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. 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.

Port Vale

1996–97 season
Chairman	Bill Bell
Manager	John Rudge
Stadium	Vale Park
Football League First Division	8th (67 Points)
FA Cup	Third Round (knocked out by Blackburn Rovers)
League Cup	Third Round (knocked out by Oxford United)
Player of the Year	Lee Mills
Top goalscorer	League: Tony Naylor (17) All: Tony Naylor (20)
Highest home attendance	15,186 vs. Bradford City, 28 January 1997
Lowest home attendance	3,505 vs. Carlisle United, 17 September 1996
Average home league attendance	7,840
Biggest win	6–1 vs. Norwich City, 21 December 1996
Biggest defeat	0–3 (twice)
Home colours Away colours
← 1995–96 1997–98 →

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] After the match he said he actually hated playing as a lone striker but conceded that "it worked ok today".^[3] The following week Vale pulled Norwich City apart in a 6–1 win – Martin Foyle and Stewart Talbot both claiming braces.^[4] The run was topped off with a 1–0 win over Manchester City in front of over 30,000 people at Maine Road.^[5][6] 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.^[7][8] 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.^[9] 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.^[10] 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.^[11] 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 v t e	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: ^[12]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goals scored; 3) Goal difference
(O) Play-off winners; (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	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
Points	1	2	2	5	6	6	7	8	9	12	12	13	13	16	19	19	22	23	24	24	25	28	31	34	37	37	38	39	42	42	43	43	44	47	50	50	51	54	54	57	60	63	66	66	66	67

Source: Statto^[13]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

Port Vale v Bolton Wanderers

17 August 1996 1	Port Vale	1–1	Bolton Wanderers	Burslem
	Naylor			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 10,057

Swindon Town v Port Vale

24 August 1996 2	Swindon Town	1–1	Port Vale	Swindon
			McCarthy	Stadium: County Ground Attendance: 8,706

Tranmere Rovers v Port Vale

27 August 1996 3	Tranmere Rovers	2–0	Port Vale	Prenton
				Stadium: Prenton Park Attendance: 6,123

Port Vale v Oxford United

31 August 1996 4	Port Vale	2–0	Oxford United	Burslem
	Naylor Mills			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,016

Portsmouth v Port Vale

7 September 1996 5	Portsmouth	1–1	Port Vale	Portsmouth
			Porter	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 6,448

Port Vale v Manchester City

10 September 1996 6	Port Vale	0–2	Manchester City	Burslem
				Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 10,770

Port Vale v Grimsby Town

14 September 1996 7	Port Vale	1–1	Grimsby Town	Burslem
	Hill			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 4,892

Southend United v Port Vale

21 September 1996 8	Southend United	0–0	Port Vale	Southend-on-Sea
				Stadium: Roots Hall Attendance: 4,025

Bradford City v Port Vale

29 September 1996 9	Bradford City	1–1	Port Vale	Bradford
			Guppy	Stadium: Valley Parade Attendance: 4,706

Queens Park Rangers v Port Vale

2 October 1996 10	Queens Park Rangers	1–2	Port Vale	Shepherd's Bush, West London
			Guppy Naylor	Stadium: Loftus Road Attendance: 8,727

Oldham Athletic v Port Vale

5 October 1996 11	Oldham Athletic	3–0	Port Vale	Oldham
				Stadium: Boundary Park Attendance: 6,051

Port Vale v Stoke City

13 October 1996 12	Port Vale	1–1	Stoke City	Burslem
	Mills			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 14,396

Port Vale v Crystal Palace

16 October 1996 13	Port Vale	0–2	Crystal Palace	Burslem
				Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 4,522

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Port Vale

19 October 1996 14	Wolverhampton Wanderers	0–1	Port Vale	Wolverhampton
			Naylor	Stadium: Molineux Stadium Attendance: 22,755

Huddersfield Town v Port Vale

26 October 1996 15	Huddersfield Town	0–1	Port Vale	Huddersfield
			McCarthy	Stadium: Kirklees Stadium Attendance: 11,017

Port Vale v Barnsley

29 October 1996 16	Port Vale	1–3	Barnsley	Burslem
	Guppy			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 5,231

Port Vale v Birmingham City

2 November 1996 17	Port Vale	3–0	Birmingham City	Burslem
	Naylor Guppy			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 8,388

West Bromwich Albion v Port Vale

9 November 1996 18	West Bromwich Albion	1–1	Port Vale	West Bromwich
			Guppy	Stadium: The Hawthorns Attendance: 13,975

Port Vale v Sheffield United

16 November 1996 19	Port Vale	0–0	Sheffield United	Burslem
				Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 8,352

Ipswich Town v Port Vale

23 November 1996 20	Ipswich Town	2–1	Port Vale	Ipswich
			Naylor	Stadium: Portman Road Attendance: 9,491

Port Vale v Huddersfield Town

30 November 1996 21	Port Vale	0–0	Huddersfield Town	Burslem
				Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,026

Reading v Port Vale

7 December 1996 22	Reading	0–1	Port Vale	Reading, Berkshire
			Talbot	Stadium: Elm Park Attendance: 6,445

Charlton Athletic v Port Vale

14 December 1996 23	Charlton Athletic	1–3	Port Vale	Charlton, London
			Naylor	Stadium: The Valley Attendance: 10,003

Port Vale v Norwich City

21 December 1996 24	Port Vale	6–1	Norwich City	Burslem
	Talbot Foyle Porter Mills			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,278

