The 2003–04 season was Port Vale's 92nd season of football in the English Football League, and fourth-successive season (41st overall) in the Second Division. Brian Horton resigned in February, and was replaced by Martin Foyle. Vale fought for promotion but finished outside the play-off zone on goal difference. In the FA Cup, Vale narrowly avoided humiliation by beating non-League Ford United after the replay went to extra time. However, Vale exited in the Second Round with a defeat to Conference club Scarborough, who also knocked the Vale out of the Football League Trophy in the First Round. Vale also left the League Cup at the First Round stage. Stephen McPhee was Player of the Year and top-scorer with 27 goals, but he left the club at the end of the season to play abroad. Financial problems still hounded the club, and Chairman Bill Bratt was desperate to attract investment from fans,[1] though he was unwilling to allow one person to have more than 50% of the club's shares.[2]
| 2003–04 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | Valiant 2001 | ||
| Chairman | Bill Bratt | ||
| Manager | Brian Horton (until 12 February) Martin Foyle (from 13 February) | ||
| Stadium | Vale Park | ||
| Football League Second Division | 7th (73 Points) | ||
| FA Cup | Second Round (knocked out by Scarborough) | ||
| League Cup | First Round (knocked out by Nottingham Forest) | ||
| Football League Trophy | First Round (knocked out by Scarborough) | ||
| Player of the Year | Stephen McPhee | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Stephen McPhee (25) All: Stephen McPhee (27) | ||
| Highest home attendance | 7,958 vs. Sheffield Wednesday, 7 February 2004 | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 4,016 vs. Ford United, 8 November 2003 | ||
| Average home league attendance | 5,810 | ||
| Biggest win | 5–1 vs. Grimsby Town, 17 January 2004 | ||
| Biggest defeat | 1–5 vs. Plymouth Argyle, 18 October 2003 | ||
Overview edit
Second Division edit
The pre-season saw Brian Horton bring in three key players on free transfers: George Pilkington (Everton);[3] Jonny Brain (Newcastle United);[4] and Austrian Andreas Lipa (Skoda Xanthi).[5] Meanwhile, promising keeper Mark Goodlad began a lengthy period of time on the sidelines with injuries.[6] Optimism surrounded the club, after the rebuilding of the new squad appeared to had finished after the break-up of the club's previous team due to financial troubles.[7]
The season opened with seven wins in eleven games, earning Brian Horton the Manager of the Month award.[8] Though this was followed by a sequence of five defeats in eight games as the goals dried up, this run included a 5–1 thumping at home to Plymouth Argyle. In November, back-up keeper Dean Delany joined Macclesfield Town on a two-month loan. Vale then were in patchy form until March, though the side managed to do the double over Sheffield Wednesday. Brian Horton resigned in February, with the club in the play-offs.[9] His replacement was former Vale legend Martin Foyle, whose only previous experience was in the club's youth set-up.[10] As his assistant he appointed former teammate, Dean Glover, another club legend.[11] In March, Foyle made his first signing, bringing defender Craig James on loan from Sunderland,[12] and after a few weeks he signed him permanently.[13] Mark Boyd headed out of the club however, and was allowed to sign with Carlisle United. Vale lost just two of their final twelve games, and ran close to a play-off place, only losing out due to their inferior goal difference. They won 2–0 at Rushden & Diamonds on the final day, but Swindon Town and Hartlepool United played out a 1–1 draw to ensure they both finished in the play-offs instead of Vale.[14]
They finished in seventh place with 73 points. They were level on points with Hartlepool United and Swindon Town but finished outside of the play-off zone due to their inferior goal difference. Stephen McPhee scored 27 goals to become the club's top-scorer, the highest tally since Andy Jones hit 37 in 1986–87. Other major contributions came from Billy Paynter (14), Steve Brooker (8), Marc Bridge-Wilkinson (7) and Adrian Littlejohn (7).
