1997–98 Port Vale F.C. season

The 1997–98 season was Port Vale's 86th season of football in the English Football League, and fourth successive season in the First Division. Under the stewardship of manager John Rudge and chairman Bill Bell, the club produced a dramatic final-day escape from relegation, securing a vital 4–0 win over Huddersfield Town that ensured Vale survived while Potteries derby rivals Stoke City were relegated — leaving Port Vale as the proud top club in the Potteries.

Port Vale

1997–98 season
Chairman	Bill Bell
Manager	John Rudge
Stadium	Vale Park
Football League First Division	19th (49 Points)
FA Cup	Third Round (knocked out by Arsenal)
League Cup	First Round (knocked out by York City)
Player of the Year	Gareth Ainsworth
Top goalscorer	League: Lee Mills (14) All: Lee Mills (16)
Highest home attendance	14,964 vs. Arsenal, 14 January 1998
Lowest home attendance	2,749 vs. York City, 12 August 1997
Average home league attendance	8,263
Biggest win	4–0 vs. Huddersfield Town, 3 May 1998
Biggest defeat	1–5 vs. Ipswich Town, 18 April 1998
Home colours Away colours
← 1996–97 1998–99 →

In cup competitions, Vale put up a commendable fight in the FA Cup, drawing Arsenal away before falling in a tense Third Round replay on penalties. Their League Cup campaign ended at the First Round stage. The campaign also marked a transition in the squad: key departures included high-performing duo Lee Mills and Jon McCarthy, alongside stalwarts Dean Glover, Andy Porter, and Andy Hill. In a bid to strengthen, Vale broke their transfer record by signing Gareth Ainsworth from Lincoln City for £500,000. On the scoring front, Lee Mills finished as both league (14) and season top scorer (16 goals). Attendance peaked at 14,964 for the FA Cup tie against Arsenal and dropped to a low of 2,749 vs. York City, with an average attendance of 8,263. The club's heaviest league reverse was a 5–1 defeat to Ipswich Town on 18 April 1998.

Overview

First Division

The pre-season saw the arrival of Swedish midfielder Jan Jansson from IFK Norrköping for a £200,000 fee. Dutch defender Mark Snijders also signed from AZ.

The Vale started the season in modest form, picking up 14 points in the opening nine games. On 11 September, John Rudge made the club's record signing by paying Lincoln City £500,000 for the services of midfielder Gareth Ainsworth. To pay for this, Jon McCarthy was sold to Birmingham City for £1.5m.^[1] Also heading away from Stoke-on-Trent was Arjan van Heusden, who joined Oxford United on loan. The next month, Gareth Griffiths left for a loan spell at Shrewsbury Town. Disappointment came on 12 October, with a 2–1 defeat to rivals Stoke City at the newly opened Britannia Stadium. Vale's indifferent form continued, one highlight being a 3–2 win over Manchester City at Maine Road on 4 November in which Andy Porter man-marked Georgi Kinkladze out of the game.^[2] Later in the year Paul Beesley joined on loan from Man City, and played a handful of games. The club's indifferent form then turned to a terrible run of ten defeats in twelve games, which included a run of one goal scored in seven games. Their form picked up in February, though they were still inconsistent.

On 1 March, Stoke, who were also in relegation danger, escaped from Vale Park with a goalless draw. On 7 March, Vale beat Reading 3–0 at Elm Park.^[3] Later in month Rudge signed young Tottenham Hotspur forward Paul Mahorn on non-contract terms. On 14 March, a 2–1 win over Manchester City was to prove crucial – the club's first home win over Manchester City, though Vale were still in danger of the drop.^[4] Going into their final game with Huddersfield Town at the Alfred McAlpine Stadium Vale had lost three straight games, and needed a win to ensure their safety in the league.^[5] A brace from Jansson, and one each from Martin Foyle and Lee Mills earned Vale a 4–0 win.^[6] Rudge said: "It all ended happily in the end but we must take that as a warning and not ignore it".^[7]

They finished in 19th place, one point above Manchester City in the relegation zone.^[8] Stoke City were also relegated, and had Stoke beat Vale in Burslem then Vale would have taken Stoke's place in the relegation zone.^[5] Lee Mills was the club's top-scorer with 16 goals, whilst Tony Naylor also hit double-figures.