Manchester City v Port Vale

26 December 1996 25	Manchester City	0–1	Port Vale	Manchester
			Foyle	Stadium: Maine Road Attendance: 30,344

Port Vale v Portsmouth

28 December 1996 26	Port Vale	0–2	Portsmouth	Burslem
				Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,382

Grimsby Town v Port Vale

11 January 1997 27	Grimsby Town	1–1	Port Vale	Cleethorpes
			Tankard	Stadium: Blundell Park Attendance: 3,863

Port Vale v Queens Park Rangers

19 January 1997 28	Port Vale	4–4	Queens Park Rangers	Burslem
	Glover Mills Jansson Brazier og'			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 5,736

Port Vale v Southend United

25 January 1997 29	Port Vale	2–1	Southend United	Burslem
	Guppy McCarthy			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 5,588

Port Vale v Bradford City

28 January 1997 30	Port Vale	0–1	Bradford City	Burslem
				Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 15,186

Port Vale v West Bromwich Albion

1 February 1997 31	Port Vale	2–2	West Bromwich Albion	Burslem
	Naylor			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 8,093

Barnsley v Port Vale

8 February 1997 32	Barnsley	1–0	Port Vale	Barnsley
				Stadium: Oakwell Attendance: 12,246

Port Vale v Ipswich Town

15 February 1997 33	Port Vale	2–2	Ipswich Town	Burslem
	Mills Porter pen'			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,115

Birmingham City v Port Vale

23 February 1997 34	Birmingham City	1–2	Port Vale	Birmingham
			Porter Glover	Stadium: St Andrew's Attendance: 13,192

Port Vale v Reading

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

Sheffield United v Port Vale

4 March 1997 36	Sheffield United	3–0	Port Vale	Sheffield
				Stadium: Bramall Lane Attendance: 14,950

Norwich City v Port Vale

8 March 1997 37	Norwich City	1–1	Port Vale	Norwich
			McCarthy	Stadium: Carrow Road Attendance: 16,101

Port Vale v Charlton Athletic

15 March 1997 38	Port Vale	2–0	Charlton Athletic	Burslem
	Mills			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 5,905

Bolton Wanderers v Port Vale

18 March 1997 39	Bolton Wanderers	4–2	Port Vale	Bolton
			Bogie Talbot	Stadium: Burnden Park Attendance: 14,150

Port Vale v Swindon Town

22 March 1997 40	Port Vale	1–0	Swindon Town	Burslem
	Mills			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,142

Port Vale v Tranmere Rovers

31 March 1997 41	Port Vale	2–1	Tranmere Rovers	Burslem
	Mills			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,469

Oxford United v Port Vale

5 April 1997 42	Oxford United	0–2	Port Vale	Oxford
			Mills Naylor	Stadium: Manor Ground Attendance: 7,370

Port Vale v Oldham Athletic

12 April 1997 43	Port Vale	3–2	Oldham Athletic	Burslem
	Naylor Mills			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 8,114

Stoke City v Port Vale

20 April 1997 44	Stoke City	2–0	Port Vale	Stoke-upon-Trent
				Stadium: Victoria Ground Attendance: 16,246

Port Vale v Wolverhampton Wanderers

27 April 1997 45	Port Vale	1–2	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Burslem
	Naylor			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 13,615

Crystal Palace v Port Vale

4 May 1997 46	Crystal Palace	1–1	Port Vale	Selhurst, Croydon
			Mills	Stadium: Selhurst Park Attendance: 16,401

FA Cup

Main article: 1996–97 FA Cup

Blackburn Rovers v Port Vale

4 January 1997 R3	Blackburn Rovers	1–0	Port Vale	Blackburn
				Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 19,891

League Cup

Main article: 1996–97 Football League Cup

Port Vale v Crewe Alexandra

20 August 1996 R1 1st Leg	Port Vale	1–0	Crewe Alexandra	Burslem
	Naylor			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 5,236

Crewe Alexandra v Port Vale

3 September 1996 R1 2nd Leg	Crewe Alexandra	1–5	Port Vale	Crewe
			Bogie McCarthy Foyle Naylor Mills	Stadium: Gresty Road Attendance: 4,471

Port Vale v Carlisle United

17 September 1996 R2 1st Leg	Port Vale	1–0	Carlisle United	Burslem
	Naylor			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 3,505

Carlisle United v Port Vale

24 September 1996 R2 2nd Leg	Carlisle United	2–2	Port Vale	Carlisle
			McCarthy Mills	Stadium: Brunton Park Attendance: 5,545

Port Vale v Oxford United

22 October 1996 R3 1st Leg	Port Vale	0–0	Oxford United	Burslem
				Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 4,942

Oxford United v Port Vale

5 November 1996 R3 2nd Leg	Oxford United	2–0	Port Vale	Oxford
				Stadium: Manor Ground Attendance: 5,279

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	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	[14]

Transfers out

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
28 February 1997	MF		Steve Guppy	Leicester City	£850,000	[14]
May 1997	MF		Ray Walker	Leek Town	Free transfer	[14]

Loans in

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	From	Date to	Ref.
November 1996	MF		Jan Jansson	IFK Norrköping	January 1991	[14]

Loans out

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	From	Date to	Ref.
23 September 1996	GK		Matthew Boswell	Hinkley Town	1996	[15]
6 December 1996	GK		Matthew Boswell	Redditch United	?	[15]