
May 1994	DF		Simon Mills	Boston United	Free transfer	[11]
May 1994	GK		Trevor Wood	Walsall	Free transfer	[11]
1 July 1994	MF		Ian Taylor	Sheffield Wednesday	£1,000,000	[11]
23 July 1994	DF		Peter Swan	Plymouth Argyle	£300,000	[11]
Summer 1994	MF		Paul Kerr	Wycombe Wanderers	Free transfer	[11]

Loans in

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	From	Date to	Ref.
September 1993	FW		Steve Livingstone	Chelsea	September 1993	[11]
January 1994	FW		Aidan Newhouse	Wimbledon	January 1994	[11]
February 1994	MF		David Lowe	Leicester City	End of season	[11]

Loans out

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	To	Date to	Ref.
March 1994	MF		Paul Kerr	Leicester City	End of season	[11]