1991–92 Port Vale F.C. season

Port Vale
1991–92 season
Chairman	Bill Bell
Manager	John Rudge
Stadium	Vale Park
Football League Second Division	24th (45 Points)
FA Cup	Third Round; (knocked out by Sunderland)
League Cup	Third Round; (knocked out by Liverpool)
Full Members Cup	Second Round; (knocked out by Leicester City)
Player of the Year	Mark Grew
Top goalscorer	League: Martin Foyle (11); All: Martin Foyle (16)
Highest home attendance	18,725 vs. Liverpool, 20 November 1991
Lowest home attendance	4,722 vs. Notts County, 24 September 1991
Average home league attendance	7,382
Biggest win	2–0 (twice)
Biggest defeat	0–4 vs. Leicester City, 23 October 1991
Home colours	Away colours
	← 1990–91 1992–93 →

The 1991–92 season was Port Vale's 80th season of football in the English Football League, and third-successive (35th overall) season in the Second Division. For only the third time in their history, they competed in a division above rivals Stoke City. However, it was not a happy campaign; John Rudge was forced to deal with star players Darren Beckford and Robbie Earle being sold for combined fees of £1.7 million. He spent just £375,000 to bring future-legend Martin Foyle to the club, whilst reliable goalkeeper Mark Grew was handed the club's Player of the Year award. Vale were relegated in bottom place, just five points short of safety. They exited the League Cup in the Third Round despite a credible 2–2 draw with Liverpool at Anfield. Leaving the FA Cup in the Third Round, they were knocked out at the Second Round stage of the Full Members Cup.

Overview

Second Division

The pre-season saw John Rudge sign aged striker Keith Houchen from Hibernian for £100,000. He also spent £300,000 on Hull City defender Peter Swan. This money was raised through the sale of top-scorer Darren Beckford to Norwich City for £925,000 after a Football League tribunal (Vale had wanted £1.5 million). As well as losing his star striker, Rudge had to deal with the departure of his midfield dynamo, Robbie Earle having been sold to Wimbledon for £775,000. To replace Beckford, Rudge signed Martin Foyle from Oxford United for a fee of £375,000. The transfers of both Beckford and Foyle were club-records.

The season started positively, with new man Foyle getting both goals in a 2–1 win over his former employers Oxford. In September, Houchen suffered a tear in his hamstring and struggled to regain his place upon his recovery. To replace him, Jason Beckford, younger brother of Darren, was brought in on loan from Manchester City. He proved somewhat less prolific than his sibling. The Vale only picked up one victory in nine league games, Houchen bagging a brace in a 2–0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux. Heading into December, they had lost just three games in a sequence of ten league matches. Yet from 7 December to 21 March, they went on a club-record seventeen games without a win (recording ten defeats). During this spell, Andy Williams played a handful of games after arriving on a loan deal from Leeds United. Colin West then joined the club on loan from West Bromwich Albion. In February, Rudge took forward Joe Allon on loan from Chelsea. The next month, winger David Lowe arrived on loan from Ipswich Town. Out went Ryan Kidd, signing for Preston North End on a free transfer. At the end of March, victories over Plymouth Argyle and Blackburn Rovers raised hopes of a last-minute escape. Picking up five points in the first four games of April, their fate rested in their hands. They failed to escape the drop, however, losing both to Cambridge United at the Abbey Stadium and to Grimsby Town at Vale Park. The final day defeat to Grimsby proved inconsequential as Oxford United picked up a result to leave them five points clear of the Vale at the final whistle.^[1]

They finished at the bottom of the table with 45 points, five points short of the safety of Oxford United. With 42 goals scored, Vale had the lowest tally in the division, along with Plymouth, although their 59 goals conceded were a respectable total. Foyle was the top scorer with eleven league goals and sixteen in all competitions. At the end of the season, young right-back Paul West was permitted to join Bradford City on a free transfer. The team were judged to have a strong core of players regardless of relegation.^[1]

Finances

The club's shirt sponsors were Kalamazoo.

Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, Vale were easily dispatched by Sunderland, who recorded a 3–0 victory at Roker Park.

In the League Cup, Vale advanced past Notts County on away goals with a 2–1 win at Vale Park and a 3–2 defeat at Meadow Lane. Facing First Division Liverpool in the Third Round, the "Valiants" achieved a 2–2 draw at Anfield against a first XI of eight internationals.^[2] Robin van der Laan put the Vale ahead on seven minutes after heading past Bruce Grobbelaar from a Simon Mills corner.^[2] Steve McManaman equalized three minutes later from a Mark Walters assist, and Liverpool took the lead on 65 minutes after Ian Rush headed in a McManaman flick on. Vale earned a replay on 73 minutes, when Martin Foyle hit the net from a Peter Swan header.^[2] Rudge said: "It was a night on which to be proud to be a Port Vale supporter and I am proud to be the manager".^[3] Yet they were knocked out of the competition as the "Reds" recorded a 4–1 win in Burslem in front of an 18,725 strong crowd.^[2]

In the short-lived Full Members Cup, Vale progressed past Blackburn Rovers with a 1–0 win through a Foyle goal. They were then eliminated in the next round with a 4–0 defeat to Leicester City at Filbert Street.