At the end of the season several players left the club: Neil Brisco (Rochdale); Liam Burns (Bristol Rovers); Adrian Littlejohn (Lincoln City); and Dean Delany (Shelbourne).[15] Stephen McPhee also decided to leave the club, and though Chairman Bill Bratt had rejected offers of £100,000 for the player,[16] McPhee exploited a loophole in his contract to join Portuguese side Beira-Mar.[17] Marc Bridge-Wilkinson also turned down a new lower-paying contract, and instead signed with Stockport County.[18] Player-coach Ian Brightwell also left Vale Park, having lost his assistant manager role to Glover,[19] and joined Horton at Macclesfield Town.[20] One boost was that Billy Paynter and George Pilkington put pen to paper on new long-term deals.[21]
Finances edit
Peter Walker was appointed as Chief Executive in August 2003, having volunteered to work for free for six months. One feature of the season proved to be the long-running courtroom battle between former chairman Bill Bell and owners Valiant2001 over unpaid rent on the club shop. The club's finances were still worrying for supporters, though the problem appeared to have eased by the end of the season.[22]
In December, a Peter Jackson led consortium put a £150,000 investment into the club, which Bratt said "...ensures the future of the club is safe".[23] The club also rejected other investment proposals from confidential sources.[24] Vice-chairman Charles Machin recommended the board sell the club to Italian businessman Gianni Paladini for £530,000, but the board disagreed.[25] In March 2004, Machin and director Geoff Wakefield were voted off the board, as the 'Jackson Five' clique elected Peter Jackson and Stan Meigh in their place.[25] Machin said that "I will not go away. I will haunt the corridors of power like Marley's ghost".[25] However, he was never elected back onto the board.[25]
Cup competitions edit
In the FA Cup, Vale risked humiliation in a 2–2 draw with non-League Ford United at Vale Park.[26] In the replay, Vale had led 1–0 before a last minute equaliser took the game into extra time. Despite having substitute Ian Armstrong's sent off, the "Valiants" escaped the lottery of the penalty shoot-out when on 114 minutes Ford scored an own goal.[27] However, in the Second Round they were still eliminated by a non-League club, when Scarborough's Ashley Sestanovich scored an 80th-minute winner at Vale Park.[28] This was the first time ever a League side had been beaten twice in the same season by the same non-League opponents.[29]
In the League Cup, Vale faced First Division Nottingham Forest. They held Forest to a goalless draw but were eliminated 3–2 in the subsequent penalty shoot-out.
In the Football League Trophy, Vale travelled to the McCain Stadium, where they were defeated 2–1 by Conference club Scarborough.[30]
League table edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Swindon Town | 46 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 76 | 58 | +18 | 73 | Participated in play-offs |
| 6 | Hartlepool United | 46 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 76 | 61 | +15 | 73 | |
| 7 | Port Vale | 46 | 21 | 10 | 15 | 73 | 63 | +10 | 73 | |
| 8 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 59 | 56 | +3 | 67 | |
| 9 | AFC Bournemouth | 46 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 56 | 51 | +5 | 66 |
Rules for classification: In the Football League goals scored (GF) takes precedence over goal difference (GD).
Results edit
Port Vale's score comes first
Football League Second Division edit
Results by matchday edit
Matches edit
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 August 2003 | A.F.C. Bournemouth | H | 2–1 | 6,465 | McPhee, Littlejohn |
| 16 August 2003 | Grimsby Town | A | 2–1 | 4,816 | McPhee, Paynter |
| 23 August 2003 | Colchester United | H | 4–3 | 5,133 | Collins, Paynter, Armstrong, McPhee |
| 25 August 2003 | Hartlepool United | A | 0–2 | 5,314 | |
| 30 August 2003 | Brentford | H | 1–0 | 5,257 | Paynter |
| 6 September 2003 | Stockport County | A | 2–2 | 5,316 | Paynter, Collins |
| 13 September 2003 | Barnsley | H | 3–1 | 7,809 | Lipa, Pilkington, Littlejohn |
| 16 September 2003 | Luton Town | A | 0–2 | 5,079 | |
| 20 September 2003 | Bristol City | A | 1–0 | 11,369 | Paynter |
| 27 September 2003 | Wycombe Wanderers | H | 1–1 | 6,822 | McPhee |
| 30 September 2003 | Peterborough United | H | 3–0 | 5,495 | McPhee (2), Collins |
| 4 October 2003 | Wrexham | A | 1–2 | 5,822 | Paynter |
| 11 October 2003 | Oldham Athletic | A | 1–2 | 6,913 | Bridge-Wilkinson (pen) |
| 18 October 2003 | Plymouth Argyle | H | 1–5 | 5,786 | McPhee |
| 21 October 2003 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 2–0 | 5,243 | Paynter, McPhee |
| 25 October 2003 | Swindon Town | A | 0–0 | 5,313 | |
| 1 November 2003 | Chesterfield | A | 0–1 | 4,088 | |
| 15 November 2003 | Notts County | H | 1–0 | 4,900 | McPhee |
| 22 November 2003 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 0–1 | 7,081 | |
| 29 November 2003 | Rushden & Diamonds | H | 1–1 | 4,586 | Littlejohn |
| 12 December 2003 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 1–1 | 5,811 | Littlejohn |
| 26 December 2003 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 3–2 | 24,991 | Littlejohn, Paynter, Brooker |
| 28 December 2003 | Stockport County | H | 2–2 | 6,237 | McPhee (2) |
| 10 January 2004 | A.F.C. Bournemouth | A | 1–2 | 5,926 | McPhee |
| 14 January 2004 | Blackpool | H | 2–1 | 4,523 | Brooker, Bridge-Wilkinson |
