The 1995–96 season was Port Vale's 84th season of football in the English Football League, and second successive season in the First Division. Under manager John Rudge, the side endured a rocky start — claiming just one win in their opening ten matches — but rallied spectacularly to finish a respectable 12th in the table, ending 11 points shy of the play-offs and clear of relegation fears.

The campaign featured memorable moments, including two critical Potteries derby victories over Stoke City, both by 1–0 margins courtesy of Ian Bogie. This was a feat that would likely have handed Stoke automatic promotion had the results gone the other way. Vale also delivered a classic FA Cup giant‑killing, eliminating holders Everton 2–1 in a Fourth Round replay, earning them the Football Association's "Giantkillers" award. In cup competition, Vale advanced to the final of the Anglo-Italian Cup, ultimately finishing as runners-up after a 5–2 loss to Genoa in the final.

On the transfer front, Rudge reshaped the squad with key moves: Lee Mills arrived from Derby County (in a swap that sent Robin van der Laan the other way plus a fee of £475,000), Jon McCarthy joined from York City for a club record £500,000 and Andy Hill came from Manchester City for £200,000. Tony Naylor finished the season as top scorer with 12 goals in all competitions, closely followed by Martin Foyle, Andy Porter, and Jon McCarthy.

Overview

First Division The pre-season saw John Rudge make three key signings. He bought Lee Mills from Derby County with Robin van der Laan going in the opposite direction, with Vale receiving an additional £475,000; as well as Jon McCarthy from York City for a, still club record, £500,000; and defender Andy Hill from Manchester City for £200,000. He also signed Dutch defender Jermaine Holwyn from AFC Ajax for a £5,000 fee.

The season started terribly, as Vale won just one of their opening ten league games, failing to find the net in half of these fixtures. However, the one win during this time was against the most important of opponents, rivals Stoke City at the Victoria Ground. The derby took place on 27 August, and a crowd of 14,283 witnessed Ian Bogie score the game's only goal. Their win over Huddersfield Town at the Alfred McAlpine Stadium at the start of the October was also followed by a sequence of eight games without a win, leaving the club staring relegation in the face. In November, Canadian international defender Randy Samuel signed after impressing on trial but soon was sidelined with a serious knee injury. Meanwhile, John Jeffers left the club for Stockport County. On 9 December, Vale won 3–2 at home to Reading, their second win in a row, to move themselves off the foot of the league table.

The Vale turned a corner in December and would remain one of the division's form sides until April, losing just two league games in 19 games, picking up eleven wins. A six-game winning run concluded with a 3–0 win over Barnsley on 30 March, with captain Neil Aspin saying the team was the best he'd known during his seven years at the club. The Valiants achieved their first league double over Stoke in 71 years by winning the return fixture under the floodlights on 12 March, with Bogie again the only name on the scoresheet, this time scoring within just 12 seconds of the kick-off; BBC Radio Stoke commentator George Andrews excitedly reported that "Bogie's done the business! Five seconds into the game, the Bogie Boogie has set it alight here, and the Stokies are stunned". To Stoke, Bogie lived up to his name, as he scored his second league goal of the campaign in front of a Vale Park crowd of 16,737. Vale were facing the prospect of a promotion battle to reach the top-flight of English football, the Premier League, for the first time in their history. On 2 April, Vale came back from a two goal half-time deficit at Selhurst Park to record a 2–2 draw with Crystal Palace. However, just two wins came in the final ten games, leaving Vale to settle for a top-half finish.

They finished in twelfth place with sixty points, eleven points shy of Charlton Athletic in the play-off zone, and eight points clear of Millwall in the relegation zone. Tony Naylor was the top-scorer with twelve goals in all competitions, closely followed by Martin Foyle, Andy Porter, and Jon McCarthy.

At the end of the season, Kevin Kent retired and took up a coaching role at the club. Young winger Craig Lawton had not established himself at Vale, and so was transferred to non-League Colwyn Bay. Randy Samuel was also permitted to leave for Norwegian club Harstad IL. Bradley Sandeman was another departing player, as he was given a free transfer to Rotherham United, whilst Lee Glover also joined the "Millers" for a £150,000 fee.

