2023–24 Port Vale F.C. Season

The 2023–24 season was Port Vale's 112th season of football in the English Football League (EFL) and their second consecutive season in League One. The season covers the period from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024.

Nine permanent and four loan signings were made to replace the eleven players sold or released in the summer transfer window. Only four new arrivals started on the opening day 7–0 defeat at Barnsley, the biggest opening day defeat for any team in the EFL in 60 years. The team recovered confidence immediately, winning ten of the remaining twelve points in August and progressing into the third round of the EFL Cup. The winning run extended to four games in the league, and although Vale progressed into the fourth round of the EFL Cup, they missed the opportunity to go top of the table in mid-September. Injuries then took their toll as Vale took only one point from five league games in October, though they continued their progress in the EFL Cup, beating Mansfield Town to reach the quarter-final stage for the first time in the club's history. However, the club's winless run in the league continued into eleven games. They exited all three cup competitions in December, though they picked up ten from a possible 15 points in the league.

Match abandonment and postponements meant only three games were played in January as the club slipped to just one place above the relegation zone. Loan players were recalled in the transfer window, including key players Ollie Arblaster and Alfie Devine, whilst four new loanees arrived to take their place. Manager Andy Crosby was sacked on 5 February. He was succeeded by Darren Moore, though the poor form continued as two points were gained from seven games in February. Just two points were earned from Moore's first seven games in charge, though the departure of director of football David Flitcroft coincided with back-to-back wins at the end of March to give Vale hope of avoiding relegation. However, just two points were gained from seven matches in April, and Vale were relegated with 41 points.

Overview

EFL League One

Port Vale's first signing of the summer was versatile midfielder Tom Sang, who would join on a free transfer from Cardiff City on 1 July, two days after his 24th birthday. A change in the goalkeeping department was then announced, as 30 year-old Connor Ripley joined from Morecambe, whilst Aidan Stone was permitted to leave for League Two side Notts County on a free transfer. Alex Iacovitti, a Scottish 25-year-old defender from Ross County, 28-year-old Plymouth Argyle midfielder Conor Grant, and 34-year-old former Canada international goalkeeper Jayson Leutwiler all arrived before the official start of the season on 1 July. On 2 July, 24-year-old right-back Mitch Clark signed with the club for a record fourth spell following "lengthy negotiations". Ethan Chislett, a 24-year-old South African midfielder from AFC Wimbledon, and 31-year-old Salford City midfielder Jason Lowe were announced the following day. The first loanee to arrive was 22-year-old Crystal Palace defender Kofi Balmer, who had played for manager Andy Crosby in the Northern Ireland under-21 team. A second loanee soon followed in 19-year-old central midfielder Ollie Arblaster from Sheffield United. Crosby appointed a new club captain in 27-year-old stalwart Nathan Smith, with Funso Ojo as vice-captain. In desperate need of a striker, Crosby signed 20 year-old Josh Thomas on a season-long loan from Swansea City, who was yet to make his professional debut but had impressed during pre-season friendlies with his parent club. Two days before the season opener, defender Mal Benning joined Shrewsbury Town on a free transfer. The following day, striker James Wilson, who had left the Vale on 14 May, returned to sign a six-month contract.

Vale opened the season with a 7–0 defeat at Barnsley, with only four new signings in the first XI; Vale started well and were unfortunate to go into half-time two goals down before a second-half collapse allowed Devante Cole to score a hat-trick as Barnsley finished with seven goals. It was the biggest opening day defeat for any team in the EFL since the 1962–63 season over 60 years ago. They recovered to record a 1–0 win over Reading at Vale Park the following week, where Ripley saved a penalty kick from Andy Carroll in the first half, before Ben Garrity scored the game's only goal with a deflected strike on 72 minutes. The team then claimed their first away point with a 0–0 draw at Blackpool, who like Reading had been relegated from the Championship the previous season. Vale picked up their first away victory of the season by beating Charlton Athletic 3–2, coming from a goal down from a dubious penalty after goals from Wilson and Chislett in two second half minutes turned the game around, with Thomas providing Ojo with an assist for a late winner. Recruitment continued with the arrival of Alfie Devine on a season-long from Tottenham Hotspur, who director of football David Flitcroft described as "one of our country's brightest young talents". Devine was on the bench for the home tie with Carlisle United and by the time he made it onto the pitch Wilson had already scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot. As the transfer window drew to a close, Vale sold Ellis Harrison to Milton Keynes Dons and signed Ryan Loft from Bristol Rovers as his replacement.

