1988–89 Port Vale F.C. Season
The 1988–89 season was Port Vale's 77th season of football in the English Football League, and third successive (18th overall) season in the Third Division. They achieved promotion to the Second Division with a 2–1 aggregate win over Bristol Rovers in the two-legged play-off Final. This came after a long season in which Vale, who suffered an injury crisis in the second half of the season, were just pipped to the second automatic promotion spot by Sheffield United. The club also reached the third round of the FA Cup, Second Round of the League Cup, and the preliminary round of the Associate Members' Cup. John Rudge's main stars were top-scorer Darren Beckford, strike partner Ron Futcher, defender Simon Mills, midfielders Ray Walker and Robbie Earle, and Player of the Year Mark Grew. Returning star Andy Jones was disappointing in his loan spell, but Andy Porter and Dean Glover both made their débuts in what was Phil Sproson's last season at the club. Overview Third Di ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Port Vale F
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manchester and Duluth; these access the sea via rivers or canals. Because of their roles as ports of entry for immigrants as well as soldiers in wartime, many port cities have experienced dramatic multi-ethnic and multicultural changes throughout their histories. Ports are extremely important to the global economy; 70% of global merchandise trade by value passes through a port. For this reason, ports are also often densely populated settlements that provide the labor for processing and handling goods and related services for the ports. Today by far the greatest growth in port development is in Asia, the continent with some of the world's largest and busiest ports, such as Singapore and the Chinese ports of Shanghai and Ningbo ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Andy Porter (footballer, Born 1968)
Andrew Michael Porter (born 17 September 1968) is an English former professional footballer turned coach and manager who is a first team coach at club Nantwich Town. His playing career spanned from 1986 to 2006 and for the majority of his career he played for Port Vale. His successes with the club include winning promotion out of the Third Division via the play-offs in 1989, lifting the Football League Trophy in 1993, and playing in the final of the Anglo-Italian Cup in 1996. He later played for Wigan Athletic, Mansfield Town, Chester City, Northwich Victoria, and Kidsgrove Athletic. He served Port Vale as co- caretaker manager alongside Dean Glover. He managed Kidsgrove Athletic in 2002–03, and has also spent short periods as caretaker manager at Chester City, Port Vale and York City. He worked as assistant manager to Martin Foyle at Hereford United from June 2012 to March 2014. Playing career Port Vale Born in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, Porter joined Port Vale as a yo ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Andy Jones (footballer, Born 1963)
Andrew Mark Jones (born 9 January 1963) is a former Wales international footballer. A striker, he won six caps at international level and scored one goal. In domestic football he made 336 league and cup appearances in the English Football League and scored 116 goals. After failing to make an impact at Wrexham, Jones found massive success in Welsh football with Rhyl. This earned him a chance in the English leagues with Port Vale in 1985. He took this chance in fine style, scoring 49 goals in 90 league appearances, helping the club to promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1985–86, and earning himself the club's Player of the Year award in 1986–87. His goal tally won him a £350,000 move to Charlton Athletic in September 1987. However, he did not find success at Charlton, and was loaned back to Port Vale and then to Bristol City. In October 1990 he signed with Bournemouth, before he moved on to his final club Leyton Orient a year later. Club career Jones played youth f ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Robbie Earle
Robert Fitzgerald Earle MBE (born 27 January 1965) is an English-born Jamaican former international footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He played 578 league games in senior club football, scoring 136 goals. A former youth player with Stoke City, Earle broke into the professional game with Port Vale in 1982. He spent nine years at the Burslem based club, helping "The Vale" to promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1982–83 and 1985–86, and out of the Third Division via the play-offs in 1989; he was later voted the club's PFA Fans' Favourites. He moved on to Wimbledon in 1991, where he also spent nine years. He made nearly 300 league games for each club, scoring 77 and 59 goals respectively. He also represented Jamaica on 8 occasions between 1997 and 1998, scoring one international goal. He appeared in the 1998 World Cup, scoring his nation's first ever goal in the finals. Following his retirement in 2000, Earle has established himself in the world of foo ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ray Walker (footballer, Born 1963)
Raymond Walker (born 28 September 1963) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He played 440 games for Port Vale in all competitions between 1986 and 1997, ensuring himself a place in the club's history. He was twice the club's player of the season, and was named on the PFA Team of the Year three times. He was promoted twice with the club and also played a part in the club's highest ever post-war finish in the English Football League. With Aston Villa in the early '80s, he joined Port Vale in 1986, after a short loan spell in 1984. After eleven years at Vale Park he went into non-League football with Leek Town and Newcastle Town. Career Aston Villa Walker joined Aston Villa as an apprentice in July 1979, and turned professional in September 1981. He won the FA Youth Cup in 1980, when Villa defeated Manchester City 3–2. He found it impossible to break into the first-team at a club that had just won the 1982 European Cup final. He ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Simon Mills (footballer)