| 17 January 2004 | Grimsby Town | H | 5–1 | 5,133 | Bridge-Wilkinson (2), Lipa, Collins, Paynter |
| 27 January 2004 | Hartlepool United | H | 2–5 | 4,845 | Brooker, Cummins |
| 31 January 2004 | Brentford | A | 2–3 | 4,306 | McPhee (2) |
| 7 February 2004 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 3–0 | 7,958 | Littlejohn, McPhee, Brooker |
| 14 February 2004 | Oldham Athletic | H | 1–0 | 6,035 | McPhee |
| 21 February 2004 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 1–2 | 11,330 | McPhee |
| 24 February 2004 | Colchester United | A | 4–1 | 2,539 | Brooker, Brown (og), Cummins, Bridge-Wilkinson |
| 2 March 2004 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 2–3 | 12,593 | Brooker, Littlejohn |
| 6 March 2004 | Blackpool | A | 1–2 | 6,878 | Paynter |
| 13 March 2004 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 1–1 | 5,646 | Paynter |
| 16 March 2004 | Luton Town | H | 1–0 | 5,048 | Cummins |
| 20 March 2004 | Barnsley | A | 0–0 | 8,267 | |
| 27 March 2004 | Bristol City | H | 2–1 | 6,724 | Brooker, Bridge-Wilkinson |
| 30 March 2004 | Swindon Town | H | 3–3 | 5,702 | McPhee (2), Paynter |
| 3 April 2004 | Wycombe Wanderers | A | 1–2 | 4,738 | McPhee |
| 10 April 2004 | Wrexham | H | 1–0 | 5,892 | Cummins |
| 12 April 2004 | Peterborough United | A | 1–3 | 4,988 | Bridge-Wilkinson |
| 17 April 2004 | Chesterfield | H | 1–1 | 5,582 | Paynter |
| 24 April 2004 | Notts County | A | 2–1 | 5,834 | McPhee, Brooker |
| 1 May 2004 | Tranmere Rovers | H | 2–1 | 6,806 | McPhee (2) |
| 8 May 2004 | Rushden & Diamonds | A | 2–0 | 5,240 | McPhee (2) |
FA Cup edit
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | 8 November 2003 | Ford United | H | 2–2 | 4,016 | McPhee, Burns |
| R1 Replay | 19 November 2003 | Ford United | A | 2–1 | ? | Paynter, Chandler (og) |
| R2 | 7 December 2003 | Scarborough | H | 0–1 | 4,651 |
League Cup edit
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | 12 October 2003 | Nottingham Forest | H | (2)0–0(3) | 4,950 |
Football League Trophy edit
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | 14 October 2003 | Scarborough | A | 1–2 | 1,003 | McPhee |
Player statistics edit
Appearances edit
| Pos. | # | Name | Football League | FA Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| GK | 1 |  Mark Goodlad | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | 2 | George Pilkington | 44 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 1 | |
| DF | 3 | Ian Brightwell | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| DF | 4 |  Andreas Lipa | 30 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 2 | |
| DF | 5 | Michael Walsh | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |
| DF | 6 | Sam Collins | 43 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 4 | |
| MF | 7 | Neil Brisco | 27 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 0 | |
| MF | 8 |  Micky Cummins | 42 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 4 | |
| FW | 9 | Steve Brooker | 32 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 8 | |
| FW | 10 |  Stephen McPhee | 46 | 25 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 51 | 27 | |
| MF | 11 | Marc Bridge-Wilkinson | 32 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 7 | |
| GK | 12 | Dean Delany | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
| MF | 13 | Levi Reid | 11 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |
| MF | 15 | Ian Armstrong | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 1 | |
| DF | 16 |  Steve Rowland | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 0 | |
| MF | 17 |  Chris Birchall | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |
| FW | 18 | Billy Paynter | 44 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 14 | |
| FW | 19 | Simon Eldershaw | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | 20 | Adrian Littlejohn | 36 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 7 | |
| DF | 21 |  Liam Burns | 27 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 1 | |
| DF | 22 | Ryan Brown | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | |
| GK | 23 | Joe Molloy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| GK | 24 | Jonny Brain | 32 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 0 | |
| DF | 25 | Craig James | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
| Players that left the club mid-season: | |||||||||||||
| MF | 14 | Mark Boyd | 22 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 0 | |
Top scorers edit
| Place | Position | Nation | Number | Name | Second Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FW | Scotland | 10 | Stephen McPhee | 25 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 27 |
| 2 | FW | England | 18 | Billy Paynter | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| 3 | FW | England | 9 | Steve Brooker | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 4 | MF | England | 11 | Marc Bridge-Wilkinson | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| – | MF | England | 20 | Adrian Littlejohn | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 6 | MF | Ireland | 8 | Micky Cummins | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| – | DF | England | 6 | Sam Collins | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 8 | DF | Austria | 4 | Andreas Lipa | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | DF | England | 2 | George Pilkington | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | MF | England | 15 | Ian Armstrong | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | DF | Northern Ireland | 21 | Liam Burns | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – | – | – | Own goals | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| TOTALS | 73 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 78 | ||||