Vale beat Oxford United 2–1 in eventful fashion on 2 September. Iacovitti headed the ball home on the end of a Devine free kick to open the scoring, and in addition to assisting the opening goal, the Spurs loanee converted from the penalty spot to earn all three points for Vale in the ninth minute of stoppage time. The home side had both Mark Harris and their goalscorer Greg Leigh sent off for violent conduct and a second bookable offence respectively. Garrity came off the bench to score the only goal of the game in a dominant performance against newly promoted Northampton Town to take Vale into second-place on 16 September. Two days later, 22-year-old defender Jesse Debrah was signed to a two-year contract having left FC Halifax Town in the summer. The re-arranged game at home to struggling Burton Albion allowed Vale the opportunity to go top of the table. However, the visitors came away with a 3–2 win despite Vale dominating in both possession and shots on goal throughout. Garrity had given Vale parity at half-time after Beryly Lubala opened the scoring, but two Burton goals shortly after the break took the game away from Vale as a first senior goal from Arblaster in the dying minutes was not enough to salvage a draw. Garrity went on to give the Vale a 1–0 lead at Cambridge United, though the home side came back to draw 1–1, with Ripley saving a late penalty. A 1–0 defeat at home to Bolton Wanderers followed, with Dion Charles scoring the only goal of the game on a wet Saturday afternoon.

On 3 October, Vale fell to a 3–0 defeat at Bristol Rovers after Debrah was sent off 38 minutes into his first league start following a second yellow card. With the club looking short on attacking options, former loanee Uche Ikpeazu was signed on a short-term deal after returning to England from a spell in Turkey with Konyaspor. However, the team's poor form continued with a 2–0 defeat at league leaders Portsmouth, Colby Bishop scoring both of Pompey's goals; Crosby elected to play without any strikers, preferring Garrity to play up front. The team recovered during the international break. However, Alex Iacovitti, Conor Grant and James Wilson were all confirmed to be long-term absences as all three players had sustained calf injuries. The team returned to action with a 0–0 draw at Stevenage, with Ikpeazu making his first appearance for the Vale in almost eight years. A first-half header from Ephron Mason-Clark gave visitors Peterborough United a 1–0 win, which extended the Vale's run of failing to score to five league games. Former Vale manager Darrell Clarke led bottom club Cheltenham Town to a 2–1 victory at Vale Park that extended the home side's winless run to eight league games, with captain Sean Long scoring two goals to turn the game around following Devine's opener.

On 1 November, promising 19-year-old American Adeteye Gbadahan was signed on a short-term contract; however, the deal was later cancelled after the club revealed that the player's registration was rejected by "the relevant football authorities". Ten days later, Vale almost ended their winless streak in the league before former loanee Olamide Shodipo gave Lincoln City an equalising goal in the third minute of stoppage-time; Garrity had put the Vale ahead in the first-half, before each side were reduced to ten men following dismissals for Arblaster and Paudie O'Connor. Crosby gave a familiar post-match interview in which he praised his team's performances between the penalty areas, but bemoaned a lack of cutting edge in front of goal. A two-week break from league fixtures did not allow for an upturn in results, as Vale fell to a 2–1 defeat at Shrewsbury Town, with Garrity's second half header proving to be just a consolation goal. A second-half goal from Tyreece John-Jules then gave Derby County a 1–0 victory in a closely-contested match at Vale Park.

