The 2008–09 season was Port Vale's 97th season of football in the English Football League, and first season in League Two, following their relegation from League One. The season began under manager Lee Sinnott, who was dismissed in September after a series of poor results. Dean Glover was appointed as his successor but was unable to prevent the club from finishing in 18th place with 48 points, narrowly avoiding further relegation.
In cup competitions, Vale experienced early exits. They were eliminated in the Second Round of the FA Cup by Macclesfield Town, and both the League Cup and the Football League Trophy saw them knocked out in the First Round by Sheffield United and Stockport County, respectively. Marc Richards was the club's top scorer, netting 11 goals in all competitions, with 10 in the league. Goalkeeper Joe Anyon was named Player of the Year, despite suffering a broken leg towards the end of the season. The club's highest home attendance was 7,273 against Bradford City on 6 September 2008, and the lowest was 4,090 against Dagenham & Redbridge on 10 March 2009.
Overview
League Two The pre-season saw manager Lee Sinnott sign non-League midfielder Rob Taylor, former Hereford United defender John McCombe, and former Middlesbrough midfielder Steve Thompson. Both players cited Sinnott as their reason for joining the club. He also added experienced defender Sam Stockley (Wycombe Wanderers); midfielder Anthony Griffith (Doncaster Rovers); and attacking midfielder Louis Dodds (Leicester City) to the squad. Lee Collins also joined on an extended loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers, and would sign a permanent contract with the club in January. Stockley was appointed captain, and most of these players would become key for the club over the next few seasons. Just before the season's start, teenage Tom Taiwo also arrived on a month loan from Chelsea, as did Plymouth Argyle youngster Damien McCrory. The club was aiming for an immediate return to League One, and fans got behind the club with record high season ticket sales of over 6,000.
Vale opened the season with a 3–1 win over Luton Town at Kenilworth Road, with Louis Dodds and Sam Parkin goals cancelling each other out in the first half, whilst second-half strikes from Rob Taylor and Marc Richards won the game. August went well, but all four league games in September ended in defeat. However, Sinnott refused to compromise his managerial philosophy to pick up results. Vale lost 2–0 to Bradford City on 6 September, with goals from Lee Bullock and Peter Thorne. A 4–1 home defeat to Macclesfield Town on 20 September would prove to be Sinnott's last game in charge. Sinnott was sacked on 22 September, with the Valiants in 16th place, Dean Glover taking over as caretaker manager for the second time in twelve months. The players were against the decision to axe Sinnott. Sinnott would later take court action against the club for a breach of contract, and settle out of court. Glover was appointed as manager permanently on 6 October. A win at Shrewsbury Town instigated a run of four away wins out of five. However, Vale soon returned to their poor form and slid back down the table. At the end of October, former Vale star Dave Brammer joined on loan from Millwall, and would join permanently in the January transfer window. The next month Scott Brown also arrived on loan from Cheltenham Town, and would also join on a permanent transfer two months later. This is also what happened with defender Gareth Owen, who arrived after leaving Stockport County following a bust-up with Jim Gannon. Notts County player Neil MacKenzie also joined on loan. Attempts to bring back Chris Birchall on loan failed. Leaving Burslem was Chris Slater, who returned to former club Chasetown. In December, Andy Porter left the club's backroom staff after 17 years at the club, highlighting the unrest in the camp. Both Porter and Mark Grew had turned down offers to become Glover's assistant.
In January, striker Luke Rodgers was released from his contract after a bust-up with manager Dean Glover, and immediately signed with Yeovil Town. Shane Tudor retired due to injury on 21 January. As well as the permanent signings of a number of loan players, Glover also brought in Pakistan international Adnan Ahmed on loan from Tranmere Rovers. Glover stated the club's revised aim was a top-half finish. In February, Glover signed Carlisle United striker Kevin Gall on loan. He failed to score in seven games with the club, and returned to Carlisle after picking up a calf injury. In March, Kyle Perry was allowed to join local non-League side Northwich Victoria, after being told he had no future at Vale. In his place came loanee winger Paul Marshall from Manchester City. On 21 March, Vale recorded a surprise 1–0 win over Bradford City at Valley Parade with Howland the only scorer. On 28 March, Anyon broke his leg at Saltergate in a defeat to Chesterfield. With Vale going eight games without a win, Glover admitted he was 'a dead man walking', and implored the fan's not to boo his son. Fans protested against both the board and the manager. The final game was a 2–1 win over Barnet at the Underhill Stadium.
They finished in 18th place with 48 points, 21 points short of the play-offs, and eleven points clear of relegation. Only Accrington Stanley and Chester City scored fewer than Vale's tally of 44 goals. With 14 defeats, only Macclesfield Town and Chester lost more games than Vale. Had Bournemouth and Luton Town not faced point deductions, then Vale would have finished in twentieth place. Marc Richards was the club's top scorer with eleven goals in all competitions, whilst Louis Dodds also contributed ten goals.
At the end of the season, most of the playing staff were retained. However, Scott Brown returned to Cheltenham Town, and Kyle Perry was released and signed with Mansfield Town, and Dave Brammer had to retire after Chairman Bill Bratt informed him via voicemail that he would not be offered a new contract. Youth team graduate Paul Dixon was not offered a new contract. Dean Glover, unpopular with the fans, was also informed that he would not be retained as manager for the following season, and left the club permanently after he rejected the opportunity to remain as a youth coach. A slow uptake of season ticket sales was one major factor in Glover's sacking. Following Glover's departure the club withdrew their contract offer to Paul Edwards, who went on to play for Barrow. However, Player of the Year Joe Anyon stayed at the club, despite claiming other clubs were interested in his signature.
