1994–95 Port Vale F.C. season

The 1994–95 season was Port Vale's 83rd season of football in the English Football League, and first ever season in the First Division following their promotion from the Second Division. Under the stewardship of manager John Rudge and chairman Bill Bell, Vale secured survival, finishing safely above the relegation zone in 17th with 58 points.

Port Vale

1994–95 season
Chairman	Bill Bell
Manager	John Rudge
Stadium	Vale Park
Football League First Division	17th (58 Points)
FA Cup	Second Round (knocked out by Scarborough)
League Cup	Second Round (knocked out by Manchester United)
Player of the Year	Martin Foyle
Top goalscorer	League: Martin Foyle (16) All: Martin Foyle (20)
Highest home attendance	19,510 vs. Stoke City, 14 March 1995
Lowest home attendance	4,728 vs. Bristol Rovers, 23 August 1994
Average home league attendance	9,218
Biggest win	6–0 vs. Hartlepool United, 12 November 1994
Biggest defeat	0–3 and 1–4
Home colours Away colours
← 1993–94 1995–96 →

Cup competition brought mixed fortunes: in the FA Cup, Vale recorded a resounding 6–0 win over Hartlepool United before suffering a shock exit to Scarborough in the Second Round. In the League Cup, they reached the Second Round, where they were knocked out by Manchester United. Martin Foyle enjoyed another standout year — bagging 16 league goals and 20 in all competitions, earning him the Player of the Year award. Vale also marked their return to the same division as Potteries derby rivals Stoke City, claiming bragging rights with a 1–1 draw at Vale Park and a 1–0 win at the Victoria Ground.

Support from the terraces remained healthy: the highest home attendance was 19,510 for the derby against Stoke City, while the lowest was 4,728 against Bristol Rovers; the average home league attendance stood at 9,218. Their biggest win came in that 6–0 thrashing of Hartlepool, and their heaviest defeats were scorelines of 3–0 and 4–1. The season also saw the arrival of exciting new players Tony Naylor, Steve Guppy, and Ian Bogie, following the high‑profile sale of Ian Taylor before the campaign began.

Vale steadied themselves in the First Division with resilience and goals from Foyle, marked by new signings and derby pride, setting a solid foundation in the second tier.

Overview

First Division

The pre-season saw John Rudge spend a small amount of the money received on the sales of Ian Taylor and Peter Swan to bring Tony Naylor to the club from Crewe Alexandra for a £150,000 fee. A further £200,000 was splashed out on Nottingham Forest forward Lee Glover. Another £4,500 was spent on Dutch goalkeeper Arjan van Heusden from VV Noordwijk. Arriving on free transfers were Craig Lawton (Manchester United) and Stewart Talbot (Moor Green).

The season started modestly, with two wins in the four August games. In September, only Lee Glover, Tony Naylor and Martin Foyle could find the net, but the Vale won six points from their five games. To help with his recovery from a serious injury, Ray Walker spent some time on loan at Cambridge United, and won back his first-team place in the Vale starting eleven upon his return. Meanwhile, Tony Kelly arrived at the club from Bolton Wanderers, but after a brief spell, moved on to Millwall. On 17 September, Vale inflicted a 2–1 defeat on league leaders Middlesbrough player-manager Bryan Robson – his first loss in management.^[1] Vale's attack was highlighted in October. However, the defence ensured three draws from five games.

In November, Darren Hughes was allowed to leave the club for Northampton Town. On 5 November, Vale lost all their inhibitions in front of goal, beating Southend United 5–0 with five different scorers.^[2] Rudge decided to make another big signing and bought winger Steve Guppy from Newcastle United for £225,000. Two days later, on 26 November, Guppy made his debut in a 2–1 win over Millwall, where he collected assists for both goals.^[3] However, their draw with Swindon Town would prove to be the only point gained in December, as Vale were stuck in a relegation dogfight. John Jeffers spent January on loan at Shrewsbury Town. During this spell defender Kevin Scott arrived on loan from Tottenham Hotspur. The team gelled, forming a five-game unbeaten run based on just two goals conceded to shoot up the table. In March, midfielder Ian Bogie was signed from Leyton Orient for a £50,000 fee.

