2000–01 Port Vale F.C. season

Port Vale
2000–01 season
Chairman Bill Bell
Manager Brian Horton
Stadium Vale Park
Football League Second Division 11th (62 Points)
FA Cup First Round
League Cup First Round
League Trophy Winners
Staffordshire Senior Cup Winners
Player of the Year Dave Brammer
Top goalscorer League: Tony Naylor (15)
All: Tony Naylor (21)
Highest home attendance 8,948 vs. Stoke City (17 September 2000)
Lowest home attendance 1,919 vs. Notts County (9 January 2001)
Average home league attendance 4,458
Home colours

The 2000–01 season was Port Vale's 89th season of football in the Football League, and first season back (thirty-eighth overall) in the Second Division. A season of two halves, Vale were struggling at the bottom of the table when Isthmian League minnows Canvey Island knocked the Vale out of the FA Cup with a 2–1 victory at Vale Park in 'one of the great shocks in FA Cup history'.[1] They also exited the League Cup at the First Round. Things turned round in the second half of the season, as a twelve game unbeaten run in the league was complimented with a League Trophy Final win over Brentford – the second time the club lifted the trophy. In the background of this was a financial crisis at the club, which motivated fan protests against Chairman Bill Bell.

Overview

Second Division

The pre-season saw Brian Horton sign Irish goalkeeper Dean Delany (Everton); midfielder Marc Bridge-Wilkinson (Derby County);[2] and Michael Twiss (Manchester United)[3] – all on free transfers. He also brought in David Freeman on a loan deal from Nottingham Forest, as well as David Beresford from Huddersfield Town. Horton also signed South African striker Sinclair Le Geyt on a one month contract,[4] though he would not make a first team appearance. On the eve of the season, top scorer Tony Rougier was sold to Reading for £325,000.[5]

The season opened with a disappointing 4–1 defeat at Boundary Park to Oldham Athletic, though the Vale then recovered to record two 3–0 victories. Two points from the next seven games follow, turning hopes of promotion into fears of relegation, and putting pressure onto Horton.[6] During this run the Vale renewed hostilities with rivals Stoke City, recording a 1–1 draw at Burslem on 17 September. Their form stabilized with a four game unbeaten run throughout November, but then no points were gained from any of the four December games. Horton attempted to sign Isaiah Rankin on loan from Bradford City, but Bill Bell rejected the move as he felt the wage bill was already too high. In January, young striker Steve Brooker was signed from Watford for a £15,000 fee. Jamaican international striker Onandi Lowe also arrived on a short-team deal, and Wayne Gray joined on loan from Wimbledon. Vale then found their feet in February, and managed to avoid defeat to Stoke at the Britannia Stadium, as they lost just three of their final 21 league games. In March, Jeff Minton was transferred to Rotherham United, and Ashley Dodd arrived at Vale Park on loan from Manchester United. The next month Richard Burgess also joined the club after leaving Bromsgrove Rovers. A cup run and numerous fixture postponements meant the club were forced to play eight games in April, of which only two ended in defeat; for this achievement Horton was named Manager of the Month.[7] The 1 May draw with Manor Ground was the final match in the stadium's 125 year history. Two days later, the final home game of the season, Billy Paynter made his debut aged only 16 years and 294 days.

They finished in eleventh place with 62 points, some distance from both the play-off and the relegation zones. They finished six places and fifteen points away from Stoke, who went on to lose in the play-offs. Tony Naylor was the club's top-scorer with 21 goals in all competitions, with new players Bridge-Wilkinson and Brooker also hitting double figures.

At the end of the season numerous players left the club: seven-year club legend and top-scorer Tony Naylor (Cheltenham Town); eight-year club veteran Allen Tankard (Mansfield Town);[8] former Player of the Year Tommy Widdrington (Hartlepool United);[9] Alex Smith (Reading);[10] Richard Eyre (Macclesfield Town); Dele Olaoye (Stafford Rangers); and Michael Twiss (Leigh RMI). Dave Brammer was also sold to Crewe Alexandra for £500,000 – a move that highly upset many Vale fans.[11]

