1998–99 Port Vale F.C. season
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The 1998–99 season was
Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...
's 87th season of football in the English Football League, and fifth-successive season in the First Division. It was the end of an era for the club, as
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...
of sixteen years John Rudge was sacked in January and was replaced by Brian Horton. As a testament to the upheaval at the club, a club record 43 players turned out for the Vale in the league throughout the season. The Vale just avoided relegation on goals scored, despite suffering a final day defeat to
Bury Bury may refer to: *The burial of human remains *-bury, a suffix in English placenames Places England * Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village * Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire ** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...
, who were relegated having scored ten fewer goals. Liverpool knocked them out of the FA Cup in the Third Round, and Vale were also knocked out of the League Cup by fourth tier Chester City in the First Round. The sacking of Rudge spoiled what was supposed to be a happy season for Vale fans, as Vale competed in a division above rivals
Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
for only the fourth time.


Overview


First Division

The pre-season saw John Rudge splash out £300,000 on Bristol Rovers forward
Peter Beadle Peter Clifford William James Beadle (born 13 May 1972) is an English football manager and former player who was recently manager of club Yate Town. A former player, Beadle played as a forward and he scored some 83 goals in 355 league games, ...
and £100,000 on
Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. The side currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The tea ...
defender Michael Walsh. He also signed
Dave Barnett David Lane Barnett (born April 27, 1958) is a play-by-play broadcaster who calls Big 12 baseball games on Fox Sports 1, college basketball on American Sports Network, and football and men's basketball for the University of North Texas (UNT). He h ...
( Dunfermline Athletic);
Brian McGlinchey Brian Kevin McGlinchey (born 26 October 1977) is a Northern Irish former football defender. He made a total of 195 competitive appearances in an eleven-year career as a professional player before he was forced to retire in 2006, aged 28, due to ...
and Paul Beesley (
Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
); and
John McQuade John McQuade (9 August 1911 – 19 November 1984) was a Northern Ireland politician. He was a professional boxer under the name of Jack Higgins. After serving with the British Army in Dunkirk and Burma, he was an Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) ...
( Hamilton Academical) on free transfers.
Stéphane Pounewatchy Stéphane Zeusnagapa Pounewatchy (born 10 February 1968) is a French former Association football, footballer, turned football agent. He was a Defender (association football), defender who plied his trade in France, England and Scotland. Career ...
also became the first French player to play for the club when he was signed on a monthly contract from
Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...
. Scott Mean was loaned to the club by West Ham United, though he went on to sustain a knee injury during his spell that would damage his career. Also, Andy Clarke was signed on loan from
Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...
. The season started poorly with three defeats, Lee Hughes scoring a hat-trick for West Bromwich Albion to finish this run-off. Two wins opened the month of September, including a 2–1 home victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers to which match reporter Martin Spinks said: "a result like this requires a wooden mallet to the forehead such was its unlikelihood". The month ended with former Valiant
Lee Mills Rowan Lee Mills (born 10 July 1970) is an English former footballer who played as a striker. In a career spanning fourteen years he made 293 appearances in the Football League, scoring 86 goals. He played for numerous clubs and was transferr ...
scoring a brace for
Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. Th ...
in a 4–0 win over Vale at Valley Parade. In October, Derek McGill signed from Queens Park Rangers, though he would move on to Hamilton Academical later in the year. On 29 October, Gareth Ainsworth became Vale's biggest ever transfer as he was sold to
Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...
for £2 million. In November,
Robin Berntsen Robin Berntsen (born 16 July 1970) is a Norwegian former footballer who played for Tromsø IL, Vålerenga IF, Tromsdalen UIL, and Port Vale. He won the Norwegian Football Cup with Tromsø in 1996. Career Berntsen grew up in Nordbotn in Ramf ...
became the first Norwegian to play for the Vale when he arrived on loan from Tromsø IL. In addition to this, French forward
Christophe Horlaville Christophe Horlaville (born 1 March 1969) is a French former professional footballer who had a 13-year career with Oissel, Rouen, Cannes, Guingamp, Le Havre, Port Vale (England), Metz, and Caen. Whilst with Guingamp, he won the UEFA Intertoto ...
joined on loan from Le Havre, and
Des Lyttle Desmond Lyttle (born 24 September 1971) is an English former football player and manager. He started his career with Leicester City, but dropped into non-League football with Worcester City in 1991. A good season earned him a move to Welsh si ...
also arrived on loan from Nottingham Forest. After winning the first four games in October, Vale then went on a streak of twelve defeats in fifteen games, though the sole victory of this run, a 1–0 win over
Bury Bury may refer to: *The burial of human remains *-bury, a suffix in English placenames Places England * Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village * Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire ** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...