Potteries derby day finally came on 14 March, and 19,510 turned up at Vale Park to witness a 1–1 draw with Stoke City, Naylor scoring Vale's goal.^[4] Five defeats in seven games followed, raising concerns about the drop. However, the Vale were unbeaten in their final five games to ensure safety. This included a 3–3 draw at Elm Park that saw the "Valiants" come from three goals down to claim a point.^[5] It also included a 1–0 win over Stoke at the Victoria Ground on 22 April, Foyle scoring the goal in what was Vale's first away win over Stoke in a league fixture since 1927.^[4]

They finished in 17th place with 58 points, leaving them ten points clear of relegated Swindon Town. They were five points short of Stoke, who finished six places above the Vale. Player of the Year Martin Foyle bagged twenty goals, double that of his nearest rival Tony Naylor.

At the end of the season Ollie Heald, Peter Billing, Mark Burke and John Burndred were released, who signed with Scarborough, Hartlepool United, Fortuna Sittard and Stafford Rangers respectively. Joe Allon was also sold to Brentford for £42,500.

Finances

The club's shirt sponsors were Tunstall Assurance.

Cup competitions

As members of the second tier, Vale should have qualified for the third round of the FA Cup, but were forced to take part in the first round to make up the numbers after Aldershot went bust and Maidstone United resigned from the league.^[6] Vale went on to easily beat Third Division side Hartlepool United 6–0 in Burslem, with Martin Foyle bagging a hat-trick.^[6] Remarkably, this would be the last hat-trick scored by a Vale player at Vale Park until April 2011.^[7] However, a shock awaited in the second round, where Scarborough, also of the fourth tier, beat the Vale 1–0 at the McCain Stadium.

In the League Cup, Vale advanced past Second Division Bristol Rovers 4–2 on aggregate, having won 3–1 at the Memorial Stadium. They faced Premier League Manchester United in the second round. Alex Ferguson's "Red Devils" beat John Rudge's "Valiants" 2–1 at Vale Park in front of 18,605 supporters; Lee Glover scored for Vale, and Paul Scholes scored a brace on his United debut. Vale fans were disappointed to witness the then-unknown United reserves at the time.^[8] However, Scholes would go on to become a household name, as would teenage teammates Gary Neville, Nicky Butt, and David Beckham; the United first XI would go on to win a combined total of more than 500 international caps throughout their careers.^[9] For the second leg there were 31,615 fans at Old Trafford to witness a 2–0 United victory, David May and Brian McClair getting the goals.

League table

Main article: 1994–95 Football League

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
15	Charlton Athletic	46	16	11	19	58	66	−8	59
16	Luton Town	46	15	13	18	61	64	−3	58
17	Port Vale	46	15	13	18	58	64	−6	58
18	Portsmouth	46	15	13	18	53	63	−10	58
19	West Bromwich Albion	46	16	10	20	51	57	−6	58

Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goals scored; 3) Goal difference

Results

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	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H
Result	L	W	D	W	L	W	L	W	L	L	D	L	D	D	D	W	L	W	D	L	L	D	L	L	W	W	D	W	W	L	D	L	W	D	L	W	L	L	L	W	L	D	W	W	D	D
Position	22	11	10	7	12	4	6	7	8	11	15	18	18	20	20	14	18	17	14	16	17	18	21	22	21	18	20	17	15	18	17	17	15	15	17	14	17	17	17	16	17	17	16	14	17	17
Points	0	3	4	7	7	10	10	13	13	13	14	14	15	16	17	20	20	23	24	24	24	25	25	25	28	31	32	35	38	38	39	39	42	43	43	46	46	46	46	49	49	50	53	56	57	58

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

Matches

Swindon Town v Port Vale

14 August 1994 1	Swindon Town	2–0	Port Vale	Swindon
				Stadium: County Ground Attendance: 10,431

Port Vale v Oldham Athletic

20 August 1994 2	Port Vale	3–1	Oldham Athletic	Burslem
	Foyle Kenny og' Naylor			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 10,051

Bristol City v Port Vale

27 August 1994 3	Bristol City	0–0	Port Vale	Ashton Gate, Bristol
				Stadium: Ashton Gate Attendance: 8,588

Port Vale v Barnsley

30 August 1994 4	Port Vale	2–1	Barnsley	Burslem
	Burke L.Glover			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,228