Finances

Before the season began director Peter Wright quit the club, though Bell said he had in fact been sacked. Work on the Lorne Street stand ground to a halt, as the club ran out of money to complete the project. Vale were in a financial crisis, and fans protested against Chairman Bill Bell.[12] There were rumours of a merger with Stoke City,[13] as the media reported the possible financial collapse of the club.[14] A rare positive note was a £250,000 five-year sponsorship deal with the Bass Brewery.[15] Local barrister Charles Machin was appointed onto the club board in July 2000, and in November stated that "my 10-year ambition is to see the Vale in the top five clubs in Europe. It is my profound belief the power of God will help get the Vale to the top."[16] Machin handed Brian Horton a 60 section questionnaire on each player on the team every two weeks, and was branded as "belligerent, uncooperative and bizarre" by the League Managers Association.[16] Nevertheless the director insists that he has the club's backing to sign players from Cameroon and Italy, and publicly berates rival club Stoke City, whilst Bell states that he is in negotiations for a player-exchange deal with Brazilian club Corinthian. In October, Machin tells the press that he would sack Brian Horton if the club had the money to pay for his severance package; meanwhile Marketing Manager Rob Edwards resigns after less than two months into the job. Machin quit the club in November, and two months later set up 'Valiant2001', a fan based consortium looking to buy the club off Bill Bell.[16] Former vice-chairman Mike Thompstone also attempted a takeover of the club, which was resisted by Bell.[16] The Valiant2001 project took off with Machin at the helm, who said he should be the new chairman as "I can't think of anyone I trust more than myself".[16] The project raised £73,000 by June, and Thompstone also pledged his support.[16] Ex-director Stephen Plant also sued the Bell and the club in November, and made a £100,000 settlement in May. Another director, shopkeeper Neil Hughes, resigned in February; he returned to the club the next month, only to resign for a second time in six weeks. Dave Jolley (who had previously resigned at Stockport County after proposing a move to Maine Road[17]) was appointed Chief Executive in February.[18] The club's shirt sponsors were Tunstall Assurance.

Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, Vale suffered humiliation. Leading 2–0 at half-time, they reached full-time with a 4–4 draw at non-league Canvey Island after two last-minute Canvey goals.[19] Back at Vale Park, the game was goalless after normal time, and Canvey scored two extra-time goals to win the match 2–1 after a last second strike from Naylor.[20] Vale responded to the humiliation by putting five players on the transfer list: Liam Burns, Ville Viljanen, Sagi Burton, Jeff Minton and Michael Twiss.[21]

In the League Cup, for the third consecutive season Vale lost in the First Round to a Third Division side, this time Chesterfield. After a 2–1 defeat at Saltergate, Chesterfield held on to a 2–2 draw in Burslem.

In the League Trophy, the Vale eased past Notts County with a 3–0 win.[22] They then faced Chester City of the Conference, who they defeated 2–0.[22] The area quarter-final also proved to be no challenge for Vale, as they triumphed 4–0 over Darlington.[22] The semi-final stage held a real challenge however, with the match against rivals Stoke City held at the Britannia Stadium despite the draw giving Vale a home tie.[22] Cummins put Vale ahead before Nicky Mohan equalized to take the match into extra-time.[22] A 105th minute Bridge-Wilkinson penalty put Vale into the regional final. It was a two-legged affair with Lincoln City, and Vale were the victors with a 2–0 win at Sincil Bank, thanks to goals from Bridge-Wilkinson and Naylor. Brentford awaited in the final at the Millennium Stadium.[23] Vale lifted the trophy for the second time with a 2–1 victory, Bridge-Wilkinson and Steve Brooker scoring the goals.

Final league table

PosTeamPlWDLFAGDPts
1.Millwall4628998938 +5193
2.Rotherham United46271097955 +2491
3.Reading462511108652 +3486
4.Walsall462312117950 +2981
5.Stoke City462114117449 +2577
6.Wigan Athletic46191895342 +1175
7.Bournemouth462013137955 +2473
8.Notts County461912156266 -469
9.Bristol City461814147056 +1468
10.Wrexham461712176571 -663
11.Port Vale461614165549 +662
12.Peterborough United461514176166 -559
13.Wycombe Wanderers461514174653 -759
14.Brentford461417155670 -1459
15.Oldham Athletic461513185365 -1258
16.Bury461610204559 -1458
17.Colchester United461512195559 -457
18.Northampton Town461512194659 -1357
19.Cambridge United461411216177 -1653
20.Swindon Town461313204765 -1852
21.Bristol Rovers461215195357 -451
22.Luton Town46913245280 -2840
23.Swansea City46813254773 -2637
24.Oxford United46763353100 -4727

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
GroundAHHHAAHAHAHHAHAHHAHHAHAAAHAHHAAHHAAHHAAHAHAAHA
Result L W W L D L D L L L W D L D W D W L L L L D W L L W D W D W W W D W D D W L D W W L W D L D
Position 24 10 7 11 12 16 16 17 20 21 18 17 20 20 18 17 18 20 21 21 22 22 20 21 21 20 20 20 19 19 18 18 19 16 17 17 16 17 16 12 13 14 11 11 11 11

