1993–94 Port Vale F.C. season

The 1993–94 season was Port Vale's 82nd season of football in the English Football League, and fifth successive (37th overall) season in the Second Division. They won promotion to the First Division as the division's runners-up, just one point away from champions Reading. In the FA Cup, John Rudge's men caused an upset by defeating top-flight Southampton, before they exited at the Fourth Round. Vale were knocked out of the League Cup at the First Round, and the League Trophy at the Area Quarter-finals.

Port Vale

1993–94 season
Chairman	Bill Bell
Manager	John Rudge
Stadium	Vale Park
Football League Second Division	2nd (88 Points)
FA Cup	Fourth Round (knocked out by Wolverhampton Wanderers)
League Cup	First Round (knocked out by Lincoln City)
League Trophy	Area Quarter-finalists (knocked out by Swansea City)
Player of the Year	Neil Aspin
Top goalscorer	League: Martin Foyle (17) All: Martin Foyle (18)
Highest home attendance	12,042 vs. Southampton, 18 January 1994
Lowest home attendance	5,175 vs. Lincoln City, 17 August 1993
Average home league attendance	8,377
Biggest win	6–0 vs. Hartlepool United, 12 November 1994
Biggest defeat	0–4 vs. Reading, 23 October 1993
Home colours

Overview

Second Division

The pre-season saw John Rudge sign left-back Allen Tankard from Wigan Athletic for £87,500. Experienced forward Keith Houchen was allowed to join Hartlepool United on a free transfer, and Paul Kerr signed with Leicester City.

The season opened with a 2–1 defeat to Burnley at Turf Moor. Though the season really got going for the Vale with their opening home game, as they recorded a 6–0 win over Barnet despite an early sending off for Peter Billing, both Martin Foyle and Bernie Slaven bagging hat-tricks.[1] This however would be the only victory in the first seven league games. In September, Steve Livingstone joined the club on loan from Chelsea. Then in October, Canadian Ollie Heald signed from Norvan, having impressed whilst on trial. Vale shot up the table with eight victories in ten games. In January, Aidan Newhouse arrived on loan from Wimbledon, but only played two games. In February, Bernie Slaven left the club for Darlington. The next month Rudge brought Joe Allon to the club after Allon left Brentford. He also signed winger David Lowe on loan from Leicester City. Vale picked up four clean sheets in the first five games of March, but ended the month with two defeats. They had a solid April, winning six of their eight games, with Foyle scoring a hat-trick past Leyton Orient at Brisbane Road on 4 April. Two victories from their final two games of the season ensured promotion.

They finished in second-placed with 88 points, despite having finished third the previous season with 89 points. Top-scorer was Martin Foyle with eighteen goals, though Ian Taylor and Nicky Cross also hit double figures.

At the end of the season, star midfielder Ian Taylor was sold to Sheffield Wednesday for £1 million (plus add-ons). The club also sold Peter Swan to Plymouth Argyle for £300,000. Also leaving the club were Nicky Cross and Trevor Wood, who joined Hereford United and Walsall respectively.

Finances

The club's shirt sponsors were Tunstall Assurance.

Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, Vale brushed aside Blackpool (2–0) and Huddersfield Town (1–0). Drawn against Premier League Southampton in the Third Round, the "Valiants" earned a 1–1 draw at The Dell with an Andy Porter goal. Back at Burslem, Vale achieved a giantkilling with a Bernie Slaven goal. In the Fourth Round they faced First Division Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux, and were defeated 2–0.

In the League Cup, Vale exited at the First Round to Third Division Lincoln City on away goals, having drawn 2–2 at Vale Park and 0–0 at Sincil Bank.

In the League Trophy, Vale reached the Area Quarter-finalists. They would not enter the competition again until 2000–01.

League table

Main article: 1993–94 Football League

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion or relegation
1	Reading	46	26	11	9	81	44	+37	89	Division Champions, promoted
2	Port Vale	46	26	10	10	79	46	+33	88	Promoted
3	Plymouth Argyle	46	25	10	11	88	56	+32	85	Participated in play-offs
4	Stockport County	46	24	13	9	74	44	+30	85
5	York City	46	21	12	13	64	40	+24	75

Source:

Results

Port Vale's score comes first

Football League Second 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	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	A
Result	L	W	L	D	D	L	D	W	W	W	W	W	L	W	W	D	W	L	W	D	D	W	L	W	D	W	D	W	L	D	W	W	W	W	L	L	D	W	W	W	L	W	W	W	W	W
Position	16	9	14	14	16	18	21	18	13	9	9	7	8	5	7	8	6	7	4	4	4	4	5	6	7	7	7	6	6	6	5	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	4	2	4	3	2	2

