1987–88 Port Vale F.C. season

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Port Vale
1987–88 season
ChairmanBill Bell
ManagerJohn Rudge
StadiumVale Park
Football League Third Division11th (65 Points)
FA CupFifth Round
(knocked out by Watford)
League CupFirst Round
(knocked out by Northampton Town)
Associate Members' CupFirst Round
(knocked out by Torquay United)
Player of the YearRay Walker
Top goalscorerLeague: Darren Beckford (9)
All: Darren Beckford, David Riley (10 each)
Highest home attendance22,483 vs. Watford, 20 February 1988
Lowest home attendance2,176 vs. Exeter City, 26 October 1987
Average home league attendance3,847
Biggest win5–0 vs. Doncaster Rovers, 2 April 1988
Biggest defeat0–4 (twice)

The 1987–88 season was Port Vale's 76th season of football in the English Football League, and second-successive (17th overall) season in the Third Division.[1] John Rudge's side started the season well, but then suffered following the sale of star striker Andy Jones. Just as Rudge seemed to be struggling, the Vale earned a memorable 2–1 victory over top-flight Tottenham Hotspur at Vale Park in the FA Cup Fourth Round. They exited the competition at the next stage at the hands of Watford, following a replay. Vale's league form also improved, as they finished in eleventh place, helped by midfielders Ray Walker and Robbie Earle, defenders Phil Sproson and Bob Hazell, and goalkeeper Mark Grew. Darren Beckford and David Riley were joint-top-scorers with ten goals each. Vale exited the League Cup and the Associate Members' Cup at the first round.

Overview[edit]

Third Division[edit]

The pre-season saw Russell Bromage traded to Bristol City in exchange for Lawrie Pearson and £25,000.[1] Jon Bowden was also sold to Wrexham for £12,500.[1] The club also announced a new sponsorship deal with ABC Minolta, whilst the English Football League announced that midweek games would be played on Monday nights instead of Tuesday nights.[1] John Rudge bought Darren Beckford from Manchester City for £15,000.[1]

The season began with Andy Jones scoring all four goals in his 100th appearance for the club, to beat Aldershot 4–2.[1] With Pearson performing poorly, Darren Hughes was signed from Brighton & Hove Albion for a £10,000 fee.[1] Paul Smith was also offloaded to Lincoln City for £40,000.[1] Vale then won three consecutive games to go top of the table.[1] After goal machine Andy Jones was sold to First Division Charlton Athletic for £350,000 – a sale Rudge described as like 'cutting off my right arm'[1] – Vale slid down the table. Alex Williams was also forced to retire with a back injury, leading to the return of a fit again Mark Grew in goal.[1] More injuries came as Chris Banks had his nose broken after a reserve team match at Barnsley when he was attacked by a gang of youths whilst waiting at a fish and chip shop.[1] Alan Webb then suffered second degree burns at Preston North End's plastic pitch at Deepdale.[1] The next month Rudge tried to replace Jones when he signed David Riley from Nottingham Forest for £20,000.[1] Despite a good start Riley soon entered a goal drought, as Vale went twelve league games without a win (including eight defeats).[1] Robbie Earle missed much of this period with a hernia injury.[1] In November Kevin Steggles was signed from West Bromwich Albion for 'a small fee' to replace the still-injured Webb.[1] More signings were made with former England international Peter Barnes arriving on loan from Manchester City, and 'hard-working' Simon Mills purchased from York City for £35,000.[1]

Rumours of a Rudge exit from Vale Park came after Alan Oakes quit in protest after being demoted to youth coach, and 'taskmaster' Mike Pejic was promoted in his place.[1] Nevertheless, he signed Gary Ford from Leicester City for £36,000, whilst Pearson had his contract cancelled by mutual consent. Michael Cole also arrived on loan from Ipswich Town.[1] Rudge switched from a formation of 4–4–2 to 4–3–3 and only one defeat followed in the next thirteen league games.[1] As Barnes returned to Manchester, Richard O'Kelly was transferred to Walsall.[1] Cole was replaced by another loanee Dean Holdsworth (from Watford), who found greater success with Vale.[1] However, Gary Hamson was forced to retire through injury.[1] A 5–0 win over Doncaster Rovers on 2 April helped the Vale into tenth place, giving Vale a faint hope of reaching the play-offs.[1] Vale ended the season poorly however, winning just two of their final nine games.[1]