Finances On the financial side, poor results encouraged Vale fans to organize protests against manager Glover and the board, including Chairman Bill Bratt. With talks of fresh investment from shirt sponsors Harlequin Property came rumours on the internet that the company were planning to demolish Vale Park and build a supermarket, paying off Bratt to ensure his compliance. Bratt passionately denied these accusations, seemingly angered by the suggestion and claimed that if he were to comply with the protesters demands and remove himself and the rest of the V-2001 directors from the Board, then the club would fold as banks and creditors would seek their money. He also reiterated his prior statements by stating that he would be prepared to leave his position if the right offer were to be made. The club had to make monthly repayments of around £19,000 for a £2.25 million loan taken out from the local council in 2005. The club's shirt sponsorship came from Harlequin Property.
Cup competitions In the FA Cup, Vale advanced past Huddersfield Town with a 4–3 win at the Galpharm Stadium, Dodds hitting a brace. They then were knocked out by Macclesfield Town at the second-round stage with a 3–1 home defeat. This meant the Vale missed out on a lucrative home tie with Premier League side Everton. Keeper Anyon slammed his defenders for their part in the defeat.
In the League Cup, Vale were defeated 3–1 by Championship club Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.
In the Football League Trophy, Vale exited in the first round with a 1–0 defeat to Stockport County at Edgeley Park.
Results Football League Two League table
Results by matchday
Matches
FA Cup
League Cup
Football League Trophy
Squad statistics Appearances and goals Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; DF – Defender; MF – Midfielder; FW – Forward
|colspan="14"|Players who featured but departed the club during the season:
Top scorers PlacePositionNationNumberNameEFL League TwoFA CupEFL CupEFL TrophyTotal1FW9Marc Richards10100112MF14Louis Dodds7300103MF19Simon Richman50005–FW10Luke Rodgers401055FW18Danny Glover30003–MF3Rob Taylor30003–MF8David Howland210038FW21James Lawrie20002–FW17Steve Thompson20002–DF5John McCombe2000211DF24Lee Collins10001–MF25Adnan Ahmed10001–MF10Paul Marshall10001–MF15Scott Brown10001TOTALS4451050
Disciplinary record NumberNationPositionNameLeague OneFA CupEFL CupEFL TrophyTotal2DFSam Stockley510000005124DFLee Collins41000000419FWMarc Richards410000004118FWDanny Glover310000003120MFRoss Davidson210000002116FWKyle Perry01000000016DFLuke Prosser90000000908MFDavid Howland600000006011MFPaul Edwards50000000504MFAnthony Griffith500000005014MFLouis Dodds40000000405DFJohn McCombe400000004025MFAdnan Ahmed300000003024DFDanny Edwards200000002019MFSimon Richman20000000203MFRob Taylor20000000201GKJoe Anyon100000001026MFDave Brammer100000001010MFPaul Marshall100000001027DFGareth Owen1000000010TOTALS646000000646 Sourced from Soccerway.
Transfers
Transfers in Date from Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref. April 2008 MF Anthony Griffith Doncaster Rovers Free transfer April 2008 MF Rob Taylor Nuneaton Borough Free transfer May 2008 MF David Howland Birmingham City Free transfer May 2008 DF John McCombe Hereford United Free transfer May 2008 DF Sam Stockley Wycombe Wanderers Free transfer May 2008 FW Steve Thompson Middlesbrough Free transfer August 2008 FW Louis Dodds Leicester City Free transfer January 2009 MF Dave Brammer Millwall Free transfer January 2009 MF Scott Brown Cheltenham Town Free transfer January 2009 DF Lee Collins Wolverhampton Wanderers Free transfer January 2009 DF Gareth Owen Stockport County Free transfer
Transfers out Date from Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref. November 2008 DF Chris Slater Chasetown Released January 2009 MF Shane Tudor Retired 15 January 2009 FW Luke Rodgers Yeovil Town Contract terminated 1 June 2009 MF Dave Brammer Released June 2009 DF Paul Edwards Barrow Released June 2009 FW Kyle Perry Mansfield Town Free transfer
Loans in Date from Position Nationality Name From Date to Ref. 31 July 2008 DF Lee Collins Wolverhampton Wanderers 15 January 2009 29 August 2008 MF Tom Taiwo Chelsea 29 September 2008 8 October 2008 DF Damien McCrory Plymouth Argyle 29 December 2008 31 October 2008 MF Dave Brammer Millwall 1 January 2009 21 November 2008 MF Scott Brown Cheltenham Town 2 January 2009 25 November 2008 DF Gareth Owen Stockport County 18 January 2009 27 November 2008 MF Neil MacKenzie Notts County 27 December 2009 29 January 2009 MF Adnan Ahmed Tranmere Rovers End of season 24 February 2009 FW Kevin Gall Carlisle United 26 March 2009 6 March 2009 MF Paul Marshall Manchester City End of season
Loans out Date from Position Nationality Name To Date to Ref. 25 November 2008 FW Luke Rodgers Yeovil Town 9 January 2009 6 March 2009 FW Kyle Perry Northwich Victoria 6 April 2009
References Specific
General Soccerbase