Port Vale v Luton Town

3 September 1994 5	Port Vale	0–1	Luton Town	Burslem
				Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 8,541

Portsmouth v Port Vale

10 September 1994 6	Portsmouth	0–2	Port Vale	Portsmouth
			L.Glover Naylor	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 8,989

Grimsby Town v Port Vale

13 September 1994 7	Grimsby Town	4–1	Port Vale	Cleethorpes
			Foyle	Stadium: Blundell Park Attendance: 3,216

Port Vale v Middlesbrough

17 September 1994 8	Port Vale	2–1	Middlesbrough	Burslem
	L.Glover Naylor			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 10,313

Port Vale v Sheffield United

24 September 1994 9	Port Vale	0–2	Sheffield United	Burslem
				Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 9,324

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Port Vale

1 October 1994 10	Wolverhampton Wanderers	2–1	Port Vale	Wolverhampton
			Allon	Stadium: Molineux Stadium Attendance: 27,649

Notts County v Port Vale

8 October 1994 11	Notts County	2–2	Port Vale	Nottingham
			Foyle Kelly	Stadium: Meadow Lane Attendance: 6,903

Port Vale v Charlton Athletic

15 October 1994 12	Port Vale	0–2	Charlton Athletic	Burslem
				Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,707

Port Vale v Bolton Wanderers

22 October 1994 13	Port Vale	1–1	Bolton Wanderers	Burslem
	Allon			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 10,003

Tranmere Rovers v Port Vale

29 October 1994 14	Tranmere Rovers	1–1	Port Vale	Prenton
			Jeffers	Stadium: Prenton Park Attendance: 6,972

West Bromwich Albion v Port Vale

2 November 1994 15	West Bromwich Albion	0–0	Port Vale	West Bromwich
				Stadium: The Hawthorns Attendance: 14,513

Port Vale v Southend United

5 November 1994 16	Port Vale	5–0	Southend United	Burslem
	Allon Foyle Porter Walker van der Laan			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,141

Derby County v Port Vale

19 November 1994 17	Derby County	2–0	Port Vale	Derby
				Stadium: Baseball Ground Attendance: 13,357

Port Vale v Millwall

26 November 1994 18	Port Vale	2–1	Millwall	Burslem
	Allon Burke			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 8,016

Port Vale v Sunderland

29 November 1994 19	Port Vale	0–0	Sunderland	Burslem
				Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 8,121

Bolton Wanderers v Port Vale

6 December 1994 20	Bolton Wanderers	1–0	Port Vale	Bolton
				Stadium: Burnden Park Attendance: 10,324

Oldham Athletic v Port Vale

10 December 1994 21	Oldham Athletic	3–2	Port Vale	Oldham
			Guppy van der Laan	Stadium: Boundary Park Attendance: 7,712

Port Vale v Swindon Town

17 December 1994 22	Port Vale	2–2	Swindon Town	Burslem
	Foyle			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,747

Port Vale v Reading

28 December 1994 23	Port Vale	0–2	Reading	Burslem
				Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,891

Watford v Port Vale

31 December 1994 24	Watford	3–2	Port Vale	Watford
			Foyle	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 7,794

Port Vale v Tranmere Rovers

15 January 1995 25	Port Vale	2–0	Tranmere Rovers	Burslem
	Foyle Tankard			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,944

Southend United v Port Vale

28 January 1995 26	Southend United	1–2	Port Vale	Southend-on-Sea
			Foyle van der Laan	Stadium: Roots Hall Attendance: 3,619

Sunderland v Port Vale

4 February 1995 27	Sunderland	1–1	Port Vale	Sunderland
			Naylor	Stadium: Roker Park Attendance: 13,377

Port Vale v West Bromwich Albion

11 February 1995 28	Port Vale	1–0	West Bromwich Albion	Burslem
	Guppy			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 10,751

Port Vale v Derby County

21 February 1995 29	Port Vale	1–0	Derby County	Burslem
	Kent			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 9,387

Port Vale v Wolverhampton Wanderers

25 February 1995 30	Port Vale	2–4	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Burslem
	Kent Naylor			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 13,676