Finances The club's shirt sponsors were Tunstall Assurance. Season ticket sales hit the 5,000 mark for the first time in the club's history.

Cup competitions In the FA Cup, Vale faced a difficult tie against Crystal Palace. After a goalless draw at Selhurst Park, the Vale advanced with a 4–3 win thanks to a brace from Ray Walker, despite having twice surrendered a two-goal lead. They then faced the cup holders Everton at Goodison Park. Foyle equalized after the "Toffees" scored the opener, and Ian Bogie saved the day with a deflected goal in injury time after Everton had again taken the lead through Duncan Ferguson. This goal saved the blushes of Foyle, who missed a sitter from earlier in the game, and Paul Musselwhite, who gifted Ferguson his goal when he spilt Anders Limpar's cross. Back at Vale Park, the "Valiants" added another scalp to their collection with goals from Bogie and McCarthy to win the match 2–1. The club also took in their highest ever gate receipt total, as the game saw Vale bank £170,349. They then faced another top side away in the fifth round, Leeds United at Elland Road. A goalless draw raised hopes of another cup upset, and hopes turned to expectations as Naylor put Vale ahead in the replay. However, two goals from Gary McAllister saved United's blushes, dumping Vale out of the cup. For their efforts, John Rudge's side were handed the FA's Giantkillers award for the season.

In the League Cup, Vale faced league rivals Huddersfield Town. Despite a 2–1 victory at the Alfred McAlpine Stadium, the "Terriers" escaped from Burslem with a 3–1 victory to knock Vale out of the competition.

In the Anglo-Italian Cup, Vale drew 2–2 with Cesena, beat Ancona 2–0, and drew 0–0 with Genoa, before beating Perugia 5–3. The draw with nine-time Serie A champions and former UEFA Cup semi-finalists Genoa was seen as particularly creditable, with Musselwhite praised for some excellent close-range saves to earn his clean sheet. Meanwhile, the win over Perugia took place at the Stadio Renato Curi in front of only 19 Vale supporting away fans as very heavy snow in Northern Italy left many fans who had travelled unable to reach the city of Perugia; those who did see the game witnessed a Mills hat-trick in what was a highly entertaining match. Vale qualified past the group stage, along with Birmingham City, as they finished ahead of both Oldham Athletic and Luton Town. Facing Ipswich Town in the English semi-final, they progressed with a 4–2 win. To reach the final, they still had to beat West Bromwich Albion in a two-legged affair. They beat the "Baggies" 3–1 to become the last English team in the competition and face Genoa again, this time to decide the tournament's winner. Despite a brace from Foyle, the Serie B side were the 5–2 victors, former Italian international Gennaro Ruotolo scoring a hat-trick.

Results Football League First Division

League table

Results by matchday

Matches

FA Cup

League Cup

Anglo-Italian Cup

Squad statistics

Appearances and goals Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; DF – Defender; MF – Midfielder; FW – Forward

Top scorers PlacePositionNationNameFirst DivisionFA CupLeague CupAnglo-Italian CupTotal1FWTony Naylor11103152FWMartin Foyle8204143FWJon McCarthy710211–MFAndy Porter1010111–FWLee Mills8005116MFIan Bogie32005–FWLee Glover30126–MFSteve Guppy400159DFGareth Griffiths20002–MFRay Walker0200211DFNeil Aspin10001–DFRandy Samuel10001––Own goals10102TOTALS59921888

Transfers

Transfers in Date from Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref. May 1995 DF Jermaine Holwyn AFC Ajax £5,000 July 1995 FW Lee Mills Derby County Exchange August 1995 DF Andy Hill Manchester City £150,000 August 1995 MF Jon McCarthy York City £450,000 November 1995 DF Randy Samuel Fortuna Sittard Free transfer

Transfers out Date from Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref. November 1995 MF John Jeffers Stockport County Free transfer May 1996 MF Craig Lawton Colwyn Bay Free transfer May 1996 DF Randy Samuel Harstad IL Released May 1996 DF Bradley Sandeman Rotherham United Free transfer 15 August 1996 FW Lee Glover Rotherham United £150,000 Summer 1996 MF Kevin Kent Retired

References Specific

General Soccerbase