1983–84 Port Vale F.C. season

Port Vale
1983–84 season
Chairman Jim Lloyd
Manager John McGrath
(until December)
John Rudge
(December onwards)
Stadium Vale Park
Football League Third Division 23rd (43 Points)
FA Cup First Round
League Cup Second Round
League Trophy Second Round
Player of the Year Eamonn O'Keefe
Top goalscorer League: Eamonn O'Keefe (10)
All: Eamonn O'Keefe (11)
Highest home attendance 19,855 vs. Manchester United (3 October 1983)
Lowest home attendance 2,299 vs. Millwall (14 May 1984)
Average home league attendance 4,023
Home colours

The 1983–84 season was Port Vale's 72nd season of football in the Football League, and first (15th overall) back in the Third Division following their promotion from the Fourth Division.[1] The club suffered a horrendous start, and John McGrath lost his job before Christmas; he was replaced by his assistant John Rudge. Rudge instigated an immense turnaround in results, but Vale still ended up relegated, six points shy of safety. Ireland international Eamonn O'Keefe was top-scorer and Player of the Year, and young Mark Bright showed his potential, though left at the end of the season.

Overview

Third Division

The pre-season saw John McGrath pay Wigan Athletic £10,000 for Ireland international Eamonn O'Keefe.[1] He also brought in three players on free transfers: Tommy Gore (Bury), Gary Pollard (Chesterfield), and Chris Pearce (Rochdale).[1] The club reported record season ticket sales, however several players refused to sign new contracts.[1] As a result Barry Siddall, Russell Bromage, Geoff Hunter, and Terry Armstrong remained on weekly contracts.[1]

The season began with McGrath's new attacking tactics failing miserably, despite a 2–0 win over Bristol Rovers in the fourth game of the programme.[1] Fifteen league games without a win followed, keeping the club rooted at the foot of the table.[1] The Sentinel's Chris Harper commented that "Vale cannot go on being applauded off the park as entertaining losers."[1] Phil Sproson noted that the ongoing contract problems caused unrest in the camp.[1] Siddall handed in his notice, whilst Bob Newton and £8,000 were traded to Chesterfield for the services of Martin Henderson.[1] Bromage walked out on the club after they refused to give him a contract lasting beyond two years.[1] On 31 October, McGrath had to use 41-year-old coach Alan Oakes in a 1–0 defeat to Plymouth Argyle.[1] Chairman Jim Lloyd then blocked McGrath's attempt to sign defender Ken Fogarty, showing how little confidence the board had in their manager.[1] McGrath complained in the media, only to be 'gagged', instructed only to speak to the media on team affairs.[1] Supporters began organizing demonstrations against Lloyd, and in favour of McGrath.[1] In November Siddall and Bromage returned to sign new contracts.[1] Steve Fox was suspended by the club for a fortnight after he refused to play in defence, and on 26 November Burnley thrashed Vale 7–0 at Turf Moor in front of Granada TV cameras.[1] Starting December nine points adrift of safety, paying the third-highest wage bill in the division (£9,000 a week), and home gate receipts down to around £3,000, McGrath was suspended on full pay.[1] The club received a flood of letters in protest, 'some just abusive', but McGrath left permanently after being compensated financially.[1]

John Rudge was appointed caretaker-manager, and made his first signing by taking midfielder Kevin Young on loan from Burnley.[1] His side were defeated 4–0 at Deepdale by Preston North End, and finished the game with just nine men.[1] By now thirteen points short of safety, and seven points from their nearest competitors, The Sentinel's Chris Harper believed them to be 'the poorest side in the Third Division by quite a long chalk'.[1] The revival started the next day, with a 2–0 win over Sheffield United the first of four straight home wins that cut the gap to safety down to only four points.[1] O'Keefe and Henderson formed a potent striking partnership, whilst Young added balance to the midfield.[1] Jim Steel was sold off to Wrexham for £10,000.[1] Rudge said the battle to avoid relegation was as difficult a job as 'trying to climb Everest in a pair of pumps'.[1] Struggling again in February, their 4–2 win over Newport County lifted them off the bottom spot.[1] Following a 4–3 win over Brentford on 3 March, Rudge was appointed as manager until the end of the season.[1] He took Millwall's Andy Massey on loan, but failed to re-sign Bob Newton.[1] On 19 March, Vale defeated fellow strugglers Southend United 2–1 at Roots Hall, their first away game of the league campaign, it took them out of the relegation zone.[1] The job only got more difficult for Rudge however, as an injury crisis developed, and the team went nine games with just one victory.[1] Young striker Mark Bright scored five times in the final six games, yet relegation was all but confirmed despite a 1–0 win over promotion-chasing Hull City.[1] Just 2,299 turned up at Vale Park for a final day 1–0 victory over Millwall, yet a pitch invasion still ensued, with the invaders chanting "We'll be back".[1]