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
20	Newcastle United	46	13	13	20	66	84	−18	52
21	Oxford United	46	13	11	22	66	73	−7	50
22	Plymouth Argyle (R)	46	13	9	24	42	64	−22	48	Relegated
23	Brighton & Hove Albion (R)	46	12	11	23	56	77	−21	47
24	Port Vale (R)	46	10	15	21	42	59	−17	45

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

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	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H
Result	W	L	L	D	D	W	D	L	L	D	L	W	W	D	L	D	W	L	L	W	W	D	D	D	D	L	L	L	D	D	L	L	D	L	L	L	L	L	W	W	L	W	D	D	L	L
Position	4	10	14	13	10	5	7	13	16	18	19	17	10	14	14	17	14	15	15	14	12	11	11	12	11	14	17	17	19	18	20	20	19	21	21	24	24	24	24	24	24	22	22	23	23	24

Source: Statto^[4]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
17 August 1991	Oxford United	H	2–1	6,984	Foyle (2)
20 August 1991	Ipswich Town	A	1–2	8,646	Walker (pen)
24 August 1991	Portsmouth	A	0–1	8,033
27 August 1991	Barnsley	H	0–0	6,299
31 August 1991	Bristol City	H	1–1	7,057	S.Mills
3 September 1991	Wolverhampton Wanderers	A	2–0	16,115	Houchen (2)
7 September 1991	Swindon Town	H	2–2	7,168	Foyle (2)
14 September 1991	Blackburn Rovers	A	0–1	10,225
18 September 1991	Brighton & Hove Albion	A	1–3	5,790	Houchen
21 September 1991	Southend United	H	0–0	5,988
28 September 1991	Charlton Athletic	A	0–2	4,049
5 October 1991	Cambridge United	H	1–0	5,991	Porter
12 October 1991	Grimsby Town	A	2–1	8,218	S.Mills, Beckford
19 October 1991	Sunderland	H	3–3	7,525	Swan, Foyle, van der Laan
26 October 1991	Middlesbrough	A	0–1	11,403
2 November 1991	Bristol Rovers	A	3–3	3,547	Foyle (2), van der Laan
6 November 1991	Derby County	H	1–0	8,589	Jalink
9 November 1991	Millwall	H	0–2	8,944
16 November 1991	Plymouth Argyle	A	0–1	4,363
23 November 1991	Leicester City	A	1–0	11,450	Jeffers
30 November 1991	Watford	H	2–1	5,777	Foyle, van der Laan
7 December 1991	Newcastle United	A	2–2	18,386	Hughes, Glover (pen)
13 December 1991	Tranmere Rovers	H	1–1	6,426	West
21 December 1991	Wolverhampton Wanderers	H	1–1	8,480	van der Laan
26 December 1991	Barnsley	A	0–0	8,843
28 December 1991	Bristol City	A	0–3	9,235
1 January 1992	Ipswich Town	H	1–2	8,075	Hughes
11 January 1992	Portsmouth	H	0–2	5,925
18 January 1992	Oxford United	A	2–2	4,199	Houchen, Swan
1 February 1992	Sunderland	A	1–1	19,505	Foyle
8 February 1992	Middlesbrough	H	1–2	7,019	o.g.
15 February 1992	Leicester City	H	1–2	8,084	Foyle
22 February 1992	Watford	A	0–0	6,602
29 February 1992	Newcastle United	H	0–1	10,321
6 March 1992	Tranmere Rovers	A	1–2	8,477	Jeffers
11 March 1992	Derby County	A	1–3	15,345	Jeffers
14 March 1992	Bristol Rovers	H	0–1	5,861
21 March 1992	Millwall	A	0–1	6,148
28 March 1992	Plymouth Argyle	H	1–0	5,310	Walker (pen)
31 March 1992	Blackburn Rovers	H	2–0	10,384	van der Laan, Foyle
4 April 1992	Swindon Town	A	0–1	8,567
11 April 1992	Brighton & Hove Albion	H	2–1	6,441	Swan, Lowe
15 April 1992	Southend United	A	0–0	4,462
21 April 1992	Charlton Athletic	H	1–1	8,461	B.Mills
25 April 1992	Cambridge United	A	2–4	7,599	B.Mills, Lowe
2 May 1992	Grimsby Town	H	0–1	8,678

FA Cup


Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
R3	4 January 1992	Sunderland	A	0–3	Byrne (3)

League Cup


Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
R2 1st Leg	24 September 1991	Notts County	H	2–1	4,722	Foyle, B.Mills
R2 2nd Leg	9 October 1991	Notts County	A	2–3	4,419	Foyle, Houchen
R3 1st Leg	20 October 1991	Liverpool	A	2–2	21,553	van der Laan 5', Foyle 75'
R3 2nd Leg	20 November 1991	Liverpool	H	1–4	18,725	Foyle 23'

Full Members Cup


Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
R1	1 October 1991	Blackburn Rovers	H	1–0	2,355	Foyle
R2	23 October 1991	Leicester City	A	0–4	4,858