Sheffield United v Port Vale

4 March 1995 31	Sheffield United	1–1	Port Vale	Sheffield
			L.Glover	Stadium: Bramall Lane Attendance: 13,647

Luton Town v Port Vale

7 March 1995 32	Luton Town	2–1	Port Vale	Luton
			Porter	Stadium: Kenilworth Road Attendance: 5,947

Port Vale v Bristol City

11 March 1995 33	Port Vale	2–1	Bristol City	Burslem
	Naylor Scott			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,646

Port Vale v Stoke City

14 March 1995 34	Port Vale	1–1	Stoke City	Burslem
	Naylor			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 19,510

Barnsley v Port Vale

18 March 1995 35	Barnsley	3–1	Port Vale	Barnsley
			Allon	Stadium: Oakwell Attendance: 6,878

Port Vale v Portsmouth

21 March 1995 36	Port Vale	1–0	Portsmouth	Burslem
	Allon			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,388

Middlesbrough v Port Vale

26 March 1995 37	Middlesbrough	3–0	Port Vale	Middlesbrough
				Stadium: Ayresome Park Attendance: 17,401

Burnley v Port Vale

28 March 1995 38	Burnley	4–3	Port Vale	Burnley
			Foyle Allon	Stadium: Turf Moor Attendance: 10,058

Port Vale v Grimsby Town

1 April 1995 39	Port Vale	1–2	Grimsby Town	Burslem
	Naylor			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,150

Millwall v Port Vale

5 April 1995 40	Millwall	1–3	Port Vale	Bermondsey, Southwark
			Bogie Foyle van der Laan	Stadium: The Den Attendance: 5,260

Port Vale v Watford

8 April 1995 41	Port Vale	0–1	Watford	Burslem
				Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,276

Reading v Port Vale

15 April 1995 42	Reading	3–3	Port Vale	Reading, Berkshire
			Bogie Naylor Porter	Stadium: Elm Park Attendance: 8,635

Port Vale v Burnley

17 April 1995 43	Port Vale	1–0	Burnley	Burslem
	van der Laan			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 9,663

Stoke City v Port Vale

22 April 1995 44	Stoke City	0–1	Port Vale	Stoke-upon-Trent
			Foyle	Stadium: Victoria Ground Attendance: 20,429

Charlton Athletic v Port Vale

29 April 1995 45	Charlton Athletic	1–1	Port Vale	Charlton, London
			Foyle	Stadium: The Valley Attendance: 12,596

Port Vale v Notts County

7 May 1995 46	Port Vale	1–1	Notts County	Burslem
	Foyle			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 9,542

FA Cup

Main article: 1994–95 FA Cup

Port Vale v Hartlepool United

12 November 1994 R1	Port Vale	6–0	Hartlepool United	Burslem
	Foyle Allon D.Glover Griffiths			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,199

Scarborough v Port Vale

3 December 1994 R2	Scarborough	1–0	Port Vale	Scarborough, North Yorkshire
				Stadium: Athletic Ground Attendance: 2,382

League Cup

Main article: 1994–95 Football League Cup

Bristol Rovers v Port Vale

17 August 1994 R1 1st Leg	Bristol Rovers	1–3	Port Vale	Bath, Somerset
			Foyle L.Glover Naylor	Stadium: Twerton Park Attendance: 3,307

Port Vale v Bristol Rovers

23 August 1994 R1 2nd Leg	Port Vale	1–1	Bristol Rovers	Burslem
	L.Glover			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 4,728

Port Vale v Manchester United

21 September 1994 R2 1st Leg	Port Vale	1–2	Manchester United	Burslem
	L.Glover			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 18,605

Manchester United v Port Vale

5 October 1994 R2 2nd Leg	Manchester United	2–0	Port Vale	Old Trafford
				Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 31,615

