1995–96 Port Vale F.C. season

The 1995–96 season was Port Vale's 84th season of football in the English Football League, and second successive season in the First Division. Under manager John Rudge, the side endured a rocky start — claiming just one win in their opening ten matches — but rallied spectacularly to finish a respectable 12th in the table, ending 11 points shy of the play-offs and clear of relegation fears.

Port Vale

1995–96 season
Chairman	Bill Bell
Manager	John Rudge
Stadium	Vale Park
Football League First Division	12th (60 Points)
FA Cup	Fifth Round (knocked out by Leeds United)
League Cup	First round (knocked out by Huddersfield Town)
Anglo-Italian Cup	Runners-up (knocked out by Genoa)
Player of the Year	Jon McCarthy
Top goalscorer	League: Tony Naylor (11) All: Tony Naylor (12)
Highest home attendance	19,197 vs. Everton, 14 February 1996
Lowest home attendance	4,380 vs. Huddersfield Town, 22 August 1995
Average home league attendance	8,217
Biggest win	3–0 vs. Barnsley, 30 March 1996
Biggest defeat	1–5 vs. Ipswich Town, 1 January 1996
Home colours Away colours
← 1994–95 1996–97 →

The campaign featured memorable moments, including two critical Potteries derby victories over Stoke City, both by 1–0 margins courtesy of Ian Bogie, a feat that would likely have handed Stoke automatic promotion had the results gone the other way. Vale also delivered a classic FA Cup giant‑killing, eliminating holders Everton 2–1 in a Fourth Round replay, earning them the Football Association's "Giantkillers" award. In cup competition, Vale advanced to the final of the Anglo-Italian Cup, ultimately finishing as runners-up after a 5–2 loss to Genoa in the final.

On the transfer front, Rudge reshaped the squad with key moves: Lee Mills arrived from Derby County (in a swap that sent Robin van der Laan the other way plus a fee of £475,000), Jon McCarthy joined from York City for a club record £500,000 and Andy Hill came from Manchester City for £200,000. Tony Naylor finished the season as top scorer with 12 goals in all competitions, closely followed by Martin Foyle, Andy Porter, and Jon McCarthy.

After a shaky start, Vale's resilience — anchored by transfer reinvestment, derby dominance, and memorable cup exploits — propelled them to a solid mid‑table finish, underlined by Europe‑flavoured flair.

Overview

First Division

The pre-season saw John Rudge make three key signings. He bought Lee Mills from Derby County with Robin van der Laan going in the opposite direction, with Vale receiving an additional £475,000; as well as Jon McCarthy from York City for a, still club record, £500,000; and defender Andy Hill from Manchester City for £200,000. He also signed Dutch defender Jermaine Holwyn from AFC Ajax for a £5,000 fee.

The season started terribly, as Vale won just one of their opening ten league games, failing to find the net in half of these fixtures. However, the one win during this time was against the most important of opponents, rivals Stoke City at the Victoria Ground. The derby took place on 27 August, and a crowd of 14,283 witnessed Ian Bogie score the game's only goal.^[1] Their win over Huddersfield Town at the Alfred McAlpine Stadium at the start of the October was also followed by a sequence of eight games without a win, leaving the club staring relegation in the face. In November, Canadian international defender Randy Samuel signed after impressing on trial but soon was sidelined with a serious knee injury. Meanwhile, John Jeffers left the club for Stockport County. On 9 December, Vale won 3–2 at home to Reading, their second win in a row, to move themselves off the foot of the league table.^[2]

The Vale turned a corner in December and would remain one of the division's form sides until April, losing just two league games in 19 games, picking up eleven wins. A six-game winning run concluded with a 3–0 win over Barnsley on 30 March, with captain Neil Aspin saying the team was the best he'd known during his seven years at the club.^[3] The Valiants achieved their first league double over Stoke in 71 years by winning the return fixture under the floodlights on 12 March, with Bogie again the only name on the scoresheet, this time scoring within just 12 seconds of the kick-off; BBC Radio Stoke commentator George Andrews excitedly reported that "Bogie's done the business! Five seconds into the game, the Bogie Boogie has set it alight here, and the Stokies are stunned".^[1] To Stoke, Bogie lived up to his name, as he scored his second league goal of the campaign in front of a Vale Park crowd of 16,737. Vale were facing the prospect of a promotion battle to reach the top-flight of English football, the Premier League, for the first time in their history. On 2 April, Vale came back from a two goal half-time deficit at Selhurst Park to record a 2–2 draw with Crystal Palace.^[4] However, just two wins came in the final ten games, leaving Vale to settle for a top-half finish.