Source: Statto[2]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
14 August 1993	Burnley	A	1–2	12,592	Taylor
21 August 1993	Barnet	H	6–0	7,538	Foyle (3), Slaven (3)
28 August 1993	Plymouth Argyle	A	0–2	6,072
31 August 1993	Cambridge United	H	2–2	6,484	Cross, Kerr
4 September 1993	Cardiff City	H	2–2	8,140	Slaven (2)
11 September 1993	Bristol Rovers	A	0–2	4,908
14 September 1993	Huddersfield Town	A	1–1	5,154	Slaven
18 September 1993	Hartlepool United	H	1–0	7,279	Kerr
25 September 1993	Brentford	A	2–1	5,106	Cross, van der Laan
2 October 1993	Wrexham	H	3–0	8,722	Cross (2), Kerr
9 October 1993	Hull City	H	2–1	9,459	Cross (2)
16 October 1993	Blackpool	A	3–1	8,969	Cross (2), Taylor
23 October 1993	Reading	H	0–4	9,252
30 October 1993	Rotherham United	A	2–0	4,786	Foyle, Taylor
6 November 1993	Swansea City	H	3–0	7,854	Cook (og), Glover, Taylor
20 November 1993	Exeter City	A	1–1	3,908	van der Laan
27 November 1993	Brighton & Hove Albion	H	4–0	7,261	Cross, Foyle (2), Taylor
7 December 1993	Bournemouth	A	1–2	2,954	Jeffers
11 December 1993	Barnet	A	3–2	3,100	Foyle, Kerr, Taylor
18 December 1993	Burnley	H	1–1	10,710	Slaven
27 December 1993	Fulham	A	0–0	5,760
29 December 1993	Leyton Orient	H	2–1	8,978	van der Laan (2)
1 January 1994	York City	A	0–1	5,903
15 January 1994	Blackpool	H	2–0	7,915	Cross (2)
22 January 1994	Hull City	A	0–0	6,918
5 February 1994	Reading	A	2–1	7,645	Foyle, Kent
12 February 1994	Stockport County	H	1–1	10,628	Foyle
19 February 1994	Plymouth Argyle	H	2–1	9,093	Lowe, Taylor
22 February 1994	Cambridge United	A	0–1	2,543
1 March 1994	Bradford City	H	0–0	7,294
5 March 1994	Bristol Rovers	H	2–0	8,682	Taylor (2)
12 March 1994	Hartlepool United	A	4–1	1,798	Aspin, Cross, Lowe
15 March 1994	Huddersfield Town	H	1–0	7,010	Kent
19 March 1994	Brentford	H	1–0	8,269	Taylor
26 March 1994	Wrexham	A	1–2	7,202	van der Laan
29 March 1994	Bradford City	A	1–2	5,776	Foyle
2 April 1994	Fulham	H	2–2	7,380	Allon
4 April 1994	Leyton Orient	A	3–2	3,412	Foyle (3)
12 April 1994	Rotherham United	H	2–1	6,804	Griffiths
16 April 1994	Bournemouth	H	2–1	7,603	Cross, Taylor
19 April 1994	Stockport County	A	1–2	5,910	Lowe
21 April 1994	York City	H	2–1	8,703	Glover, Lowe
26 April 1994	Swansea City	A	1–0	4,252	Taylor
30 April 1994	Exeter City	H	3–0	10,377	Foyle (2), Kent
3 May 1994	Cardiff City	A	3–1	4,705	Kent, Lowe, Taylor
7 May 1994	Brighton & Hove Albion	A	3–1	15,423	Foyle (2), Glover

FA Cup

Main article: 1993–94 FA Cup

Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
R1	13 November 1993	Blackpool	H	2–0	8,211	Foyle, Kerr
R2	3 December 1993	Huddersfield Town	H	1–0	8,602	Tankard
R3	8 January 1994	Southampton	A	1–1	11,086	Porter
R3 Replay	18 January 1994	Southampton	H	1–0	12,042	Slaven
R4	29 January 1994	Wolverhampton Wanderers	H	0–2	21,999

League Cup

Main article: 1993–94 Football League Cup

Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
R1 1st Leg	17 August 1993	Lincoln City	H	2–2	5,175	Slaven, Taylor
R1 2nd Leg	24 August 1993	Lincoln City	A	0–0	3,642