Player statistics

Appearances and goals

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

Pos.	Name	Football League		FA Cup		League Cup		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
GK	Paul Musselwhite	44	0	2	0	4	0	50	0
GK	Arjan van Heusden	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
DF	Dean Glover	29	0	2	1	4	0	35	1
DF	Neil Aspin	37	0	2	0	1	0	40	0
DF	Bradley Sandeman	37	0	0	0	4	0	41	0
DF	Peter Billing	6	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
DF	Gareth Griffiths	20	0	2	1	3	0	25	1
DF	Dean Stokes	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
DF	Allen Tankard	39	1	2	0	4	0	45	1
DF	Kevin Scott	17	1	0	0	0	0	17	1
DF	John Morris	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
MF	Andy Porter	44	3	2	0	4	0	50	3
MF	Ray Walker	23	1	2	0	1	0	26	1
MF	John Jeffers	10	1	1	0	0	0	11	1
MF	Robin van der Laan	44	5	2	0	4	0	50	5
MF	Kevin Kent	23	2	0	0	4	0	27	2
MF	Ian Bogie	9	2	1	0	0	0	10	2
MF	Mark Burke	15	2	2	0	3	0	20	2
MF	Wayne Corden	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
MF	Steve Guppy	27	2	1	0	0	0	29	2
MF	Tony Kelly	4	1	0	0	1	0	5	1
MF	Craig Lawton	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
MF	Stewart Talbot	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
MF	Ollie Heald	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
FW	Martin Foyle	42	16	2	3	4	1	48	20
FW	Joe Allon	19	7	2	1	1	0	22	8
FW	John Burndred	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
FW	Lee Glover	28	4	2	0	4	3	34	7
FW	Tony Naylor	33	9	0	0	3	1	36	10

Top scorers

Place	Position	Nation	Name	First Division	FA Cup	League Cup	Total
1	FW	England	Martin Foyle	16	3	1	20
2	FW	England	Tony Naylor	9	0	1	10
3	FW	England	Joe Allon	7	1	0	8
4	FW	Scotland	Lee Glover	4	0	3	7
5	MF	Netherlands	Robin van der Laan	5	0	0	5
6	MF	England	Andy Porter	3	0	0	3
7	FW	England	Mark Burke	2	0	0	2
–	MF	England	Ian Bogie	2	0	0	2
–	MF	England	Kevin Kent	2	0	0	2
–	MF	England	Steve Guppy	2	0	0	2
11	MF	England	Tony Kelly	1	0	0	1
–	MF	England	John Jeffers	1	0	0	1
–	DF	England	Allen Tankard	1	0	0	1
–	MF	England	Ray Walker	1	0	0	1
–	DF	England	Kevin Scott	1	0	0	1
–	DF	England	Gareth Griffiths	0	1	0	1
–	DF	England	Dean Glover	0	1	0	1
–		–	Own goals	1	0	0	1
			TOTALS	58	6	5	69

Transfers

Transfers in

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
May 1994	GK		Arjan van Heusden	VV Noordwijk	£4,500	[11]
July 1994	MF		Craig Lawton	Manchester United	Free transfer	[11]
18 July 1994	FW		Tony Naylor	Crewe Alexandra	£150,000	[11]
August 1994	MF		Mark Burke	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Free transfer	[11]
August 1994	MF		Stewart Talbot	Moor Green	Free transfer	[11]
2 August 1994	FW		Lee Glover	Nottingham Forest	£200,000	[11]
September 1994	MF		Tony Kelly	Bolton Wanderers	Free transfer	[11]
25 November 1994	MF		Steve Guppy	Newcastle United	£225,000	[11]
February 1995	MF		John Burndred	Knypersley Victoria	Free transfer	[11]
23 March 1995	MF		Ian Bogie	Leyton Orient	£50,000	[11]

Transfers out

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
1994	MF		Tony Kelly	Millwall	Free transfer	[11]
November 1994	DF		Darren Hughes	Northampton Town	Quit	[11]
May 1995	DF		Peter Billing	Hartlepool United	Free transfer	[11]
May 1995	MF		John Burndred	Stafford Rangers	Free transfer	[11]
May 1995	MF		Ollie Heald	Scarborough	Free transfer	[11]
July 1995	FW		Joe Allon	Lincoln City	£42,500	[11]
Summer 1995	MF		Mark Burke	Fortuna Sittard	Free transfer	[11]
Summer 1995	MF		Robin van der Laan	Derby County	£475,000	[11]

Loans in

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	From	Date to	Ref.
13 January 1995	DF		Kevin Scott	Tottenham Hotspur	End of season	[11]

Loans out

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	To	Date to	Ref.
6 January 1995	MF		John Jeffers	Shrewsbury Town	January 1995	[11]