The 2003–04 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 92nd season of football in the

English Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engl ...

and fourth-successive season (41st overall) in the

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

Brian Horton Brian "Nobby" Horton (born 4 February 1949) is an English former footballer and manager. He spent 16 years as a professional player and 22 years as a manager, making 689 appearances and managing 1,098 matches. In addition to this he spent four ...

resigned in February, and was replaced by

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 ...

. Vale fought for

promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

but finished outside the

play-off The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

zone on

goal difference Goal difference, goal differential or points difference is a form of tiebreaker used to rank sport teams which finish on equal points in a league competition. Either "goal difference" or "points difference" is used, depending on whether matches ar ...

. In the

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 competi ...

, Vale narrowly avoided humiliation by beating

non-League Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...

Ford United Redbridge Football Club is an English association football club based in Barkingside in the London Borough of Redbridge. Prior to July 2004 the club was known as Ford United F.C. The change of name was chosen to help associate the club within ...

after the replay went to

extra time Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...

. However, Vale exited in the Second Round with a defeat to Conference club

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...

, who also knocked the Vale out of the

Football League 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 Leag ...

in the First Round. Vale also left the

League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

at the First Round stage.

Stephen McPhee Stephen McPhee (born 5 June 1981) is a Scottish former footballer. In a ten-year career he played for clubs in the Netherlands, Scotland, England and Portugal. He was capped for his country at under-21 level. A forward, he scored 56 goals in 2 ...

was Player of the Year and top-scorer with 27 goals, but he left the club at the end of the season to play abroad. Financial problems still hounded the club, and Chairman

Bill Bratt William Amos Bratt Order of the British Empire, MBE (born 1945) is an English insurance broker and former football club chairman who was the chair of Port Vale F.C., Port Vale from 2003 to 2011. After decades working in the insurance industry, Br ...

was desperate to attract investment from fans. However, he was unwilling to allow one person to have more than 50% of the club's shares.

Overview

Second Division

The pre-season saw

bring in three key players on free transfers:

George Pilkington George Edward Pilkington (born 7 November 1981) is an English former professional footballer. During his playing career he was a defender, and made 647 league and cup appearances across a 16-year professional career in the English Football Lea ...

( Everton);

Jonny Brain Jonathon Robert Brain (born 11 February 1983) is an English former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. A former Carlisle United trainee, he joined Newcastle United in 1999. He moved on to Port Vale in 2003, never having played for Newcastle ...

(

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

); and Austrian

Andreas Lipa Andreas Lipa (born 26 April 1971) is an Austrian football manager and former footballer who played as a defender and midfielder. During a 19-year career, Lipa was active as a professional in Austria, Greece and England, playing for First Vienn ...

(

Skoda Xanthi Xanthi Football Club ( el, Α.Ο. Ξάνθη Π.Α.Ε.) is a Greek professional football club based in Xanthi, Western Thrace and plays at Xanthi FC Arena. The club resigned from the Super League 2 due to financial issues. Founded in 1967, Xan ...

). Meanwhile, promising keeper

Mark Goodlad Mark Goodlad (born 9 September 1979) is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper; his most recent role was as goalkeeping coach at club York City. He began his career at Nottingham Forest, playing on loan at Scarbo ...

began a lengthy period on the sidelines with injuries. Optimism surrounded the club, after the rebuilding of the new squad appeared to had finished after the break-up of the club's previous team due to financial troubles. The season opened with seven wins in eleven games, earning

the Manager of the Month award. Though this was followed by a sequence of five defeats in eight games as the goals dried up, this run included a 5–1 thumping at home to

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...

. In November, backup keeper

Dean Delany Dean Delany (born 15 September 1980) is an Irish former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Beginning his career in England with Everton in 1997, three years later he moved on to Port Vale, having never turned out for the first team at Eve ...

joined

Macclesfield Town Macclesfield Town Football Club was an English professional association football, football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, that was liquidation, wound-up after a High Court of Justice, High Court ruling on 16 September 2020. Initially kno ...

on a two-month

loan In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that d ...

. Vale then were in patchy form until March, though the side managed to do the double over

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...

. Brian Horton resigned in February, with the club in the

play-offs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

. His replacement was former Vale legend

, whose only previous experience was in the club's youth set-up. As his assistant he appointed former teammate,

Dean Glover Dean Victor Glover (born 29 December 1963) is an English former football player and manager. A cultured and stylish defender, he had the ball control skills of a midfielder. He played 457 league games in a seventeen-year career in the English ...

, another club legend. In March, Foyle made his first signing, bringing defender Craig James on loan from

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

, and after a few weeks he signed him permanently. Mark Boyd headed out of the club however, and was allowed to sign with

Carlisle United Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They have played their home games at Brunton Par ...

. Vale lost just two of their final twelve games and ran close to a play-off place, only losing out due to their inferior

. They won 2–0 at

Rushden & Diamonds Rushden & Diamonds Football Club was an association football club based in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England. Nicknamed "The Diamonds", the club played at Nene Park. The club's main rivals were county neighbours Kettering Town. The cl ...

on the final day, but

Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at ...

and

Hartlepool United Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. They were founded in 1908 as Hartle ...

played out a 1–1 draw to ensure they both finished in the play-offs instead of Vale. They finished in seventh place with 73 points. They were level on points with

and

but finished outside of the play-off zone due to their inferior goal difference.

scored 27 goals to become the club's top-scorer, the highest tally since Andy Jones hit 37 in 1986–87. Other major contributions came from

Billy Paynter William Paul Paynter (born 13 July 1984) is an English former professional association football, footballer and coach who is now head first team coach at club Runcorn Linnets F.C., Runcorn Linnets. In a 17-year professional career in the English ...