They finished in twelfth place with sixty points, eleven points shy of Charlton Athletic in the play-off zone, and eight points clear of Millwall in the relegation zone. Tony Naylor was the top-scorer with twelve goals in all competitions, closely followed by Martin Foyle, Andy Porter, and Jon McCarthy.

At the end of the season, Kevin Kent retired and took up a coaching role at the club. Young winger Craig Lawton had not established himself at Vale, and so was transferred to non-League Colwyn Bay. Randy Samuel was also permitted to leave for Norwegian club Harstad IL. Bradley Sandeman was another departing player, as he was given a free transfer to Rotherham United, whilst Lee Glover also joined the "Millers" for a £150,000 fee.

Finances

The club's shirt sponsors were Tunstall Assurance. Season ticket sales hit the 5,000 mark for the first time in the club's history.^[5]

Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, Vale faced a difficult tie against Crystal Palace. After a goalless draw at Selhurst Park, the Vale advanced with a 4–3 win thanks to a brace from Ray Walker. They then faced the cup holders Everton at Goodison Park.^[6] Foyle equalized after the "Toffees" scored the opener, and Ian Bogie saved the day with a deflected goal in injury time after Everton had again taken the lead through Duncan Ferguson.^[7] This goal saved the blushes of Foyle, who missed a sitter from 6 yards (5.5 m) earlier in the game, and Paul Musselwhite, who gifted Ferguson his goal when he spilt Anders Limpar's cross.^[7] Back at Vale Park, the "Valiants" added another scalp to their collection with goals from Bogie and McCarthy to win the match 2–1.^[8] The club also took in their highest ever gate receipt total, as the game saw Vale bank £170,349. They then faced another top side away in the fifth round, Leeds United at Elland Road. A goalless draw raised hopes of another cup upset, and hopes turned to expectations as Naylor put Vale ahead in the replay. However, two goals from Gary McAllister saved United's blushes, dumping Vale out of the cup. For their efforts, John Rudge's side were handed the FA's Giantkillers award for the season.

In the League Cup, Vale faced league rivals Huddersfield Town. Despite a 2–1 victory at the Alfred McAlpine Stadium, the "Terriers" escaped from Burslem with a 3–1 victory to knock Vale out of the competition.

In the Anglo-Italian Cup, Vale drew 2–2 with Cesena, beat Ancona 2–0, and drew 0–0 with Genoa, before beating Perugia 5–3. The draw with nine-time Serie A champions and former UEFA Cup semi-finalists Genoa was seen as particularly creditable, with Musselwhite praised for some excellent close-range saves to earn his clean sheet.^[9] This took Vale through the group stage, along with Birmingham City, as they finished ahead of both Oldham Athletic and Luton Town. Facing Ipswich Town in the English semi-final, they progressed with a 4–2 win. To reach the final, they still had to beat West Bromwich Albion in a two-legged affair. They beat the "Baggies" 3–1 to become the last English team in the competition and face Genoa again, this time to decide the tournament's winner. Despite a brace from Foyle, the Serie B side were the 5–2 victors, former Italian international Gennaro Ruotolo scoring a hat-trick.

League table

Main article: 1995–96 Football League

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
10	Barnsley	46	14	18	14	60	66	−6	60
11	West Bromwich Albion	46	16	12	18	60	68	−8	60
12	Port Vale	46	15	15	16	59	66	−7	60
13	Tranmere Rovers	46	14	17	15	64	60	+4	59
14	Southend United	46	15	14	17	52	61	−9	59