Vale faced a team in equally poor form in Exeter City on 9 December, played throughout a gale at St James Park. Vale won the game 1–0 thanks to a first-half strike from Arblaster, ending an 11-game winless run in the league. Journalist Mike Baggaley praised the players for their "grit, determination, organisation and bloody-minded refusal to yield". Chislett scored a hat-trick to beat Wigan Athletic 3–2 in what was a dominant performance by the Vale against a strong Latics team that had lost just one of their last nine league games. A late goal rescued a point in a 1–1 draw away at Wycombe Wanderers on 23 December. However, some visiting supporters had already strongly voiced their displeasure with the manager in the second half. On Boxing day, Vale were three goals down at home to Barnsley at half-time, though goals from Chislett and Jack Shorrock provided consolation in what was Vale's sixth defeat win seven home games; Shorrock's goal meant that he set a new record as the club's youngest goalscorer at 16 years and 242 days. The bad news continued as Sheffield United announced that they had recalled Arblaster from his loan spell after two goals and two assists in his 26 appearances in a Vale shirt. The year ended on a positive, however, as Crosby gave league starts to academy products Jack Shorrock and Ben Lomax as the Vale recorded a 3–0 home win over Blackpool.

The new year opened with a 2–1 defeat at bottom club Carlisle United, who came from a goal down with two goals in the match's final ten minutes. Vale then came from a goal behind three times to earn a point at home to Charlton Athletic, with goals from Chislett, Ikpeazu and Gavin Massey. Business in the January transfer window commenced on 9 January with the loan signing of Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Jensen Weir until the end of the season, whilst former captain Tom Conlon was permitted to leave on a permanent transfer to Oldham Athletic. The match at Reading on 13 January was abandoned after home supporters invaded and occupied the pitch in protest against the ownership of Dai Yongge. Three days later, Rhys Williams was brought in on loan from Liverpool, replacing the recalled Kofi Balmer. Alfie Devine was also recalled by his parent club on 17 January, before being sent back out on loan to Championship side Plymouth Argyle for the remainder of the season. A second successive game was then called off as a frozen Vale Park pitch caused the postponement of the fixture with Wycombe Wanderers. The signings continued on 23 January with the arrival of highly rated midfielder Dan Gore on loan from Manchester United. Weir and Gore made their debuts in a 1–0 home defeat to Portsmouth, a game which was decided by a controversial late penalty; a Vale supporter ran onto the pitch to accost the referee for the penalty decision and forced the referee to evacuate the pitch. On transfer deadline day, Williams was recalled to Liverpool due to an ongoing injury problem, whilst winger Alex Mighten joined on loan from Nottingham Forest. Lewis Cass was allowed to join Stockport County on loan, which gave room for Polish centre-back Kacper Łopata to come in from Barnsley. No striker was signed, however, despite Flitcroft stating that was the club's main aim even before Ikpeazu picked up a long-term injury.

Vale suffered a 3–0 defeat at bottom-club Fleetwood Town on 3 February. Andy Crosby was sacked two days later. Academy coaches Will Ryder, Matt Done and Danny Lloyd were appointed as interim managers as the search for a new manager began. The trio oversaw a 1–0 home loss to Leyton Orient that saw Vale fall into the relegation zone for the first time since the opening day as fans from the lowest home crowd in over four years chanted against Flitcroft. Vale threw away a half-time lead at home to Stevenage but earned a 2–2 draw with a stoppage-time penalty. Darren Moore was named as Crosby's successor on 13 February when he signed a five-and-a-half-year contract which he said was "a testament to the long-term vision of the club". His first game in charge saw the Vale twice throw away a lead to lose 3–2 at relegation-rivals Cheltenham Town, who included former Valiants Darrell Clarke (manager), Matty Taylor (goalscorer), George Lloyd and Tom Pett in their ranks. The rearranged fixture at Reading ended in a 2–0 defeat after Moore switched formation to a back four. A 2–0 home defeat to Lincoln City followed, with Vale showing little threat after the visitors capitalised off a calamitous error by Smith in the second minute. The team had the chance to take three points at home to Fleetwood Town three days later, but lost a two-goal lead after Jayden Stockley scored two goals past the 88th-minute mark with second-bottom Fleetwood having 70% possession and 20 shots at goal.