(14),

Steve Brooker ''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen Notable people with the name include: steve jops * Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people * Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people * Steve ...

(8),

Marc Bridge-Wilkinson Marc Bridge-Wilkinson (born 16 March 1979) is an English football coach and former player. A left-sided midfielder and also a winger, he was known for his goal-scoring ability. He started his career at Derby County in 1998, but instead made hi ...

(7) and

Adrian Littlejohn Adrian Sylvester Littlejohn (born 26 September 1970) is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder and a striker. He scored 74 goals in 425 league appearances in an 18-year career in the English Football League. He began his prof ...

(7). At the end of the season several players left the club:

Neil Brisco Neil Anthony Brisco (born 26 January 1978) is an English former footballer. A versatile player, he was comfortable both in defence and in midfield. A former Manchester City trainee, he made his name in a six-year spell with Port Vale between 1 ...

(

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...

); Liam Burns (

Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been c ...

);

( Lincoln City); and Dean Delany ( Shelbourne). Stephen McPhee also decided to leave the club, and though Chairman Bill Bratt had rejected offers of £100,000 for the player, McPhee exploited a loophole in his

contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tran ...

to join Portuguese side

Beira-Mar Sport Clube Beira-Mar () is a Portuguese sports club based in Aveiro, Portugal. Its football team currently plays in the Campeonato de Portugal, the fourth national level, having gained promotion by winning the Aveiro FA First Division 2018/19 ...

also turned down a new lower-paying contract, and instead signed with

Stockport County Stockport County Football Club are a professional association football, football club in Stockport, England, who compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they wer ...

. Player-

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

Ian Brightwell Ian Robert Brightwell (born 9 April 1968) is an English former professional footballer and manager. As a player, he was a defender from 1986 to 2006 and who played 468 league games in a 20-year career the Football League and Premier League. H ...

also left Vale Park, having lost his assistant

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 ...

role to Glover, and joined Horton at

. One boost was that

and

put pen to paper on new long-term deals.

Finances

Peter Walker was appointed as Chief Executive in August 2003, having volunteered to work for free for six months. One feature of the season proved to be the long-running courtroom battle between former chairman Bill Bell and owners Valiant2001 over unpaid rent on the club shop. The club's finances were still worrying for supporters, though the problem appeared to have eased by the end of the season. In December, a Peter Jackson-led consortium put a £150,000 investment into the club, which Bratt said "...ensures the future of the club is safe". The club also rejected other investment proposals from confidential sources. Vice-chairman Charles Machin recommended the board sell the club to Italian businessman

Gianni Paladini Gianni Paladini (born 1945) is the former chairman of Queens Park Rangers football club after replacing Bill Power in a boardroom coup. He originally took his position at QPR as part of a Monaco-based consortium, Wanlock LLC which acquired 30 ...

for £530,000, but the board disagreed.''What If There Had Been No Port In The Vale?: Startling Port Vale Stories!'' p.179 (Witan Books, 2011, ) In March 2004, Machin and director Geoff Wakefield were voted off the board, as the 'Jackson Five' clique elected Peter Jackson and Stan Meigh in their place. Machin said that "I will not go away. I will haunt the corridors of power like

Marley's ghost Jacob Marley is a fictional character in Charles Dickens's 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol'', a former business partner of the miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who has been dead for seven years.Hawes, Donal''Who's Who in Dickens'' Routledge (1998), Goog ...

". However, he was never elected back onto the board.

Cup competitions

In the

, Vale risked humiliation in a 2–2 draw with

Vale Park Vale Park is a football stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, England. It has been the home ground of Port Vale F.C. since 1950. The ground has seen its capacity go up and down, its peak being 42,000 in 1954 against Blackpool, although a club record 49, ...

. In the replay, Vale had led 1–0 before a last minute equaliser took the game into extra time. Despite having substitute Ian Armstrong's

sent off In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...

, the "Valiants" escaped the lottery of the

penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...

when on 114 minutes Ford scored an

own goal An own goal, also called a self goal, is where a player performs actions that result in them or their team scoring a goal on themselves, often resulting in a point for the opposing team, such as when a football player kicks a ball into their own ...

. However, in the Second Round they were still eliminated by a non-League club, when Scarborough's

Ashley Sestanovich Ashley Shane Sestanovich (born 18 September 1981) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder from 2000 to 2006. He played in the Football League for Sheffield United, Grimsby Town and Chester City. Career Early ca ...

scored an 80th-minute winner at

. This was the first time a League side had been beaten twice in the same season by the same

opponents. In the

, Vale faced First Division

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...

. They held Forest to a goalless draw but were eliminated 3–2 in the subsequent penalty shoot-out. In the

, Vale travelled to the

McCain Stadium The Athletic Ground, latterly known as the McCain Stadium, was a football stadium located on Seamer Road in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. It was the home of Scarborough F.C., a defunct football club who last played in the English Confer ...

, where they were defeated 2–1 by

Conference A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main p ...

club

League table

Results

''Port Vale's score comes first''

Football League Second Division

Results by matchday

Matches

FA Cup

League Cup

Football League Trophy

Player statistics

Appearances

Top scorers

Transfers

Transfers in

Transfers out

Loans out

References

;Specific ;General
Soccerbase
{{DEFAULTSORT:2003-04 Port Vale F.C. season Port Vale F.C. seasons