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

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	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	A	H	A	A	A	H	H	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	H	H	A	A
Result	D	L	W	D	L	L	L	L	D	D	W	L	D	L	D	L	D	L	D	W	W	W	L	W	L	W	D	D	D	D	W	W	W	W	W	W	D	L	L	L	W	D	W	L	L	D
Position	14	22	18	18	20	22	24	24	23	24	23	23	22	24	23	24	24	24	24	24	20	21	21	18	19	18	19	21	12	23	23	19	17	17	14	12	11	12	16	17	10	12	9	10	11	12
Points	1	1	4	5	5	5	5	5	6	7	10	10	11	11	12	12	13	13	14	17	20	23	23	26	26	29	30	31	32	33	36	39	42	45	48	51	52	52	52	52	55	56	59	59	59	60

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

Matches

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
13 August 1995	Derby County	A	0–0	10,869
19 August 1995	Millwall	H	0–1	8,202
27 August 1995	Stoke City	A	1–0	14,283	Bogie
30 August 1995	Sunderland	H	1–1	7,693	Porter
2 September 1995	Norwich City	A	1–2	13,908	Mills
9 September 1995	Portsmouth	H	0–2	7,374
12 September 1995	Leicester City	H	0–2	8,814
16 September 1995	Grimsby Town	A	0–1	4,066
23 September 1995	Reading	A	2–2	7,819	Lee Glover, Lee Mills
30 September 1995	Wolverhampton Wanderers	H	2–2	11,550	Porter, Richards (og)
7 October 1995	Huddersfield Town	A	2–0	11,335	Guppy, McCarthy
15 October 1995	Crystal Palace	H	1–2	6,935	L.Glover
21 October 1995	Barnsley	A	1–1	7,332	Guppy
29 October 1995	Birmingham City	H	1–2	8,875	Porter
5 November 1995	Oldham Athletic	A	2–2	5,138	Mills (2)
11 November 1995	Sheffield United	H	2–3	7,284	Mills, Naylor
18 November 1995	Watford	H	1–1	6,265	Samuel
22 November 1995	Tranmere Rovers	A	1–2	6,681	Naylor
25 November 1995	Charlton Athletic	A	2–2	10,174	Griffiths, Porter
2 December 1995	Huddersfield Town	H	1–0	7,701	Foyle
9 December 1995	Reading	H	3–2	6,376	Foyle, Guppy, Porter
16 December 1995	Wolverhampton Wanderers	A	1–0	23,329	Porter
20 December 1995	Southend United	A	1–2	4,506	Naylor
26 December 1995	West Bromwich Albion	H	3–1	10,807	Foyle, Guppy, Naylor
1 January 1996	Ipswich Town	A	1–5	9,926	Naylor
13 January 1996	Millwall	A	2–1	14,220	Foyle, Naylor
20 January 1996	Derby County	H	1–1	11,947	Naylor
10 February 1996	Sunderland	A	0–0	15,954
17 February 1996	Leicester City	A	1–1	13,758	McCarthy
2 March 1996	West Bromwich Albion	A	1–1	13,707	McCarthy
9 March 1996	Southend United	H	2–1	6,222	L.Glover, McCarthy
12 March 1996	Stoke City	H	1–0	16,737	Bogie
20 March 1996	Norwich City	H	1–0	6,085	Foyle
23 March 1996	Ipswich Town	H	2–1	7,277	Bogie, McCarthy
27 March 1996	Portsmouth	A	2–1	6,335	Griffiths, Naylor
30 March 1996	Barnsley	H	3–0	7,358	Foyle, Naylor, Porter
2 April 1996	Crystal Palace	A	2–2	14,180	Foyle, McCarthy
6 April 1996	Birmingham City	A	1–3	17,469	Porter
8 April 1996	Oldham Athletic	H	1–3	7,796	Mills
13 April 1996	Watford	A	2–5	9,066	Foyle, Porter
16 April 1996	Grimsby Town	H	1–0	5,796	Aspin
20 April 1996	Tranmere Rovers	H	1–1	7,419	Naylor
23 April 1996	Luton Town	H	1–0	6,054	Mills
27 April 1996	Charlton Athletic	H	1–3	8,428	McCarthy
30 April 1996	Luton Town	A	2–3	5,443	Mills, Porter
4 May 1996	Sheffield United	A	1–1	18,741	Naylor