A 3–0 defeat at Derby County left the Vale six points from safety in a game where the only available striker for Moore was 17-year-old Dipepa after the club passed up on the opportunity to sign a free-agent forward. A 2–1 home defeat to Shrewsbury Town took the Vale to second-from-bottom, with one small positive being a first EFL goal for Dipepa. They gained a point and a clean sheet at Leyton Orient. The defeats continued with a 2–0 home loss to Oxford United. Moore achieved his first win as Vale manager on 23 March, as Loft scored his first league goal for the club to secure a 1–0 victory at Burton Albion. Vale secured back-to-back victories with a 2–0 home win over Bristol Rovers, with 17-year-old Dipepa scoring the second goal after a mazey run.

Vale were beaten 2–0 at Northampton Town, though other results went in their favour to keep them just one point from escaping relegation. A hard-earned point in a 0–0 draw at Wigan Athletic took Vale out of the relegation zone with five games left to play. They then travelled to 2024 EFL Trophy final winners Peterborough United and were returned to the relegation zone with a 3–0 defeat. New signing, New Zealand international left-back Deklan Wynne, did not feature in the game. The Vale then took a two-goal lead against Exeter City into half-time, only to concede four goals in the second half to leave them three points into the relegation zone with an inferior goal difference. Journalist Mike Baggaley reported as "arguably the best half of the season" followed by "the worst half of the season" as the "confidence, aggression and intent" shown in the first 45 minutes was entirely lacking in the second half. A 2–1 home defeat to Wycombe Wanderers, with Vale conceding both early and late in the game, meant that yet another opportunity to escape the relegation zone was squandered. The defeat equalled a club record for home league defeats in a season (13). Relegation was confirmed in the penultimate match of the season away at Bolton Wanderers, with former Stoke striker Cameron Jerome scoring Bolton's second goal in a 2–0 victory. The season ended with a 0–0 draw at home to Cambridge United, who secure their safety with a point as results elsewhere went in their favour.

The 22 points from 23 home fixtures was the lowest total since the 30-game 1892–93 season (adjusted to three points for a win before 1981). No Vale striker scored more than James Wilson's four goals, which was the lowest best score since the 1892–93 season. Failing to score in 25 games (in all competitions) was a new club record. With 16 players contracted until at least the following season, the club released three of the five out-of-contract players: Jayson Leutwiler, Gavin Massey and James Wilson. Uche Ikpeazu was offered a new contract but instead opted to sign with St Johnstone. Lewis Cass was later revealed to be leaving upon the expiry of his contract.

Finances

The playing budget for the season was around 16th to 18th in the division. The club began a new kit deal with Puma, and designer Patrick Shanahan revealed the away kit by having one sent into space by attaching it to a balloon. The defeat in the second round of the FA Cup caused the club to miss out on a guaranteed £107,000 payout, with potentially up to £250,000 of revenue lost, as well as the opportunity to reach the fourth round by defeating National League South team Maidstone United. Matt Hancock was appointed as the club's chief executive in January following a 12-month spell as the club's community and social responsibility director. He reported that the club were only able to post a competitive League One budget due to the financial support of the Shanahan family. The club appointed Robbie Williams as a club president in January, though denied reports that he was fronting a consortium to buy the club. With fan opinion turning hostile towards Flitcroft by February, Shanahan published a lengthy open letter on the club website defending Flitcroft and his achievements as Port Vale's director of football. However, Flitcroft left the club on 21 March. He was not replaced as the club looked to manager Darren Moore to take the lead on recruitment. Vale paid a total of £122,468 in agent fees during the two transfer windows. The average attendance of 6,600 made them the 18th best-supported club in the division. However, unlike other clubs, this figure only includes people who attended rather than tickets sold or gifted away. The club lost £3.8 million, adding to the loans by the Shanahans to the club to a total of almost £15 million.