They finished in eleventh place with 65 points, ten points short of play-off contenders Bristol City.[1] Top-scorers Beckford and Riley had managed ten goals each, just four more than Jones had done in his eight games.[1] Ray Walker was honoured with the club's Player of the Year award and was selected for the PFA's Third Division Team of the Year.[1]

Finances[edit]

On the financial side, the cup run and sale of Jones had raised a record profit of £410,239.[1] Match receipts had increased by 67% to £380,387, whilst advertising and broadcast revenues had more than doubled to £157,861.[1] The club's shirt sponsors were ABC Minolta Copiers. The wage bill had also fallen to £367,836.[1] Three players were given free transfers at the season's end: Kevin Steggles (Bury Town), Chris Banks (Exeter City), and Paul Maguire (Northwich Victoria).[1]

Cup competitions[edit]

In the FA Cup, Vale put in their 'worst away performance of the season' in a 2–2 draw at Prenton Park.[1] They managed to beat Tranmere Rovers 3–1 in the replay in Burslem. A 'splendid' performance then defeated Notts County 2–0.[1] They overcame non-League Macclesfield Town with a Kevin Finney goal to book a Fourth Round home tie with Tottenham Hotspur. Ground improvements increased Vale Park's capacity, though a watered-down pitch persuaded "Spurs" boss Terry Venables to leave star man Osvaldo Ardiles on the bench.[2] Despite this, TV pundit Jimmy Greaves reckoned that "The only trouble Spurs will have at Port Vale, is finding the place."[3] As it happened 20,045 turned up to witness a 'famous' 2–1 victory.[1][4] The "Valiants" were in 'another gear' as Ray Walker nailed a 'stunning' 25 yards (23 m) strike and Phil Sproson scored the second vital goal.[1] The club received £80,000 for the game from the BBC, with the match also broadcast on radio in Australia.[1] The fourth round held Watford, and 22,483 turned up for the original goalless tie in Stoke-on-Trent (the highest Vale Park attendance since the visit of Liverpool in 1964).[1] Grew received a lot of praise for his clean sheet performance.[5] A further £87,699 was taken from the game.[1] At the replay three days later at Vicarage Road Vale were eliminated 2–0, though Vale were delighted with their £175,000 winning cup run.[1]

In the League Cup, 3,460 saw Vale's opening tie with Northampton Town fail 'to produce the passion of a schoolyard kickabout', though both sides had two players sent off in the 2–0 defeat.[1] Vale were then thumped 4–0 at Sixfields to exit the tournament 6–0 on aggregate.[1]

In the Associate Members' Cup, Fourth Division strugglers Newport County beat the Vale 2–0 at Somerton Park, though a 2–0 home win over Exeter City took the Vale through the group stage. They then were eliminated by Torquay United at Plainmoor with a 1–0 loss.

League table[edit]