At the end of the season, Lee Mills was signed by Premier League Bradford City, becoming Bradford's first million-pound player. Twelve-year club veteran Andy Porter signed for Wigan Athletic, as did Griffiths. Another major departure was nine-year club veteran defender Dean Glover, who joined non-League Kidderminster Harriers. Another older player, Andy Hill, retired outright. Other departures were Dave Barnett to Lincoln City, Dean Stokes to Third Division Rochdale, and Dutch keeper Arjan van Heusden also headed into the basement division with Cambridge United. Fellow Dutchman Jermaine Holwyn returned to the Netherlands to play for HFC Haarlem.

Finances

The club's shirt sponsors were Tunstall Assurance.

Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, Vale faced a trip to Highbury to face Arsenal. Rudge's "Valiants" battled to a goalless draw with the "Gunners" to take the Londoners back to Burslem; manager Arsène Wenger remarked that it was "amazing how teams who do not do especially well in their own league suddenly become monsters".^[9] Again goalless, Dennis Bergkamp scored in the tenth minute of extra time, but Wayne Corden equalized eight minutes before the full-time whistle.^[10] Lee Dixon missed the first penalty of the shoot-out, but Arsenal recovered to win the game 4–3 on penalties, and later went on to lift the cup.^[11][12]

In the League Cup, Second Division York City eliminated the Vale with a 3–2 aggregate victory.

League table

Main article: 1997–98 Football League First Division

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
17	Bury	46	11	19	16	42	58	−16	52
18	Swindon Town	46	14	10	22	42	73	−31	52
19	Port Vale	46	13	10	23	56	66	−10	49
20	Portsmouth	46	13	10	23	51	63	−12	49
21	Queens Park Rangers	46	10	19	17	51	63	−12	49

Source: Statto.com
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	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A
Result	L	L	W	D	W	L	W	D	W	L	L	D	W	L	D	W	W	L	D	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	W	L	L	D	D	L	W	L	D	L	W	W	D	L	W	D	L	L	L	W
Position	20	22	14	17	11	14	9	11	8	8	11	14	8	13	14	10	7	11	9	11	13	14	17	18	18	20	18	19	21	20	21	21	21	21	24	24	23	19	20	20	18	17	19	20	20	19
Points	0	0	3	4	7	7	10	11	14	14	14	15	18	18	19	22	25	25	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	29	29	29	30	31	31	34	34	35	35	38	41	42	42	45	46	46	46	46	49

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

Matches

Port Vale v Nottingham Forest

9 August 1997 1	Port Vale	0–1	Nottingham Forest	Burslem
				Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 12,533

Portsmouth v Port Vale

16 August 1997 2	Portsmouth	3–1	Port Vale	Portsmouth
			Talbot	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 10,605

Port Vale v Sunderland

23 August 1997 3	Port Vale	3–1	Sunderland	Burslem
	Naylor Mills			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 8,290

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Port Vale

3 September 1997 4	Wolverhampton Wanderers	1–1	Port Vale	Wolverhampton
			Foyle	Stadium: Molineux Stadium Attendance: 21,524

Port Vale v Stockport County

9 September 1997 5	Port Vale	2–1	Stockport County	Burslem
	Mills			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,615

Norwich City v Port Vale

13 September 1997 6	Norwich City	1–0	Port Vale	Norwich
				Stadium: Carrow Road Attendance: 11,269

Crewe Alexandra v Port Vale

16 September 1997 7	Crewe Alexandra	0–1	Port Vale	Crewe
			Mills	Stadium: Gresty Road Attendance: 5,519

Port Vale v Bury

20 September 1997 8	Port Vale	1–1	Bury	Burslem
	Ainsworth			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,781

Port Vale v Queens Park Rangers

27 September 1997 9	Port Vale	2–0	Queens Park Rangers	Burslem
	Snijders Naylor			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,197