Cup competitions

Vale had a home tie with Burton Albion (League One) in the first round of the FA Cup, which finished in a 0–0 draw after Smith was sent off after just 18 minutes for bringing down Mark Helm. Crosby said his team controlled the game regardless of the man disadvantage. However, opposition manager Dino Maamria bemoaned a late goal that had been ruled out for offside. The replay came during an international break where Vale were without three of their four loanees, a blight of injuries also meant that a total of ten first-team players were unavailable for selection. Goals from Gavin Massey and Lewis Cass gave the Valiants a 2–0 victory in a dominant performance against a strong Brewers side. A 1–1 draw at Stevenage (League One) in extremely foggy conditions meant that Vale had to face another replay in the second round; Crosby had selected a first XI without any strikers due to Ikpeazu and Loft thus far failing to score a goal between them. Two goals from Garrity gave Vale a two-goal lead in the replay, however Stevenage pulled one back on 81 minutes and equalised in the sixth minute of stoppage time; Loft the put Vale ahead in extra-time, only for Stevenage to equalise again. Garrity and Loft missed their penalties in the resulting shoot-out, leaving Vale to exit the competition in the second round. Crosby was criticised for his substitutions and reliance on sports science during the game, but defended his decisions by saying he was not prepared to risk injuring his players. The attendance of 2,073 was Vale's lowest-ever for an FA Cup tie.

Vale recovered from the heavy opening day league defeat to Barnsley by beating Fleetwood Town (League One) 3–2 in the first round of the EFL Cup; Chislett scored a brace, and Thomas scored his first senior goal as Vale twice came from a goal down. Nearby Crewe Alexandra (League Two) were the visitors to Vale Park in the second round, and after neither side could score a goal in ninety minutes, Vale went through 2–0 on penalties after Crewe missed all four of their kicks. They advanced past Sutton United (League Two) thanks to goals from Thomas and Ojo, securing a place in the fourth round of the competition for the first time since 2006–07. A 1–0 win at Mansfield Town (League Two) took the Vale into the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup for the first time in the club's history, with Devine's strike from outside the area being enough to settle the tie. They were knocked out at the quarter-finals with a disappointing 3–0 defeat at home to Middlesbrough (Championship) in front of the biggest crowd at Vale Park in ten years.

The Group stage draw for the EFL Trophy saw Vale matched with Crewe Alexandra (League Two), Wrexham (League Two) and Newcastle United U21. They recorded a 1–0 home win over Crewe in Vale's opening fixture of the competition thanks to a first-half strike from Garrity, in a game that also saw first senior appearances for academy prospects Baylee Dipepa and Liam Brazier. Debrah's first goal for the club seemed to have given Vale another 1–0 home win in the competition until Newcastle United U21 equalised in the 89th-minute, though Vale went on to win the penalty shoot-out 3–2 to secure qualification into the next round with a game to spare. The final game of the group stage took place at the Racecourse Ground, a fixture that saw first senior starts for young academy prospects Andrew Buah and Ben Lomax, and first senior appearances for Daniel Mahaffy and Logan Cousins; a well-worked move was put away at close range by Thomas to open the scoring in the first half, but two second-half goals from Paul Mullin and James McClean sealed all three points for Wrexham against a young Vale side. Bolton Wanderers (League One) became the first club to knock the Vale out of a cup competition in the 2023–24 season, as they inflicted a 2–0 defeat upon them on 5 December despite Leutwiler saving a late penalty.

Results

Pre-season

*Game incorporated four thirty-minute quarters instead of using the traditional clock.

League One

League table

Results summary

Results by round

Matches

FA Cup

EFL Cup

EFL Trophy

Squad statistics

Appearances and goals

Top scorers

Disciplinary record

Sourced from Soccerway.

Transfers

Transfers in

Transfers out

Loans in

Loans out

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2023-24 BPort Vale F.C. season
Port Vale
Port Vale F.C. seasons