Sourced from Statto.[24]

Football League Second Division

DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
12 August 2000 Oldham AthleticA1–45,639Twiss
19 August 2000 Oxford UnitedH3–03,814Bridge-Wilkinson (2), Naylor
28 August 2000 Swindon TownH3–03,926Naylor (2), Smith
2 September 2000 ReadingH0–14,701
9 September 2000 BournemouthA1–13,859Viljanen
12 September 2000 Cambridge UnitedA0–43,660
17 September 2000 Stoke CityH1–18,948Bridge-Wilkinson
23 September 2000 BuryA0–23,176
30 September 2000 Wycombe WanderersH0–13,615
8 October 2000 Peterborough UnitedA0–24,752
14 October 2000 Colchester UnitedH3–13,192Naylor (2), Tankard
17 October 2000 Northampton TownH2–24,215Tankard, Viljanen
21 October 2000 Wigan AthleticA0–16,275
24 October 2000 BrentfordH1–13,338Widdrington
28 October 2000 Swansea CityA1–03,715Cummins
4 November 2000 MillwallH1–14,559Brammer
25 November 2000 Luton TownH3–04,194Walsh, Naylor, Minton
2 December 2000 WalsallA1–25,597O'Callaghan
16 December 2000 Bristol CityH1–24,113Bridge-Wilkinson
22 December 2000 Rotherham UnitedH0–24,110
26 December 2000 WrexhamA0–14,941
6 January 2001 Oldham AthleticH0–04,313
13 January 2001 Swindon TownA1–05,175Widdrington
27 January 2001 Rotherham UnitedA2–35,044Cummins, Brooker
3 February 2001 ReadingA0–19,026
10 February 2001 BournemouthH2–13,956Naylor, Brisco
17 February 2001 Stoke CityA1–122,133Brammer
20 February 2001 Cambridge UnitedH4–23,558Bridge-Wilkinson (pen), Lowe, Naylor, Brooker
24 February 2001 BuryH1–14,331Bridge-Wilkinson
3 March 2001 Wycombe WanderersA1–04,828Brooker
7 March 2001 Colchester UnitedA1–02,579Brammer
10 March 2001 Peterborough UnitedH5–04,787Naylor, Tankard, Smith, Bridge-Wilkinson (pen), Twiss
24 March 2001 Wigan AthleticH0–05,017
27 March 2001 Notts CountyA1–04,603Brooker
31 March 2001 Bristol CityA1–111,782Brooker
3 April 2001 WrexhamH1–14,234Naylor
9 April 2001 Bristol RoversH1–03,962Naylor
11 April 2001 MillwallA0–111,944
14 April 2001 BrentfordA1–13,671Bridge-Wilkinson (pen)
16 April 2001 Swansea CityH1–04,396Brooker
26 April 2001 Northampton TownA2–04,775Naylor, Brooker
28 April 2001 Notts CountyH2–35,236Brooker (2)
30 April 2001 Bristol RoversA3–07,340Naylor (2), Bridge-Wilkinson
1 May 2001 Oxford UnitedA1–17,080Naylor
3 May 2001 WalsallH0–26,027
5 May 2001 Luton TownA1–15,260Tankard

FA Cup

Main article: 2000–01 FA Cup
RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R119 November 2000 Canvey IslandA4–42,100Minton (2), Brammer, Bridge-Wilkinson
R128 November 2000 Canvey IslandH1–23,566Naylor

League Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R1 1st Leg22 August 2000 ChesterfieldA1–23,485Burton
R1 2nd Leg5 September 2000 ChesterfieldH2–23,480Bridge-Wilkinson, Minton

League Trophy

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R19 January 2001 Notts CountyH3–01,919Smith, Brooker, Naylor
R230 January 2001 Chester CityH2–02,507Doughty (og), Naylor
RQF6 February 2001 DarlingtonH4–02,480Naylor (2), Lowe, Tankard
RSF5 March 2001 Stoke CityH2–111,323Cummins, Bridge-Wilkinson (pen)
RF Leg 113 March 2001 Lincoln CityA2–04,813Bridge-Wilkinson, Naylor
RF Leg 220 March 2001 Lincoln CityH0–05,172
F26 April 2001 BrentfordN2–025,654Bridge-Wilkinson (pen), Brooker