Swindon Town v Port Vale

4 October 1997 10	Swindon Town	4–2	Port Vale	Swindon
			Glover Foyle	Stadium: County Ground Attendance: 8,048

Stoke City v Port Vale

12 October 1997 11	Stoke City	2–1	Port Vale	Stoke-on-Trent
			Naylor	Stadium: The Britannia Attendance: 20,125

Port Vale v Bradford City

18 October 1997 12	Port Vale	0–0	Bradford City	Burslem
				Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,148

Port Vale v Huddersfield Town

21 October 1997 13	Port Vale	4–1	Huddersfield Town	Burslem
	Horne og' Talbot Ainsworth Naylor			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 5,244

Middlesbrough v Port Vale

25 October 1997 14	Middlesbrough	2–1	Port Vale	Middlesbrough
			Foyle	Stadium: Riverside Stadium Attendance: 30,096

Port Vale v Reading

1 November 1997 15	Port Vale	0–0	Reading	Burslem
				Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,569

Manchester City v Port Vale

4 November 1997 16	Manchester City	2–3	Port Vale	Manchester
			Snijders Talbot Naylor	Stadium: Maine Road Attendance: 24,554

Tranmere Rovers v Port Vale

8 November 1997 17	Tranmere Rovers	1–2	Port Vale	Prenton
			Naylor	Stadium: Prenton Park Attendance: 7,063

Port Vale v West Bromwich Albion

15 November 1997 18	Port Vale	1–2	West Bromwich Albion	Burslem
	Mills			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 11,124

Port Vale v Sheffield United

22 November 1997 19	Port Vale	0–0	Sheffield United	Burslem
				Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 8,017

Oxford United v Port Vale

29 November 1997 20	Oxford United	2–0	Port Vale	Oxford
				Stadium: Manor Ground Attendance: 5,762

Port Vale v Birmingham City

6 December 1997 21	Port Vale	0–1	Birmingham City	Burslem
				Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,509

Charlton Athletic v Port Vale

13 December 1997 22	Charlton Athletic	1–0	Port Vale	Charlton, London
				Stadium: The Valley Attendance: 11,077

Port Vale v Ipswich Town

20 December 1997 23	Port Vale	1–3	Ipswich Town	Burslem
	Foyle			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 5,784

Stockport County v Port Vale

26 December 1997 24	Stockport County	3–0	Port Vale	Stockport
				Stadium: Edgeley Park Attendance: 10,003

Port Vale v Wolverhampton Wanderers

28 December 1997 25	Port Vale	0–2	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Burslem
				Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 10,898

Nottingham Forest v Port Vale

10 January 1998 26	Nottingham Forest	2–0	Port Vale	Nottingham
				Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 17,639

Port Vale v Portsmouth

17 January 1998 27	Port Vale	2–1	Portsmouth	Burslem
	Talbot Mills			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,028

Port Vale v Crewe Alexandra

24 January 1998 28	Port Vale	2–3	Crewe Alexandra	Burslem
	Naylor Porter pen'			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,683

Sunderland v Port Vale

31 January 1998 29	Sunderland	4–2	Port Vale	Sunderland
			Talbot Jansson	Stadium: Stadium of Light Attendance: 39,258

Bury v Port Vale

7 February 1998 30	Bury	2–2	Port Vale	Bury, Greater Manchester
			Mills Bogie	Stadium: Gigg Lane Attendance: 5,285

Port Vale v Norwich City

14 February 1998 31	Port Vale	2–2	Norwich City	Burslem
	Mills			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,664

