1989–90 Port Vale F.C. season

The 1989–90 season was Port Vale's 78th season of football in the English Football League and first (33rd overall) season back in the Second Division following their promotion from the Third Division.^[1] Under enduring manager John Rudge and chairman Bill Bell, the club achieved a respectable 11th‑place finish in their maiden second‑tier campaign — an impressive debut under the circumstances.

Darren Beckford spearheaded the attack and finished as top scorer, scoring 17 goals in the league and 21 across all competitions. He received strong support from Nicky Cross, who added 13 league goals (15 in all competitions), and Robbie Earle, who contributed 12 goals overall. Vale eliminated First Division club Derby County from the Third Round FA Cup, before exiting the competition at the next round with a heavy defeat to Aston Villa. They were knocked out of the League Cup and Full Members' Cup at the Second Round. The campaign also saw Neil Aspin emerge as a fan favourite: he was appointed club captain, featured in 51 matches, and earned the Player of the Year award for his consistency and leadership.

A solid first season in the second tier under Rudge saw Vale establish themselves mid-table, powered by Beckford's goals and Aspin's leadership.

The pre-season saw John Rudge sign solid 24-year-old defender Neil Aspin from Leeds United for £150,000; 28-year-old forward Nicky Cross from Leicester City for £125,000; and 34-year-old winger Ian Miller on a free transfer from Blackburn Rovers (as cover for an injured Gary Ford).^[1] The Burslem club had never previously spent anything close to the £275,000 spent in summer 1989. Yet, other clubs in the division far outspent the Vale.^[1] Vale Park was also upgraded at £250,000, though grants helped to halve the cost for the club itself.^[1] Inspectors closed the Bycars End down despite this effort due to safety issues. They reduced the stadium's capacity to 12,000 after cutting the capacity of the Railway Paddock by two-thirds.^[1] Season ticket sales more than doubled to 2,231.^[1] Phil Sproson attempted to return to the game, and so the club accepted a £50,000 transfer payment from Birmingham City to compensate for their insurance payout.^[1] Meanwhile, the Vale were the bookmakers' favourites for relegation, having started the season with six players out injured, including Ray Walker.^[1]

The season opened with a 2–2 draw with Bradford City at Valley Parade, Vale missing out on all three points due to a late equaliser from Brian Tinnion.^[2] This was followed by a 2–1 home win over West Bromwich Albion the following week.^[1] The club soon scrapped their all-ticket rule after poor attendances in the first games.^[1] Vale went seven games without a win in the league, though on 23 September managed a 1–1 draw with Stoke at the Victoria Ground, some 27,004 fans in attendance.^[1][3] Rudge commented after the match that "[the result] proves that we have closed the gap on Stoke and are now competing on equal terms"^[4]

On 7 October, Vale came from behind to beat Leicester City by two goals to one.^[5] The police bills for Vale games reached as much as £1.50 a head for some games, though the police went some way to justify this cost by arresting 85 people on the day of the Potteries derby.^[1] Rudge switched from a 4–4–2 formation to 4–3–3 so as to include Miller, and a mini-revival followed, ending with a 3–0 win over Barnsley at Oakwell.^[1] Six games without a win followed, and Alan Webb broke his leg during a 2–2 draw with Newcastle United at St James' Park.^[1] In November, Vale Park opened a new 48 seat disabled stand at a cost of £100,000.^[1] Ron Futcher was then sold to Fourth Division Burnley for £60,000, though an injury crisis in defence exposed the club's lack of squad depth.^[1] With Gary West out with damaged ligaments, big defender Tim Parkin was bought from Swindon Town for £60,000.^[1] The next month the Hamil End was reopened after £175,000 worth of renewal work.^[1] On 9 December, Vale fell to a 2–1 defeat away at Hull City. Rudge switched back to 4–4–2, utilising Andy Porter in midfield.^[1]

Vale went six games unbeaten over the new year, beating fifth-placed Ipswich Town 5–0 (their biggest win in the division since 1932) and fighting to a goalless home draw with Stoke in the process.^[1] Ipswich had been unbeaten in 13 games.^[6] The Stoke game was a disappointment as City were adrift at the foot of the table, and the pitch was 'as lumpy as porridge' for what finished as a goalless draw.^[1] The Bycars End reopened after a £90,000 investment, 22,075 fans turned up for the game – the biggest gate for a league game since the visit of Grimsby Town in 1960.^[1] On 10 February, Vale recorded a 1–0 home win over Watford as Paul Millar put in an excellent performance after having to replace Darren Beckford, who had been taken ill overnight.^[7] This moved Vale to within three points of the play-offs.^[1] They went on to win 3–0 against Plymouth Argyle during a hailstorm at Vale Park on 24 February. The team went on to beat sixth-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers by three goals to one on 24 March. Seven days later, Vale came away from the Boleyn Ground with a 2–2 draw, thanks to Mark Grew, who saved penalties from both Julian Dicks and Jimmy Quinn; West Ham United manager Billy Bonds stated that Vale were "a fair side who play some good, neat football".^[8] A poor March dragged them down the table, though, as the stadium's capacity was again reduced and the police bill spiralled.^[1]

In April, Rudge sold David Riley to Peterborough United for £40,000, whilst £20,000 was spent bringing in left-sided forward Gary McKinstrey from Portadown.^[1] On 11 April, Vale came from two goals down to win 3–2 at Middlesbrough with Beckford scoring a brace.^[9] The club's play-off dreams were killed off by a 2–1 defeat from fourth-placed Newcastle United, after which only two points were won from the final four games.^[1] Despite this the supporters held popular player Neil Aspin aloft following the team's final home game (a 2–1 defeat to Sunderland).^[1] The final game was a goalless draw with Oxford United at the Manor Ground, which was enough to ensure a top-half finish.^[1] The team were taken on a trip to Spain for their efforts, whilst rivals Stoke were relegated.^[1]

They finished in eleventh place with 61 points, their highest finish since 1933–34.^[1] Darren Beckford was top-scorer with 21 goals in all competitions, with Nicky Cross and Robbie Earle bagged 15 and 12 goals respectively.^[1] The average home attendance of 8,978 was the highest since 1963–64.^[1] The players were taken on a holiday to Spain as a reward for their efforts.^[1] Rudge retained the entire playing staff at the end of the season.^[1]

The club's shirt sponsors were ABC Minolta Copiers.

In the FA Cup, Vale were drawn against top-flight Derby County in the third round and progressed 3–2 in the replay at The Baseball Ground having 'gave as good as they received' as they drew the original tie 1–1.^[1] The win was 'another famous cup victory' for the club, as three goals were put past Peter Shilton.^[1] Another difficult fixture awaited in the fourth round. On 27 January, Aston Villa inflicted Vale's biggest ever cup defeat with a 6–0 win in front of 36,532 fans at Villa Park. Nevertheless, the cup run raised £150,000.^[1]

In the League Cup, Vale overcame Third Division Walsall 3–1 on aggregate, having won 1–0 at home and 2–1 at Fellows Park. They then came unstuck against First Division Wimbledon, losing 2–1 at home before getting beaten 3–0 at Plough Lane.^[1]

In the short-lived Full Members Cup, Vale made it past the first round with a 2–1 win over Sunderland at Roker Park, with Walker and Cross getting the goals. They were then eliminated by Middlesbrough at the next stage, after losing 3–1 at Ayresome Park despite Rudge playing a strong side and the Vale holding a one-goal lead at half-time.^[10]

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

Specific

General

• Kent, Jeff (1993). The Port Vale Record 1879-1993. Witan Books. ISBN 0-9508981-9-8.