Simon Ashley Mills (born 16 August 1964) is an English former footballer who played as a defender; he was described by Jeff Kent as "skilful and adaptable". He made 288 league appearances in a ten-year career in the Football League. He began his career with local club Sheffield Wednesday in 1982, before moving on to York City three years later. Voted Clubman of the Year in 1986, he was sold on to Port Vale for £35,000 in December 1987. He helped the "Valiants" to win promotion out of the Third Division via the play-offs in 1989, before injuries forced him to leave the professional game in May 1994. He later attempted comebacks with Boston United and Matlock Town. Career Sheffield Wednesday Born in Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, Mills started his career with Sheffield Wednesday in 1982. He failed to earn a first-team spot at Hillsborough, particularly following the "Owls" ascent to the First Division in 1983–84 under Howard Wilkinson's stewardship. He felt that h ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ron Futcher
Ronald Futcher (born 25 September 1956) is an English former footballer who played as a centre-forward. He was the fourth highest career scorer of the North American Soccer League, and made over 400 appearances in total for nine different English Football League clubs. He was noted for his aerial ability and solid ball control. He began his career at Chester, before moving on to Luton Town the following year. He signed with Manchester City in August 1978, but left Maine Road the following year to concentrate on his career in the United States with the Minnesota Kicks. After the club disbanded he moved on to Portland Timbers and then the Tulsa Roughnecks, winning the Soccer Bowl in 1983. The next year he returned to England with Barnsley, following a brief spell with Dutch side NAC Breda. He signed with Oldham Athletic in 1985, and then transferred to Bradford City in 1987. He was bought by Port Vale in August 1988 for £35,000, and helped the "Valiants" to win promotion ou ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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EFL Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two, with the addition of 16 under-21 teams from Premier League and EFL Championship clubs since the 2016–17 season. It is the 3rd most prestigious knockout competition in English football after the FA Cup and the EFL Cup. Launched as the Associate Members' Cup during the 1983–84 season, the competition was renamed the Football League Trophy in 1992 after a reorganization following the formation of the Premier League and again as the current ''EFL Trophy'' in 2016 due to The Football League changing name to the English Football League. There had been an earlier but short-lived unrelated eponymous competition which changed name to the Football League Group Cup for one season in 1982–83. Every season, the competition begins ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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EFL Cup
The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the English Football League (EFL), it is open to any club within the top four levels of the English football league system92 clubs in totalcomprising the top level Premier League, and the three divisions of the English Football League's own league competition ( Championship, League One and League Two). First held in 1960–61 as the Football League Cup, it is one of the three top-tier domestic football competitions in England, alongside the Premier League and FA Cup. It concludes in February, long before the other two, which end in May. It was introduced by the league as a response to the increasing popularity of European football, and to also exert power over the FA. It also took advantage of the roll-out of floodlights, allowing the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competition in the world. It is organised by and named after The Football Association (The FA). Since 2015, it has been known as The Emirates FA Cup after its headline sponsor. A concurrent women's tournament is also held, the Women's FA Cup. The competition is open to all eligible clubs down to Level 9 of the English football league system with Level 10 clubs acting as stand-ins in the event of non-entries from above. Included in the competition are 20 professional clubs in the Premier League (level 1), 72 professional clubs in the English Football League (levels 2 to 4), and all clubs in steps 1–5 of the National League System (levels 5 to 9) as well as a tiny number of step 6 clubs acting as stand-ins for non-entries above. A record ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sheffield United F
Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its southern suburbs were transferred from Derbyshire to the city council. It is the largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The city is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines and the valleys of the River Don with its four tributaries: the Loxley, the Porter Brook, the Rivelin and the Sheaf. Sixty-one per cent of Sheffield's entire area is green space and a third of the city lies within the Peak District national park. There are more than 250 parks, woodlands and gardens in the city, which is estimated to contain around 4.5 million trees. The city is south of Leeds, east of Manchester, and north of Nottingham. Sheffield played a crucial role in the Industrial Revolution, with many significant inventions and tec ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |