2000–01 Port Vale F.C. season

The 2000–01 season was Port Vale's 89th season of football in the English Football League and first season back (thirty-eighth overall) in the Second Division. Managed by Brian Horton and chaired by Bill Bell, Vale began the campaign poorly, languishing near the foot of the table and suffering a sensational First Round FA Cup exit at home to Isthmian League minnows Canvey Island, in what is widely regarded as one of the great shocks in Cup history. They also fell at the First Round stage of the League Cup, both major landmarks underlining an ominous start.

However, the season turned decisively after mid‑winter. A dramatic 12-match unbeaten run in the league lifted Vale into mid‑table safety, and their resurgence culminated in winning the Football League Trophy, defeating Brentford 2–1 in the final at the Millennium Stadium. It was the second time the club lifted the trophy, with goals from Marc Bridge-Wilkinson and Steve Brooker sealing the victory in front of over 25,000 fans.

Off the pitch, Vale’s financial situation was strained. Despite on‑field recovery, average league attendance slipped to around 4,458, while fans increasingly protested against chairman Bill Bell as rumours of a merger with Potteries derby rivals Stoke City surfaced amid stalled stadium development. Tony Naylor finished the season as both league top scorer (15) and overall top scorer (21) for Vale. The club managed to stabilise with a solid 11th‑place finish and the silverware lift, but underlying off‑field tensions remained unresolved.

The pre-season saw Brian Horton sign Irish goalkeeper Dean Delany (Everton); midfielder Marc Bridge-Wilkinson (Derby County);^[1] and Michael Twiss (Manchester United)^[2] – 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.^[3] However, 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.^[4]

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.^[5] 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 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. He debuted on the 6th, in a 0–0 draw at home to Oldham Athletic as Horton tried a 3–5–2 formation.^[6] Jamaican international striker Onandi Lowe also arrived on a short-team deal, and Wayne Gray joined on loan from Wimbledon. In February, Vale then found their feet and managed to avoid defeat to Stoke at the Britannia Stadium, losing 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. On 10 March, Vale recorded a 5–0 home win over Peterborough United with five different scorers after Horton named the same first XI for the fourth consecutive game.^[7]

On 24 March, Liam Burns replaced an injured Mark Goodlad in goal 28 minutes into a home fixture with Wigan Athletic and a solid defensive performance helped the outfield player to retain a clean sheet.^[8] 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.^[9] The 1 May draw with Manor Ground was the final match in the stadium's 125-year history. Two days later, in 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 the play-off and the relegation zones. They finished six places and 15 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);^[10] former Player of the Year Tommy Widdrington (Hartlepool United);^[11] Alex Smith (Reading);^[12] 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.^[13]

The wage bill was cut by 30%.^[14] Before the season began director Peter Wright quit the club, though Bell said he had been sacked. Work on the Lorne Street stand stopped as the club ran out of money to complete the project. Vale were in a financial crisis, and fans protested against chairman Bill Bell.^[15] There were rumours of a merger with Stoke City,^[16] as the media reported the possible financial collapse of the club.^[17] A rare positive note was a £250,000 five-year sponsorship deal with the Bass Brewery.^[18] 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."^[19] 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.^[19]

In October, Machin told the press that he would sack Horton if the club had the money to pay for his severance package; meanwhile, marketing manager Rob Edwards resigned after less than two months on 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.^[19] Former vice-chairman Mike Thompstone also attempted a takeover of the club, which Bell resisted.^[19] 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".^[19] The project raised £73,000 by June, and Thompstone also pledged his support.^[19] 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^[20]) was appointed Chief Executive in February.^[21] The club's shirt sponsors were Tunstall Assurance.

In the FA Cup, Vale suffered humiliation. Leading 2–0 at half-time despite having missed a penalty kick, they reached full-time with a 4–4 draw at non-League Canvey Island after two last-minute Canvey goals from Andy Jones and Wayne Vaughan.^[22][23] Back at Vale Park, the game was goalless after normal time, and Canvey scored two extra time goals to win the match 2–1, with a last-second strike from Naylor being a mere consolation.^[24] Vale responded to the humiliation by putting five players on the transfer list: Liam Burns, Ville Viljanen, Sagi Burton, Jeff Minton and Michael Twiss.^[25]

For the third consecutive season in the League Cup, 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 Football League Trophy, the Vale eased past Notts County with a 3–0 win.^[26] Brooker scored his first goal in senior football in what was his second appearance for the club.^[27] The result ended Vale's sequence of 18 cup games without a victory.^[28] They then faced Chester City of the Conference, who they defeated 2–0.^[26] The area quarter-final also proved to be no challenge for Vale, as they triumphed 4–0 over Darlington.^[26] 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.^[26] Cummins put Vale ahead before Nicky Mohan equalized to take the match into extra-time.^[26] 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.^[29] Vale lifted the trophy for the second time with a 2–1 victory, Bridge-Wilkinson and Steve Brooker scoring the goals on a rainy day in front of 25,654 spectators at the Millennium Stadium; Brooker scored the game's opening goal from the penalty spot after Naylor was fouled by Darren Powell on 77 minutes. It was also Naylor who provided the assist for Brooker's winner six minutes later.^[30]

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

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