League Trophy

Main article: 1993–94 Football League Trophy

Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
R1	19 October 1993	Shrewsbury Town	A	2–2	2,192	Kerr, Taylor
R1	9 November 1993	Wrexham	H	0–0	4,376
R2	30 November 1993	Cambridge United	A	4–2	1,648	Foyle (2), Taylor, Cross
QF	11 January 1994	Swansea City	A	0–1	2,630

Player statistics

Appearances Pos. Name Football League FA Cup League Cup/League Trophy Total Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals GK Paul Musselwhite 46 0 5 0 6 0 57 0 DF Dean Glover 46 3 5 0 6 0 57 3 DF Neil Aspin 40 1 5 0 6 0 57 1 DF Peter Swan 40 0 5 0 5 0 50 0 DF Bradley Sandeman 9 0 1 0 0 0 10 0 DF Peter Billing 8 0 0 0 1 0 9 0 DF Gareth Griffiths 4 2 0 0 0 0 4 2 DF Dean Stokes 21 0 3 0 1 0 25 0 DF Allen Tankard 26 0 2 1 5 0 33 1 MF Andy Porter 37 0 5 1 3 0 45 1 MF John Jeffers 25 1 5 0 5 0 35 1 MF Robin van der Laan 33 4 5 0 5 0 43 4 MF Kevin Kent 30 4 2 0 4 0 36 4 MF Ian Taylor 42 13 2 0 6 3 50 16 MF Paul Kerr 25 4 3 1 6 1 34 6 FW Nicky Cross 37 12 5 0 5 1 47 13 FW Martin Foyle 37 18 3 1 5 2 45 21 FW Bernie Slaven 23 7 4 1 4 1 31 9 FW Joe Allon 4 2 0 0 0 0 4 2 FW Ollie Heald 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 FW Steve Livingstone 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 FW David Lowe 19 5 0 0 0 0 19 5 FW Aidan Newhouse 2 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 Top scorers Place Position Nation Name Second Division FA Cup League Cup League Trophy Total 1 FW  England Martin Foyle 18 1 0 2 21 2 MF  England Ian Taylor 13 0 1 2 16 3 FW  England Nicky Cross 12 0 0 1 13 4 FW  Scotland Bernie Slaven 7 1 1 0 9 5 MF  England Paul Kerr 4 1 0 1 6 6 FW  England David Lowe 5 0 0 0 5 7 MF  Netherlands Robin van der Laan 4 0 0 0 4 – MF  England Kevin Kent 4 0 0 0 4 9 DF  England Dean Glover 3 0 0 0 3 10 FW  England Joe Allon 2 0 0 0 2 – DF  England Gareth Griffiths 2 0 0 0 2 12 DF  England Neil Aspin 1 0 0 0 1 – MF  England John Jeffers 1 0 0 0 1 – DF  England Allen Tankard 0 1 0 0 1 – MF  England Andy Porter 0 1 0 0 1 – – Own goals 1 0 0 0 1 TOTALS 79 5 2 6 92 Transfers Transfers in Date from Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref. January 1993 DF Dean Stokes Halesowen Town Free transfer [3] February 1993 DF Gareth Griffiths Rhyl £1,000 [3] May 1993 DF Peter Billing Coventry City £35,000 [3] July 1993 DF Allen Tankard Wigan Athletic £87,500 [3] September 1993 MF Ollie Heald Norvan Free transfer [3] March 1994 FW Joe Allon Brentford Free transfer [3] Transfers out Date from Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref. September 1993 FW Brian Mills Released [3] February 1994 FW Bernie Slaven Darlington Free transfer [3] May 1994 FW Nicky Cross Hereford United Free transfer [3] May 1994 DF Simon Mills Boston United Free transfer [3] May 1994 GK Trevor Wood Walsall Free transfer [3] June 1994 MF Ian Taylor Sheffield Wednesday £1,000,000 [3] July 1994 DF Peter Swan Plymouth Argyle £300,000 [3] Summer 1994 MF Paul Kerr Wycombe Wanderers Free transfer [3] Loans in Date from Position Nationality Name From Date to Ref. September 1993 FW Steve Livingstone Chelsea September 1993 [3] January 1994 FW Aidan Newhouse Wimbledon January 1994 [3] February 1994 MF David Lowe Leicester City End of season [3] Loans out Date from Position Nationality Name To Date to Ref. March 1994 MF Paul Kerr Leicester City End of season [3] References Specific Harper, C (31 August 1993). "Valiant Review: The Official Matchday Magazine of Port Vale F.C.". p. 7. Port Vale 1993–1994 : Results & Fixtures Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012. "Port Vale FC Club Details | Transfers | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 7 October 2016. General Soccerbase