Transfers edit
Transfers in edit
| Date from | Position | Nationality | Name | From | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2003 | DF | | Andreas Lipa |  Skoda Xanthi | Free transfer | [33] |
| June 2003 | DF | | George Pilkington | Everton | Free transfer | [33] |
| August 2003 | GK | | Jonny Brain | Carlisle United | Free transfer | [33] |
| March 2004 | DF | | Craig James | Sunderland | Free transfer | [33] |
Transfers out edit
| Date from | Position | Nationality | Name | To | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2004 | MF | | Mark Boyd | Carlisle United | Free transfer | [33] |
| May 2004 | DF | | Ian Brightwell | Macclesfield Town | Free transfer | [33] |
| May 2004 | DF | | Liam Burns | Bristol Rovers | Released | [33] |
| May 2004 | GK | | Dean Delany | Shelbourne | Free transfer | [33] |
| June 2004 | MF | | Marc Bridge-Wilkinson | Stockport County | Rejected contract | [33] |
| June 2004 | MF | | Neil Brisco | Rochdale | Free transfer | [33] |
| June 2004 | FW | | Stephen McPhee |  Beira-Mar | Bosman transfer | [33] |
| August 2004 | MF | | Adrian Littlejohn | Lincoln City | Free transfer | [33] |
Loans out edit
| Date from | Position | Nationality | Name | To | Date to | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 November 2003 | GK | | Dean Delany | Macclesfield Town | 14 January 2004 | [33] |
References edit
- Specific
- ^ "Axe hovers over Valiants". BBC Sport. 10 December 2003. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ "Vale fans fail to buy club". BBC Sport. 22 December 2003. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ "Vale land Pilkington". BBC Sport. 24 June 2003. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ "Vale sign young keeper". BBC Sport. 22 August 2003. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ "Vale net Lipa". BBC Sport. 9 June 2003. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ "Goodlad blow for Vale". BBC Sport. 24 July 2003. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ "Port Vale season preview". BBC Sport. 5 August 2003. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ "Valiant Horton Picks Up Prize". LMA. Archived from the original on 27 November 2013. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
- ^ "Horton leaves Port Vale". BBC Sport. 12 February 2004. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ "Port Vale appoint Foyle". BBC Sport. 13 February 2004. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ "Glover back at Vale". BBC Sport. 16 February 2004. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ "James joins Vale on loan". BBC Sport. 19 March 2004. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ "James signs Vale contract". BBC Sport. 2 April 2004. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ Baggaley, Mike (9 May 2024). "Why Vale are determined pitch investment will pay off". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
- ^ "Foyle releases Vale trio". BBC Sport. 11 May 2004. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ "Vale reject McPhee offer". BBC Sport. 4 June 2004. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ "McPhee moving to Portugal". BBC Sport. 17 June 2004. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ "Bridge-Wilkinson makes move". BBC Sport. 8 June 2004. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ "Vale search for new coach". BBC Sport. 26 May 2004. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ "Brightwell leaves Vale". BBC Sport. 25 May 2004. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ "Duo boost Port Vale". BBC Sport. 4 March 2004. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ "Financial boost for Vale". BBC Sport. 14 May 2004. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ "Consortium saves Port Vale". BBC Sport. 30 December 2003. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ "Vale set for takeover talks". BBC Sport. 15 December 2003. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ a b c d What If There Had Been No Port In The Vale?: Startling Port Vale Stories! p.179 (Witan Books, 2011, ISBN 978-0-9529152-8-7)
- ^ "Port Vale 2-2 Ford Utd". BBC Sport. 8 November 2003. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ "Ford Utd 1-2 Port Vale (aet)". BBC Sport. 19 November 2003. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ "Port Vale 0-1 Scarborough". BBC Sport. 7 December 2003. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ Baggaley, Mike (7 December 2023). "Injuries, plans and Exeter challenge for Port Vale". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
- ^ "Scarborough 2-1 Port Vale". BBC Sport. 14 October 2003. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ "England 2003–04". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 27 January 2010. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
- ^ Port Vale 2003–2004 : Results & Fixtures Archived 16 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Port Vale FC Club Details | Transfers | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
- General