1994–95 Port Vale F.C. season

The 1994–95 season was Port Vale's 83rd season of football in the English Football League, and first ever season in the First Division following their promotion from the Second Division. Under the stewardship of manager John Rudge and chairman Bill Bell, Vale secured survival, finishing safely above the relegation zone in 17th with 58 points.

Cup competition brought mixed fortunes: in the FA Cup, Vale recorded a resounding 6–0 win over Hartlepool United before suffering a shock exit to Scarborough in the Second Round. In the League Cup, they reached the Second Round, where they were knocked out by Manchester United. Martin Foyle enjoyed another standout year — bagging 16 league goals and 20 in all competitions, earning him the Player of the Year award. Vale also marked their return to the same division as Potteries derby rivals Stoke City, claiming bragging rights with a 1–1 draw at Vale Park and a 1–0 win at the Victoria Ground.

Support from the terraces remained healthy: the highest home attendance was 19,510 for the derby against Stoke City, while the lowest was 4,728 against Bristol Rovers; the average home league attendance stood at 9,218. Their biggest win came in that 6–0 thrashing of Hartlepool, and their heaviest defeats were scorelines of 3–0 and 4–1. The season also saw the arrival of exciting new players Tony Naylor, Steve Guppy, and Ian Bogie, following the high‑profile sale of Ian Taylor before the campaign began.

Vale steadied themselves in the First Division with resilience and goals from Foyle, marked by new signings and derby pride, setting a solid foundation in the second tier.

The pre-season saw John Rudge spend a small amount of the money received on the sales of Ian Taylor and Peter Swan to bring Tony Naylor to the club from Crewe Alexandra for a £150,000 fee. A further £200,000 was splashed out on Nottingham Forest forward Lee Glover. Another £4,500 was spent on Dutch goalkeeper Arjan van Heusden from VV Noordwijk. Arriving on free transfers were Craig Lawton (Manchester United) and Stewart Talbot (Moor Green).

The season started modestly, with two wins in the four August games. In September, only Lee Glover, Tony Naylor and Martin Foyle could find the net, but the Vale won six points from their five games. To help with his recovery from a serious injury, Ray Walker spent some time on loan at Cambridge United, and won back his first-team place in the Vale starting eleven upon his return. Meanwhile, Tony Kelly arrived at the club from Bolton Wanderers, but after a brief spell, moved on to Millwall. On 17 September, Vale inflicted a 2–1 defeat on league leaders Middlesbrough player-manager Bryan Robson – his first loss in management.^[1] Vale's attack was highlighted in October. However, the defence ensured three draws from five games.

In November, Darren Hughes was allowed to leave the club for Northampton Town. On 5 November, Vale lost all their inhibitions in front of goal, beating Southend United 5–0 with five different scorers.^[2] Rudge decided to make another big signing and bought winger Steve Guppy from Newcastle United for £225,000. Two days later, on 26 November, Guppy made his debut in a 2–1 win over Millwall, where he collected assists for both goals.^[3] However, their draw with Swindon Town would prove to be the only point gained in December, as Vale were stuck in a relegation dogfight. John Jeffers spent January on loan at Shrewsbury Town. During this spell defender Kevin Scott arrived on loan from Tottenham Hotspur. The team gelled, forming a five-game unbeaten run based on just two goals conceded to shoot up the table. In March, midfielder Ian Bogie was signed from Leyton Orient for a £50,000 fee.

Potteries derby day finally came on 14 March, and 19,510 turned up at Vale Park to witness a 1–1 draw with Stoke City, Naylor scoring Vale's goal.^[4] Five defeats in seven games followed, raising concerns about the drop. However, the Vale were unbeaten in their final five games to ensure safety. This included a 3–3 draw at Elm Park that saw the "Valiants" come from three goals down to claim a point.^[5] It also included a 1–0 win over Stoke at the Victoria Ground on 22 April, Foyle scoring the goal in what was Vale's first away win over Stoke in a league fixture since 1927.^[4]

They finished in 17th place with 58 points, leaving them ten points clear of relegated Swindon Town. They were five points short of Stoke, who finished six places above the Vale. Player of the Year Martin Foyle bagged twenty goals, double that of his nearest rival Tony Naylor.

At the end of the season Ollie Heald, Peter Billing, Mark Burke and John Burndred were released, who signed with Scarborough, Hartlepool United, Fortuna Sittard and Stafford Rangers respectively. Joe Allon was also sold to Brentford for £42,500.

The club's shirt sponsors were Tunstall Assurance.

As members of the second tier, Vale should have qualified for the third round of the FA Cup, but were forced to take part in the first round to make up the numbers after Aldershot went bust and Maidstone United resigned from the league.^[6] Vale went on to easily beat Third Division side Hartlepool United 6–0 in Burslem, with Martin Foyle bagging a hat-trick.^[6] Remarkably, this would be the last hat-trick scored by a Vale player at Vale Park until April 2011.^[7] However, a shock awaited in the second round, where Scarborough, also of the fourth tier, beat the Vale 1–0 at the McCain Stadium.

In the League Cup, Vale advanced past Second Division Bristol Rovers 4–2 on aggregate, having won 3–1 at the Memorial Stadium. They faced Premier League Manchester United in the second round. Alex Ferguson's "Red Devils" beat John Rudge's "Valiants" 2–1 at Vale Park in front of 18,605 supporters; Lee Glover scored for Vale, and Paul Scholes scored a brace on his United debut. Vale fans were disappointed to witness the then-unknown United reserves at the time.^[8] However, Scholes would go on to become a household name, as would teenage teammates Gary Neville, Nicky Butt, and David Beckham; the United first XI would go on to win a combined total of more than 500 international caps throughout their careers.^[9] For the second leg there were 31,615 fans at Old Trafford to witness a 2–0 United victory, David May and Brian McClair getting the goals.

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

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