Player statistics

Appearances and goals

Pos.	Name	Football League		FA Cup		League Cup		Full Members Cup		Total
Pos.	Name	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
GK	Mark Grew	46	0	1	0	4	0	2	0	53	0
DF	Alan Webb	3	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	5	0
DF	Simon Mills	33	2	1	0	4	0	2	0	40	2
DF	Darren Hughes	42	2	1	0	4	0	2	0	49	2
DF	Dean Glover	46	1	1	0	4	0	2	0	53	1
DF	Tim Parkin	7	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	8	0
DF	Neil Aspin	42	0	1	0	2	0	2	0	46	0
DF	Peter Swan	33	3	0	0	4	0	2	0	39	3
DF	Ryan Kidd	1	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	4	0
DF	Paul West	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
MF	Andy Porter	32	1	1	0	4	0	2	0	39	1
MF	Ray Walker	26	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	27	2
MF	John Jeffers	33	3	1	0	3	0	1	0	38	3
MF	Robin van der Laan	43	5	1	0	4	1	1	0	49	6
MF	Kevin Kent	22	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	25	0
MF	Andy Williams	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
MF	David Lowe	9	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	9	2
MF	Nico Jalink	28	1	1	0	2	0	1	0	32	1
MF	Dave Rushton	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
FW	Jason Beckford	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	1
FW	Nicky Cross	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	0
FW	Brian Mills	21	2	1	0	3	1	2	0	27	3
FW	Martin Foyle	43	11	1	0	4	4	2	0	50	16
FW	Joe Allon	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
FW	Keith Houchen	21	4	1	0	2	1	0	0	24	5
FW	Colin West	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	1

Top scorers

Place	Position	Nation	Name	Second Division	League Cup	Full Members Cup	Total
1	FW	England	Martin Foyle	11	4	1	16
2	MF	Netherlands	Robin van der Laan	5	1	0	6
3	FW	England	Keith Houchen	4	1	0	5
4	DF	England	Peter Swan	3	0	0	3
–	MF	England	John Jeffers	3	0	0	3
–	DF	England	Darren Hughes	2	0	0	3
–	FW	England	Brian Mills	2	1	0	3
8	DF	England	Simon Mills	2	0	0	2
9	MF	England	Ray Walker	2	0	0	2
–	MF	England	David Lowe	2	0	0	2
11	FW	Netherlands	Nico Jalink	1	0	0	1
–	FW	England	Jason Beckford	1	0	0	1
–	FW	England	Colin West	1	0	0	1
–	DF	England	Dean Glover	1	0	0	1
–	MF	England	Andy Porter	1	0	0	1
–		–	Own goals	1	0	0	1
			TOTALS	42	7	1	50

Transfers

Transfers in

Date from	Position	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
25 June 1991	FW	Martin Foyle	Oxford United	£375,000	^[5]
June 1991	MF	Nico Jalink	RKC Waalwijk	Free transfer	^[5]
August 1991	FW	Keith Houchen	Hibernian	£100,000	^[5]
August 1991	DF	Peter Swan	Hull City	£300,000	^[5]

Transfers out

Date from	Position	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
March 1992	MF	Nico Jalink	RKC Waalwijk	Released	^[5]
May 1992	GK	Mark Grew	Cardiff City	Free transfer	^[5]
May 1992	DF	Ryan Kidd	Preston North End	Free transfer	^[5]
May 1992	DF	Tim Parkin	Darlington	Free transfer	^[5]
May 1992	MF	Dave Rushton		Released	^[5]
May 1992	DF	Paul West	Bradford City	£80,000	^[5]
June 1992	DF	Alan Webb	Retired		^[5]

Loans in

Date from	Position	Name	From	Date to	Ref.
November 1991	FW	Colin West	West Bromwich Albion	November 1991	^[5]
December 1991	MF	Andy Williams	Leeds United	February 1992	^[5]
February 1992	FW	Joe Allon	Chelsea	End of season	^[5]
March 1992	MF	David Lowe	Ipswich Town	End of season	^[5]

References

Specific

^ ^a ^b Baggaley, Mike (28 April 2024). "Getting on with plans after saying goodbye to League One". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Sherwin, Phil (29 October 2011). "Glory of Anfield draw will never be forgotten". The Sentinel: The Way We Were.
^ Baggaley, Mike (30 October 2023). "Mansfield awaits as Port Vale pick up pieces from Cheltenham defeat". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
^ Port Vale 1991–1992 : Results & Fixtures Archived 5 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.

General

Kent, Jeff (1993). The Port Vale Record 1879-1993. Witan Books. ISBN 0-9508981-9-8.

[core-1] Baggaley, Mike (28 April 2024). "Getting on with plans after saying goodbye to League One". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 28 April 2024.

[liverpool-2] Sherwin, Phil (29 October 2011). "Glory of Anfield draw will never be forgotten". The Sentinel: The Way We Were.

[3] Baggaley, Mike (30 October 2023). "Mansfield awaits as Port Vale pick up pieces from Cheltenham defeat". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 31 October 2023.

[4] Port Vale 1991–1992 : Results & Fixtures Archived 5 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.

[transfers-5] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.

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