They finished in 23rd place, ahead only of Exeter City.[1] Only Exeter and Wigan Athletic scored fewer, and only Exeter conceded more goals.[1] Player of the Year Eamonn O'Keefe was top-scorer with eleven goals, yet it was Mark Bright who was a revelation.[1]

Finances

On the financial side, a £50,601 profit was recorded with donations from the Development Fund of £146,177 and an income of £73,023 from the open market rents.[1] Wages had been cut back to £310,542, whilst gate receipts rose to £180,504.[1] The club's shirt sponsors were PMT. Steve Fox left for Chester City and Gary Pollard joined Mansfield Town.[1] However Mark Bright signed with Leicester City against Rudge's wishes, and a tribunal handed Vale £33,333 and top-up clauses.[1] O'Keefe also requested a transfer, as he felt he would receive no further international caps playing in the fourth tier.[1] Mick Cullerton, then Vale's commercial manager, later claimed that vast wage disparities in the squad caused discontent and reduced club morale.[2]

Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, Vale were eliminated at the First Round by Lincoln City.

In the League Cup, Vale 'ran riot' over Wrexham at the Racecourse Ground to go through to the Second Round 8–2 on aggregate.[1] Coming up against Ron Atkinson's Manchester United, they were defeated 1–0 at home despite 'a workmanlike performance', and beaten 2–0 at Old Trafford in a 'credible' game.[1] The home leg in Burslem saw a crowd of 19,855 – the highest crowd since the visit of West Ham United in 1973.[1] This raised £45,873 in gate receipts for the club.[1] However a fifty-strong gang of Manchester thugs caused chaos in Burslem town centre, stabbing a man from Brown Edge.[1]

In the League Trophy, Vale beat Fourth Division Hereford United 1–0 at Edgar Street. They were then beaten 2–0 at the Memorial Stadium by Bristol Rovers.

Final league table

P WDLFAGDPts
1Oxford United46281179150+4195
2Wimbledon46269119776+2187
3Sheffield United462411118653+3383
4Hull City46231497138+3383
5Bristol Rovers462213116854+1479
6Walsall46229156861+775
7Bradford City462011157365+871
8Gillingham462010167469+570
9Millwall461813157165+667
10Bolton Wanderers461810185660-464
11Orient46189197181-1063
12Burnley461614167661+1562
13Newport County461614165875-1762
14Lincoln City461710195962-361
15Wigan Athletic461613174656-1061
16Preston North End461511206666+056
17Bournemouth46167236373-1055
18Rotherham United46159225764-754
19Plymouth Argyle461312215662-651
20Brentford461116196979-1049
21Scunthorpe United46919185473-1946
22Southend United461014225576-2144
23Port Vale461110255183-3243
24Exeter City46615255084-3433

P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points

Results

Port Vale's score comes first

Legend

Win Draw Loss
Round12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546
GroundHAAHAHHAAAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHHAAHAHHAAAHHAAHAHAHAH
Result D L L W L L D L L L L L L D L L L L L W L W W D W L D L W L W D L W L L W D D D L L D W L W
Position 13 17 18 16 18 21 19 21 23 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 23 23 22 21 21 20 21 22 22 22 22 23 23 23 23 23 23 23

Sourced from Statto.[3]