Main article: 1987–88 Football League

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Relegation
1 Sunderland (C, P) 46 27 12 7 92 48 +44 93 Promotion to the Second Division
2 Brighton & Hove Albion (P) 46 23 15 8 69 47 +22 84
3 Walsall (O, P) 46 23 13 10 68 50 +18 82 Qualification for the Third Division play-offs
4 Notts County 46 23 12 11 82 49 +33 81
5 Bristol City 46 21 12 13 77 62 +15 75
6 Northampton Town 46 18 19 9 70 51 +19 73
7 Wigan Athletic 46 20 12 14 70 61 +9 72
8 Bristol Rovers 46 18 12 16 68 56 +12 66
9 Fulham 46 19 9 18 69 60 +9 66
10 Blackpool 46 17 14 15 71 62 +9 65
11 Port Vale 46 18 11 17 58 56 +2 65
12 Brentford 46 16 14 16 53 59 −6 62
13 Gillingham 46 14 17 15 77 61 +16 59
14 Bury 46 15 14 17 58 57 +1 59
15 Chester City 46 14 16 16 51 62 −11 58
16 Preston North End 46 15 13 18 48 59 −11 58
17 Southend United 46 14 13 19 65 83 −18 55
18 Chesterfield 46 15 10 21 41 70 −29 55
19 Mansfield Town 46 14 12 20 48 59 −11 54
20 Aldershot 46 15 8 23 64 74 −10 53
21 Rotherham United (R) 46 12 16 18 50 66 −16 52 Qualification for the Fourth Division play-offs
22 Grimsby Town (R) 46 12 14 20 48 58 −10 50 Relegation to the Fourth Division
23 York City (R) 46 8 9 29 48 91 −43 33
24 Doncaster Rovers (R) 46 8 9 29 40 84 −44 33
Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

Results[edit]

Port Vale's score comes first

Football League Third Division[edit]

Results by matchday[edit]

Round12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546
GroundHHAHAHHAHAAHHAHAAHAHAHAAHAAAHHAAHHHHAHAAHAHHAH
ResultWDLWWWDLWLLWWLDLDDLLLDLLLWDWWWLWWDWWWDLLDLWLWD
Position21113139171121012949913131314151717191919181816161617151413131210101011111310121111
Source: Statto[6]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches[edit]

Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
15 August 1987 Aldershot H 4–2 3,160 Jones (4 [1 pen])
29 August 1987 Rotherham United H 0–0 2,895
31 August 1987 Bristol City A 0–1 8,716
5 September 1987 York City H 2–1 2,711 Jones, Harper
12 September 1987 Chesterfield A 3–1 2,406 Earle, Jones, O'Kelly
14 September 1987 Southend United H 4–1 3,670 Maguire (2), Walker, Harper
19 September 1987 Fulham H 1–1 3,894 Maguire (pen)
26 September 1987 Northampton Town A 0–1 5,072
28 September 1987 Brighton & Hove Albion H 2–0 3,789 Beckford, Hughes
3 October 1987 Brentford A 0–1 4,007
10 October 1987 Preston North End A 2–3 6,375 Walker (2)
17 October 1987 Bury H 1–0 3,235 Beckford
19 October 1987 Bristol Rovers H 2–1 3,598 Maguire (pen), Riley
24 October 1987 Walsall A 1–2 6,083 Riley
31 October 1987 Gillingham H 0–0 3,495
4 November 1987 Chester City A 0–1 2,825
7 November 1987 Doncaster Rovers A 1–1 1,365 Sproson
22 November 1987 Blackpool H 0–0 3,594
28 November 1987 Sunderland A 1–2 15,655 Riley
12 December 1987 Notts County H 1–3 3,358 Riley
20 December 1987 Mansfield Town A 0–4 3,173
26 December 1987 Northampton Town H 1–1 4,446 Hamson (pen)
28 December 1987 Grimsby Town A 1–3 2,941 Hamson
1 January 1988 Rotherham United A 0–1 3,911
2 January 1988 Chesterfield H 0–1 3,495
16 January 1988 Fulham A 2–1 3,792 Mills, Riley
22 January 1988 Southend United A 3–3 3,038 Riley, Ford, Mills
6 February 1988 York City A 3–2 2,420 Cole, Sproson, Mills
13 February 1988 Grimsby Town H 2–0 3,417 Earle (2)
27 February 1988 Brentford H 1–0 3,876 Beckford
2 March 1988 Brighton & Hove Albion A 0–2 7,303
5 March 1988 Bury A 1–0 2,635 Beckford
12 March 1988 Preston North End H 3–2 4,647 Sproson, Walker, o.g.
19 March 1988 Gillingham A 0–0 3,367
26 March 1988 Walsall H 2–1 6,347 Holdsworth, Riley
2 April 1988 Doncaster Rovers H 5–0 3,680 Beckford (3 [1 pen]), Riley, Walker
4 April 1988 Blackpool A 2–1 5,516 Ford, Beckford
9 April 1988 Chester City H 1–1 4,278 Holdsworth
12 April 1988 Wigan Athletic A 0–2 4,438
15 April 1988 Aldershot A 0–3 2,257
18 April 1988 Bristol City H 1–1 2,671 Mills
23 April 1988 Bristol Rovers A 0–1 3,280
25 April 1988 Wigan Athletic H 2–1 3,044 Ford, Walker
30 April 1988 Sunderland H 0–1 7,569
2 May 1988 Notts County A 2–1 7,702 Beckford, Earle
7 May 1988 Mansfield Town H 1–1 3,617 Mills