FA Cup

Main article: 1995–96 FA Cup

Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
R3	6 January 1996	Crystal Palace	A	0–0	10,456
R3 Replay	16 January 1996	Crystal Palace	H	4–3	6,754	Walker (2), Foyle, Porter
R4	27 January 1996	Everton	A	2–2	33,168	Bogie, Foyle
R4 Replay	14 February 1996	Everton	H	2–1	19,197	Bogie, McCarthy
R5	21 February 1996	Leeds United	A	0–0	18,607
R5 Replay	27 February 1996	Leeds United	H	1–2	14,023	Naylor

League Cup

Main article: 1995–96 Football League Cup

Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
R1 1st leg	15 August 1995	Huddersfield Town	A	2–1	5,363	Sedgley (og)
R1 2nd leg	22 August 1995	Huddersfield Town	H	1–3	4,380	L.Glover

Player statistics

Appearances and goals

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

Pos.	Name	Football League		FA Cup		League Cup / Anglo-Italian Cup		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
GK	Paul Musselwhite	39	0	6	0	8	0	53	0
GK	Arjan van Heusden	7	0	0	0	2	0	9	0
DF	Dean Glover	29	0	2	0	4	0	35	0
DF	Neil Aspin	22	1	4	0	4	0	30	1
DF	Bradley Sandeman	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
DF	Gareth Griffiths	41	2	4	0	8	0	53	2
DF	Dean Stokes	18	0	0	0	8	0	26	0
DF	Allen Tankard	29	0	6	0	8	0	45	0
DF	Andy Hill	35	0	6	0	6	0	47	0
DF	Randy Samuel	9	1	0	0	1	0	10	1
MF	Andy Porter	45	10	6	1	10	1	61	12
MF	Ray Walker	35	0	5	2	6	0	46	2
MF	Kevin Kent	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
MF	Ian Bogie	32	3	6	2	10	0	48	5
MF	Wayne Corden	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
MF	Steve Guppy	44	4	6	0	10	1	60	5
MF	Craig Lawton	2	0	0	0	2	0	4	0
MF	Stewart Talbot	20	0	3	0	5	0	28	0
MF	Jon McCarthy	45	7	6	1	10	2	61	10
FW	Martin Foyle	25	8	4	2	5	4	34	14
FW	Lee Glover	24	3	0	0	8	3	32	6
FW	Tony Naylor	39	11	6	1	6	3	51	15
FW	Lee Mills	32	8	2	0	8	5	42	13

Top scorers

Place	Position	Nation	Name	First Division	FA Cup	League Cup	Anglo-Italian Cup	Total
1	FW	England	Tony Naylor	11	1	0	3	15
2	FW	England	Martin Foyle	8	2	0	4	14
3	FW	Northern Ireland	Jon McCarthy	7	1	0	2	11
–	MF	England	Andy Porter	10	1	0	1	11
–	FW	England	Lee Mills	8	0	0	5	11
6	MF	England	Ian Bogie	3	2	0	0	5
–	FW	Scotland	Lee Glover	3	0	1	2	6
–	MF	England	Steve Guppy	4	0	0	1	5
9	DF	England	Gareth Griffiths	2	0	0	0	2
–	MF	England	Ray Walker	0	2	0	0	2
11	DF	England	Neil Aspin	1	0	0	0	1
–	DF	Canada	Randy Samuel	1	0	0	0	1
–		–	Own goals	1	0	1	0	2
			TOTALS	59	9	2	18	88

Transfers

Transfers in

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
May 1995	DF		Jermaine Holwyn	AFC Ajax	£5,000	[11]
July 1995	FW		Lee Mills	Derby County	Exchange	[11]
August 1995	DF		Andy Hill	Manchester City	£150,000	[11]
August 1995	MF		Jon McCarthy	York City	£450,000	[11]
November 1995	DF		Randy Samuel	Fortuna Sittard	Free transfer	[11]

Transfers out

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
November 1995	MF		John Jeffers	Stockport County	Free transfer	[11]
May 1996	MF		Craig Lawton	Colwyn Bay	Free transfer	[11]
May 1996	DF		Randy Samuel	Harstad IL	Released	[11]
May 1996	DF		Bradley Sandeman	Rotherham United	Free transfer	[11]
15 August 1996	FW		Lee Glover	Rotherham United	£150,000	[11]
Summer 1996	MF		Kevin Kent	Retired		[11]