Football League Third Division

DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
27 August 1983 Scunthorpe UnitedH0–04,565
3 September 1983 Rotherham UnitedA1–24,847O'Keefe
6 September 1983 MillwallA2–34,061Steel (2)
10 September 1983 Bristol RoversH2–04,308Sproson, Steel
17 September 1983 WimbledonA2–42,690Newton (2)
24 September 1983 Bradford CityH1–24,879Fox
26 September 1983 Wigan AthleticH1–14,655Bromage
1 October 1983 WalsallA0–23,757
14 October 1983 OrientA0–33,207
18 October 1983 BrentfordA1–33,903Henderson
22 October 1983 Bolton WanderersH1–24,269Tartt
29 October 1983 Newport CountyA1–23,829Ridley
31 October 1983 Plymouth ArgyleH0–13,466
5 November 1983 Exeter CityA1–13,301Armstrong
12 November 1983 Oxford UnitedH1–33,927O'Keefe
26 November 1983 BurnleyA0–76,385
3 December 1983 GillinghamH0–13,086
17 December 1983 Lincoln CityH0–12,861
26 December 1983 Preston North EndA0–45,617
27 December 1983 Sheffield UnitedH2–07,034O'Keefe, Young
31 December 1983 Hull CityA0–18,736
2 January 1984 BournemouthH2–14,008O'Keefe, Henderson
21 January 1984 WimbledonH2–03,627O'Keefe, Bright
28 January 1984 Bristol RoversA0–06,142
30 January 1984 Southend UnitedH2–13,636Henderson, Ridley
4 February 1984 WalsallH0–26,966
11 February 1984 Bradford CityA2–25,435Henderson, Gore (pen)
14 February 1984 Plymouth ArgyleA0–33,552
18 February 1984 Newport CountyH4–23,437Henderson, Tartt, Young, Bright
25 February 1984 Bolton WanderersA0–25,818
3 March 1984 BrentfordH4–33,704O'Keefe (2), Gore (pen), Fox
5 March 1984 Exeter CityH2–24,338Henderson, Young
10 March 1984 Oxford UnitedA0–27,858
19 March 1984 Southend UnitedA2–12,596Bright, O'Keefe
31 March 1984 Wigan AthleticA0–33,163
2 April 1984 Rotherham UnitedH2–33,705O'Keefe, Massey (pen)
9 April 1984 OrientH2–03,169Henderson, Hunter
14 April 1984 GillinghamA1–13,323Bright
17 April 1984 Scunthorpe UnitedA1–12,952Sproson
21 April 1984 Preston North EndH1–13,574O'Keefe (pen)
24 April 1984 Sheffield UnitedA1–314,385Bright
28 April 1984 BurnleyH2–33,061Bright, Young
5 May 1984 BournemouthA1–13,305Bright
7 May 1984 Hull CityH1–03,958Bright
12 May 1984 Lincoln CityA2–31,372Bright, Armstrong
14 May 1984 MillwallH1–02,299Fox

FA Cup

Main article: 1983–84 FA Cup
RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R119 November 1983 Lincoln CityH1–23,647Bright

League Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R1 1st Leg31 August 1983 WrexhamH3–13,916Sproson (2), O'Keefe (pen)
R1 2nd Leg13 September 1983 WrexhamA5–12,903Newton (2), Hunter, Gore, Steel
R2 1st Leg3 October 1983 Manchester UnitedH0–119,855
R2 2nd Leg26 October 1983 Manchester UnitedA0–223,589

League Trophy

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R122 February 1984 Hereford UnitedA1–01,605Tartt
R213 March 1984 Bristol RoversA0–22,597

Player statistics

Appearances

Pos. Name Football League FA Cup League Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GKEngland Barry Siddall 3901030450
GKWales Chris Pearce 70001080
DFEngland Phil Sproson 3820042444
DFWales Wayne Cegielski 3900300430
DFEngland Max Thompson 20000020
DFEngland Gary Pollard 1801010220
MFEngland Russell Bromage 3810030421
MFEngland Terry Armstrong 1921010212
MFEngland Colin Tartt 2221040293
MFEngland Geoff Hunter 4211041492
MFEngland John Ridley 3021020352
MFJamaica Robbie Earle 1200100130
MFEngland Steve Fox 4031040473
MFEngland Winston White 10000010
MFEngland Kevin Young 2840000304
MFEngland Andy Massey 41000041
MFEngland Alan Oakes 10000010
MFEngland Tommy Gore 3621041433
FWEngland Andy Shankland 70001080
FWEngland Mark Bright 26911203110
FWScotland Jim Steel 1531031194
FWEngland Bob Newton 72002294
FWRepublic of Ireland Eamonn O'Keefe 371010414311
FWScotland Martin Henderson 2771000287

Scorers

All competitions

Scorer Goals
Republic of Ireland Eamonn O'Keefe 11
England Mark Bright 10
Scotland Martin Henderson 7
England Kevin Young 4
England Phil Sproson
Scotland Jim Steel
England Bob Newton
England Steve Fox 3
England Tommy Gore
England Colin Tartt
England John Ridley 2
England Geoff Hunter
England Terry Armstrong
England Andy Massey 1
England Russell Bromage

League

Scorer Goals
Republic of Ireland Eamonn O'Keefe 10
England Mark Bright 9
Scotland Martin Henderson 7
England Kevin Young 4
Scotland Jim Steel 3
England Steve Fox
England Bob Newton 2
England Phil Sproson
England Tommy Gore
England Colin Tartt
England John Ridley
England Terry Armstrong
England Geoff Hunter 1
England Andy Massey
England Russell Bromage

References

  1. 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 Kent, Jeff (1990). "From Rags to Riches (1979–1990)". The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale. Witan Books. pp. 258–290. ISBN 0-9508981-4-7.
  2. Kent, Jeff (December 1991). Port Vale Tales: A Collection Of Stories, Anecdotes And Memories. Witan Books. p. 87. ISBN 0-9508981-6-3.
  3. Port Vale 1983–1984 : Results & Fixtures. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, March 12, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.