Player statistics

Appearances

Pos. # Name Football League FA Cup League Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK1England Mark Goodlad 4002020500
DF2England Matt Carragher 4502020560
DF3England Allen Tankard 3341020395
MF4England Dave Brammer 3532100444
DF5England Michael Walsh 3911000471
DF6Saint Kitts and Nevis Sagi Burton 2901021371
MF8Republic of Ireland Micky Cummins 4522020563
FW9Finland Ville Viljanen 1921020232
FW10England Tony Naylor 421521205321
MF11England Tommy Widdrington 3521020412
GK12England Dean Delany 900000100
MF14England Richard Eyre 60001080
MF15England Marc Bridge-Wilkinson 42921115214
MF17England Neil Brisco 1710000221
MF18Republic of Ireland George O'Callaghan 811000101
DF19England Alex Smith 3722000463
DF20England Paul Donnelly 10000010
DF21Northern Ireland Liam Burns 1301000150
DF22England Paul Taylor 00000000
MF23England Michael Twiss 1822020242
FW24Nigeria Dele Olaoye 10000010
MFEngland Ashley Dodd 30000030
MFSouth Africa Paul Byrne 10000010
FWEngland Billy Paynter 10000010
FWJamaica Onandi Lowe 51000062
FWEngland Richard Burgess 10000010
FWEngland Steve Brooker 23900002811
Players that left the club mid-season:
MF7Trinidad and Tobago Tony Rougier 00000000
MF7Republic of Ireland David Freeman 30000030
FW7England Wayne Gray 30000030
MF13England David Beresford 40000040
MF16England Jeff Minton 1312221294
FWSouth Africa Sinclair Le Geyt 00000000

Scorers

All competitions

Scorer Goals
England Tony Naylor 21
England Marc Bridge-Wilkinson 14
England Steve Brooker 11
England Allen Tankard 5
England Dave Brammer 4
England Jeff Minton
England Alex Smith 3
Republic of Ireland Micky Cummins
England Tommy Widdrington 2
England Michael Twiss
Finland Ville Viljanen
Jamaica Onandi Lowe
England Neil Brisco 1
Republic of Ireland George O'Callaghan
England Michael Walsh
Saint Kitts and Nevis Sagi Burton

League

Scorer Goals
England Tony Naylor 15
England Marc Bridge-Wilkinson 9
England Steve Brooker
England Allen Tankard 4
England Dave Brammer 3
England Alex Smith 2
England Tommy Widdrington
Republic of Ireland Micky Cummins
England Michael Twiss
Finland Ville Viljanen
England Jeff Minton 1
England Neil Brisco
Republic of Ireland George O'Callaghan
Jamaica Onandi Lowe
England Michael Walsh

References

  1. "Going Canvey crazy". BBC Sport. 29 November 2000. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  2. "Trialist at Vale Park". BBC Sport. 5 July 2000. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  3. "Vale sign Twiss from Man Utd". BBC Sport. 25 July 2000. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  4. "Vale sign Derby youngster". BBC Sport. 10 July 2000. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  5. "Reading snap up Rougier". BBC Sport. 11 August 2000. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  6. "The strife of Brian". BBC Sport. 23 November 2000. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  7. "Horton named manager of month". BBC Sport. 3 April 2001. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
  8. "Tankard's the toast of Field Mill". BBC Sport. 20 July 2001. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  9. "Hartlepool sign trio". BBC Sport. 15 July 2001. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  10. "Reading bag Vale's Smith". BBC Sport. 18 July 2001. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  11. "Valiant 2001 critical of Brammer sale.". web.archive.org. 10 August 2001. Archived from the original on 12 October 2002. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
  12. "Veiled threat for Vale". BBC Sport. 18 December 2000. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  13. "Vale will not merge". BBC Sport. 26 September 2000. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  14. "Port Vale not facing 'cash crisis'". BBC Sport. 29 December 2000. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  15. "Vale get new Bass backing". BBC Sport. 30 June 2001. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 What If There Had Been No Port In The Vale?: Startling Port Vale Stories! p. 175 (Witan Books, 2011, ISBN 978-0-9529152-8-7)
  17. "Stockport MD resigns over row". BBC Sport. 5 December 2000. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
  18. "He's A Jolley Good Fellow". port-vale.co.uk. 17 November 2004. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
  19. "Canvey Island 4-4 Port Vale". BBC Sport. 19 November 2000. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  20. "Port Vale 1-2 Canvey Island (aet)". BBC Sport. 28 November 2000. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  21. "Five up for sale at Vale". BBC Sport. 4 December 2000. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 "Port Vale's route to Cardiff". BBC Sport. 18 April 2001. Retrieved 25 June 2009.
  23. "Vale vault Brentford to lift Vans trophy". BBC Sport. 22 April 2001. Retrieved 25 June 2009.
  24. Port Vale 2000–2001 : Results & Fixtures. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
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