FA Cup[edit]

Main article: 1987–88 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R1 14 November 1987 Tranmere Rovers A 2–2 4,035 Maguire, o.g.
R1 Replay 16 November 1987 Tranmere Rovers H 3–1 4,097 O'Kelly, Hamson, Riley
R2 5 December 1987 Notts County H 2–0 5,039 Beckford, Sproson
R3 10 January 1988 Macclesfield Town H 1–0 10,808 Finney
R4 30 January 1988 Tottenham Hotspur H 2–1 20,045 Walker, Sproson
R5 20 February 1988 Watford H 0–0 22,483
R5 Replay 23 February 1988 Watford A 0–2 18,539

League Cup[edit]

Main article: 1987–88 Football League Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R1 1st Leg 17 August 1987 Northampton Town H 0–1 3,460
R1 2nd Leg 2 September 1987 Northampton Town A 0–4 4,748

Associate Members' Cup[edit]

Main article: 1987–88 Associate Members' Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
P 13 October 1987 Newport County A 0–2 569
P 26 October 1987 Exeter City H 2–0 2,176 O'Kelly, Riley
R1 19 January 1988 Torquay United A 0–1 2,624

Player statistics[edit]

Appearances[edit]

Pos. Name Football League FA Cup League Cup Associate Members' Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK England Alex Williams 4 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 6 0
GK England Mark Grew 41 0 6 0 0 0 3 0 50 0
GK Wales Alan Simons 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
DF England Phil Sproson 44 3 7 2 2 0 1 0 54 5
DF England Alan Webb 26 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 29 0
DF England Chris Banks 14 0 2 0 2 0 3 0 21 0
DF England Bob Hazell 43 0 6 0 1 0 2 0 52 0
DF England Simon Mills 19 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 5
DF England Lawrie Pearson 3 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 6 0
DF England Kevin Steggles 20 0 5 0 0 0 1 0 26 0
DF England Darren Hughes 43 1 7 0 0 0 3 0 53 1
MF Jamaica Robbie Earle 25 4 4 0 1 0 0 0 30 4
MF Scotland Paul Maguire 28 4 5 1 2 0 3 0 38 5
MF England Andy Porter 6 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 9 0
MF England Paul Smith 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 0
MF England Gary Hamson 11 2 4 1 2 0 1 0 18 3
MF England Ray Walker 42 6 7 1 1 0 3 0 53 7
MF England Steve Harper 21 2 0 0 2 0 2 0 25 2
MF England Kevin Finney 15 0 4 1 0 0 3 0 22 1
MF England Gary Ford 23 3 4 0 0 0 1 0 28 3
MF England Steve Davies 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0
FW Wales Andy Jones 6 6 0 0 2 0 0 0 8 6
FW England Richard O'Kelly 16 1 3 1 1 0 2 1 22 3
FW England Darren Beckford 40 9 6 1 2 0 2 0 50 10
FW England Brian Palgrave 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
FW England David Riley 34 8 7 1 0 0 1 1 42 10
FW England Dean Holdsworth 6 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 2
FW England Michael Cole 4 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 8 1
FW England Peter Barnes 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0