on 19 December, would prove to be crucial at the end of the season. The win was not enough for Rudge, who would get the sack in January after he made his final two signings: Trinidadian midfielder Tony Rougier from Hibernian for £175,000, and young striker
Marcus Bent Marcus Nathan Bent (born 19 May 1978) is a retired English professional footballer. A former England under-21 international, the journeyman striker played 573 games and scored 113 goals for fourteen different clubs. His numerous transfer fees ...
from Crystal Palace for a £375,000 fee. After Rudge was sacked by Chairman Bill Bell, highly distressed fans formed a " flat cap protest" (Rudge's headwear of choice) against the decision. Offered the role of Director of Football at the club, he instead took up the same position at rivals
Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
. To replace him, Bell appointed experienced
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...
and former Vale player Brian Horton, paying Brighton & Hove Albion £80,000 in compensation. In February, Peter Beadle was sold to Notts County for £250,000, representing a £50,000 loss. The month of March saw Horton make his first signings as manager, bringing in five new faces: Dave Brammer (£300,000 from Wrexham); Tony Butler (£115,000 from
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
);
Carl Griffiths Carl Brian Griffiths (born 16 July 1971) is an English-born Welsh former footballer and manager. He started his career with Shrewsbury Town in 1988, and after being voted onto the PFA Team of the Year, moved on to Manchester City for £500,00 ...
(£100,000 from Leyton Orient);
Alex Smith Alexander Douglas Smith (born May 7, 1984) is an American former quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He played college football at Utah, where he received first-team All-American honors and won the 20 ...
(£75,000 from Chester City); and Chris Allen (free from Nottingham Forest). This cost the club a total of £590,000. He also took in striker Alan Lee on loan from
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
, and Craig Russell on loan from Manchester City. His changes finally paid off in April, as Vale went on a five-game unbeaten run. Their penultimate game was a 2–0 victory over QPR, meaning a final day 1–0 defeat at fellow relegation candidates Bury was inconsequential. They finished in 21st position with 47 points, ahead of Bury on goals scored, but behind both Portsmouth and Queens Park Rangers on goals scored. Had the goals difference rule been in effect, Vale would have been relegated instead of Bury. Crewe Alexandra finished three places and one position higher than the Vale. Vale suffered 25 defeats, more than any other club in the league, and only Grimsby and Bury had scored fewer goals. Player of the Year
Martin Foyle Martin John Foyle (born 2 May 1963) is an English former professional footballer and manager who is the Head of Recruitment at club St Mirren. In his 20-year playing career he played 533 League games, scoring 155 goals. As a manager, he took ...
was the club's top-scorer with nine goals, representing the lowest total tally for the club's top-scorer since 1964–65. Only
Paul Musselwhite Paul Stephen Musselwhite (born 22 December 1968) is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper and is the goalkeeping coach at club Scunthorpe United. He made 692 appearances in the league and 815 appearances in all ...
and
Allen Tankard Allen John Tankard (born 21 March 1969) is an English former footballer who played as a left-back. He played 519 league games in a 16-year career in the Football League. He began his career with Southampton in 1987, before moving on to Wigan ...
managed to hit forty appearances, as a club record 43 players managed to turn out for the club throughout the season. At the end of the season, there was a complete clear-out, with ten players leaving: ten-year club veteran
Neil Aspin Neil Aspin (born 12 April 1965) is an English football manager and former player. A solid defender who could play at centre-back and right-back, he was a good marker and an adept tackler. He made his debut in the English Football League for L ...
(
Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...
); Dave Barnett ( Lincoln City); Brian McGlinchey ( Gillingham); John McQuade ( Raith Rovers); Chris Allen ( Stockport County);
Rogier Koordes Rogier Koordes (born 13 June 1972) is a Dutch former footballer who played in England for Port Vale between February 1997 and February 1999. In between this spell he played in the Netherlands for Telstar, Oss, Haarlem, and Ter Leede. Career Koor ...
(
TOP Oss TOP Oss (), is a professional association football club based in the town of Oss, North Brabant, Netherlands, that competes in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of the Dutch football league system. Founded in 1928 as T.O.P., a Dutch abbreviati ...
); Jan Jansson ( IFK Norrköping); Paul Mahorn ( Stevenage Borough); Stéphane Pounewatchy ( Colchester United); and Paul Beesley (
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
).


Finances

The club's shirt sponsors were Tunstall Assurance.


Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, Vale hosted Premier League side Liverpool. The "Reds" left Burslem with a 3–0 victory, the goals scored by Michael Owen, Paul Ince, and
Robbie Fowler Robert Bernard Fowler (born 9 April 1975) is an English football manager and former player, who most recently managed East Bengal in the Indian Super League. As a player, he was a striker, and is the eighth-highest goalscorer in the history ...
. In the League Cup,
Third Division In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...
Chester City dispatched the Vale 2–1 at Vale Park, and held on to a 2–2 draw at the Deva Stadium to embarrass Vale fans with a minor giant-killing act.


League table


Results

''Port Vale's score comes first''


Football League First Division


Results by matchday


Matches


FA Cup


League Cup


Player statistics


Appearances and goals


Top scorers


Transfers


Transfers in


Transfers out


Loans in


References

;Specific ;General
Soccerbase
{{DEFAULTSORT:1998-99 Port Vale F.C. Season Port Vale F.C. seasons
Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...