Port Vale v Swindon Town

17 February 1998 32	Port Vale	0–1	Swindon Town	Burslem
				Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 5,925

Queens Park Rangers v Port Vale

21 February 1998 33	Queens Park Rangers	0–1	Port Vale	Shepherd's Bush, West London
			Mills	Stadium: Loftus Road Attendance: 14,198

Bradford City v Port Vale

24 February 1998 34	Bradford City	2–1	Port Vale	Bradford
			Foyle	Stadium: Valley Parade Attendance: 13,293

Port Vale v Stoke City

1 March 1998 35	Port Vale	0–0	Stoke City	Burslem
				Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 13,853

Port Vale v Tranmere Rovers

4 March 1998 36	Port Vale	0–1	Tranmere Rovers	Burslem
				Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 5,465

Reading v Port Vale

7 March 1998 37	Reading	0–3	Port Vale	Reading, Berkshire
			Mills Talbot Jansson	Stadium: Elm Park Attendance: 7,139

Port Vale v Manchester City

14 March 1998 38	Port Vale	2–1	Manchester City	Burslem
	Foyle Ainsworth			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 13,122

West Bromwich Albion v Port Vale

21 March 1998 39	West Bromwich Albion	2–2	Port Vale	West Bromwich
			Jansson Foyle	Stadium: The Hawthorns Attendance: 14,242

Sheffield United v Port Vale

28 March 1998 40	Sheffield United	2–1	Port Vale	Sheffield
			Corden	Stadium: Bramall Lane Attendance: 15,860

Port Vale v Oxford United

4 April 1998 41	Port Vale	3–0	Oxford United	Burslem
	Mills Naylor Ainsworth			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,524

Birmingham City v Port Vale

11 April 1998 42	Birmingham City	1–1	Port Vale	Birmingham
			Ainsworth	Stadium: St Andrew's Attendance: 17,193

Port Vale v Charlton Athletic

13 April 1998 43	Port Vale	0–1	Charlton Athletic	Burslem
				Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 9,973

Ipswich Town v Port Vale

18 April 1998 44	Ipswich Town	5–1	Port Vale	Ipswich
			Barnett	Stadium: Portman Road Attendance: 16,205

Port Vale v Middlesbrough

24 April 1998 45	Port Vale	0–1	Middlesbrough	Burslem
				Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 12,096

Huddersfield Town v Port Vale

3 May 1998 46	Huddersfield Town	0–4	Port Vale	Huddersfield
			Jansson Foyle Mills	Stadium: Kirklees Stadium Attendance: 15,610

FA Cup

Main article: 1997–98 FA Cup

Arsenal v Port Vale

3 January 1998 R3	Arsenal	0–0	Port Vale	Highbury, North London
				Stadium: Arsenal Stadium Attendance: 37,471

Port Vale v Arsenal

14 January 1998 Replay	Port Vale	1–1 (3–4 p)	Arsenal	Burslem
	Corden			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 14,964

League Cup

Main article: 1997–98 Football League Cup

Port Vale v York City

12 August 1997 R1 1st Leg	Port Vale	1–1	York City	Burslem
	Mills			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 2,749

York City v Port Vale

26 August 1997 R1 2nd Leg	York City	2–1	Port Vale	York
			Mills	Stadium: Bootham Crescent Attendance: 3,195

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	Matthew Boswell	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
GK	Paul Musselwhite	40	0	2	0	2	0	44	0
GK	Arjan van Heusden	5	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
DF	Dean Glover	25	1	0	0	1	0	26	1
DF	Neil Aspin	25	0	2	0	2	0	29	0
DF	Allen Tankard	38	0	2	0	2	0	42	0
DF	Dean Stokes	8	0	0	0	1	0	9	0
DF	Jon McCarthy	4	0	0	0	2	0	6	0
DF	Andy Hill	27	0	2	0	2	0	31	0
DF	Matt Carragher	25	0	0	0	0	0	25	0
DF	Paul Beesley	5	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
DF	Dave Barnett	9	1	0	0	0	0	9	1
DF	Liam Burns	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
DF	Mark Snijders	23	2	0	2	0	0	25	2
DF	Gareth Griffiths	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
MF	Andy Porter	40	1	2	0	1	0	43	1
MF	Ian Bogie	38	1	2	0	1	0	41	1
MF	Wayne Corden	31	1	2	1	2	0	35	2
MF	Stewart Talbot	41	6	2	0	2	0	45	6
MF	Rogier Koordes	9	0	0	0	0	0	9	0
MF	Jan Jansson	32	5	0	0	2	0	34	5
MF	Gareth Ainsworth	39	5	2	0	0	0	41	5
MF	Richard Eyre	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
MF	Scott Ruscoe	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
FW	Dean Cunningham	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
FW	Martin Foyle	38	8	2	0	2	0	42	8
FW	Lee Mills	42	14	1	0	2	2	45	16
FW	Justin O'Reilly	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
FW	Tony Naylor	37	10	2	0	2	0	41	10
FW	Simon Armstrong	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
FW	Steve Williams	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Top scorers

Place	Position	Nation	Name	First Division	FA Cup	League Cup	Total
1	FW	England	Lee Mills	14	0	2	16
2	FW	England	Tony Naylor	10	0	0	10
3	FW	England	Martin Foyle	8	0	0	8
4	MF	England	Stewart Talbot	6	0	0	6
5	MF	Sweden	Jan Jansson	5	0	0	5
–	MF	England	Gareth Ainsworth	5	0	0	5
7	MF	England	Wayne Corden	1	1	0	2
–	DF	Netherlands	Mark Snijders	2	0	0	2
9	DF	England	Dean Glover	1	0	0	1
–	DF	England	Dave Barnett	1	0	0	1
–	MF	England	Ian Bogie	1	0	0	1
–	MF	England	Andy Porter	1	0	0	1
–		–	Own goals	1	0	0	1
			TOTALS	56	1	2	59

Transfers

Transfers in

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
1997	DF		Matt Carragher	Wigan Athletic	Free transfer	[14]
Summer 1997	MF		Jan Jansson	IFK Norrköping	£200,000	[14]
Summer 1997	DF		Mark Snijders	AZ Alkmaar	Free transfer	[14]
12 September 1997	MF		Gareth Ainsworth	Lincoln City	£500,000	[14]

Transfers out

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
11 September 1997	MF		Jon McCarthy	Birmingham City	£1.5 million	[14]
1998	DF		Jermaine Holwyn	HFC Haarlem	Free transfer	[14]
26 March 1998	FW		Justin O'Reilly	Southport	Free transfer	[15]
July 1998	MF		Andy Porter	Wigan Athletic	Free transfer	[14]
June 1998	DF		Gareth Griffiths	Wigan Athletic	Free transfer	[14]
Summer 1998	DF		Dean Glover	Kidderminster Harriers	Free transfer	[14]
Summer 1998	DF		Andy Hill	Retired		[14]
7 August 1998	FW		Lee Mills	Bradford City	£1,000,000	[14]
Summer 1998	DF		Dean Stokes	Rochdale	Free transfer	[14]
August 1998	GK		Arjan van Heusden	Cambridge United	Free transfer	[14]

Loans in

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	From	Date to	Ref.
24 December 1997	DF		Paul Beesley	Manchester City	December 1997	[14]
March 1998	DF		Dave Barnett	Dunfermline Athletic	May 1998	[14]

Loans out

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	To	Date to	Ref.
8 August 1997	GK		Matthew Boswell	Witton Albion	199?	[15]
26 September 1997	GK		Arjan van Heusden	Oxford United	October 1997	[14]
31 October 1997	DF		Gareth Griffiths	Shrewsbury Town	November 1997	[14]
23 December 1997	FW		Simon Armstrong	Boston United	End of season	[15]
30 January 1998	FW		Steve Williams	Witton Albion	1998	[15]
25 March 1998	GK		Matthew Boswell	Barnet	End of season	[15]