Top scorers[edit]

Place Position Nation Name Third Division FA Cup League Cup Associate Members' Cup Total
1 FW  England Darren Beckford 9 1 0 0 10
– FW  England David Riley 8 1 0 1 10
3 MF  England Ray Walker 6 1 0 0 7
4 FW  Wales Andy Jones 6 0 0 0 6
5 DF  England Simon Mills 5 0 0 0 5
– MF  Scotland Paul Maguire 4 1 0 0 5
– DF  England Phil Sproson 3 2 0 0 5
8 MF  Jamaica Robbie Earle 4 0 0 0 4
9 MF  England Gary Ford 3 0 0 0 3
– MF  England Gary Hamson 2 1 0 0 3
– FW  England Richard O'Kelly 1 1 0 1 3
12 MF  England Steve Harper 2 0 0 0 2
– FW  England Dean Holdsworth 2 0 0 0 2
14 FW  England Michael Cole 1 0 0 0 1
– DF  England Darren Hughes 1 0 0 0 1
– MF  England Kevin Finney 0 1 0 0 1
– – Own goals 1 1 0 0 2
TOTALS 58 10 0 2 70

Transfers[edit]

Transfers in[edit]

Date from Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref.
August 1987 DF England Lawrie Pearson Bristol City Exchange [7]
September 1987 DF England Darren Hughes Brighton & Hove Albion £5,000 [7]
October 1987 FW England Brian Palgrave Walsall Trial [7]
19 October 1987 FW England David Riley Nottingham Forest £20,000 [7]
28 November 1987 DF England Kevin Steggles West Bromwich Albion 'small' [7]
December 1987 MF England Steve Davies Congleton Town Free transfer [7]
24 December 1987 DF England Simon Mills York City £35,000 [7]
31 December 1987 MF England Gary Ford Leicester City £35,000 [7]

Transfers out[edit]

Date from Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref.
26 September 1987 FW Wales Andy Jones Charlton Athletic £175,000 [7]
September 1987 MF England Paul Smith Lincoln City £40,000 [7]
September 1987 GK England Alex Williams Retired [7]
January 1988 FW England Richard O'Kelly Walsall Free transfer [7]
January 1988 FW England Brian Palgrave Nuneaton Borough Trial ended [7]
January 1988 DF England Lawrie Pearson Whitley Bay Mutual consent [7]
March 1988 MF England Gary Hamson Retired [7]
March 1988 GK Wales Alan Simons Released [7]
May 1988 MF Scotland Paul Maguire Northwich Victoria Free transfer [7]
May 1988 DF England Kevin Steggles Bury Town Free transfer [7]
June 1988 DF England Chris Banks Exeter City Free transfer [7]

Loans in[edit]

Date from Position Nationality Name From Date to Ref.
2 September 1987 DF England Darren Hughes Brighton & Hove Albion September 1987 [7]
19 December 1987 MF England Peter Barnes Manchester City 1988 [7]
15 January 1988 FW England Michael Cole Ipswich Town 29 January 1988 [7]
18 March 1988 FW England Dean Holdsworth Watford End of season [7]

References[edit]

Specific
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq Kent, Jeff (1990). "From Rags to Riches (1979–1990)". The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale. Witan Books. pp. 258–290. ISBN 0-9508981-4-7.
  2. ^ "'All our players were fantastic that day'". The Sentinel. 30 January 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  3. ^ "Spurs left grieving after being humbled by mighty Vale". The Sentinel. 30 January 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  4. ^ "Port Vale 2-1 Spurs 1988". onevalefan.co.uk. 30 January 2012. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  5. ^ Baggaley, Mike (22 February 2024). "A huge home game, transfer and injury news". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  6. ^ Port Vale 1987–1988 : Results & Fixtures Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
General
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