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Port Vale

2008–09 season
Owner	Valiant 2001
Chairman	Bill Bratt
Manager	Lee Sinnott (until 22 September) Dean Glover & Andy Porter (caretakers 22 September – 6 October) Dean Glover (from 6 October)
Stadium	Vale Park
Football League Two	18th (48 Points)
FA Cup	Second round (knocked out by Macclesfield Town)
League Cup	First round (knocked out by Sheffield United)
Football League Trophy	First round (knocked out by Stockport County)
Player of the Year	Joe Anyon
Top goalscorer	League: Marc Richards (10) All: Marc Richards (11)
Highest home attendance	7,273 vs. Bradford City, 6 September 2008
Lowest home attendance	4,090 vs. Dagenham & Redbridge, 10 March 2009
Average home league attendance	5,522
Biggest win	3–0 vs. Chester City, 27 January 2009
Biggest defeat	1–4 and 0–3 (three games)
Home colours Away colours
← 2007–082009–10 →

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. After a poor start to the season, manager Lee Sinnott was sacked in September and was replaced by Dean Glover. Despite a brief improvement, Vale then slipped back down the table to finish in eighteenth place. The team were also poor in the cup competitions, exiting the FA Cup in the second round and both the League Cup and the Football League Trophy in the first round. Marc Richards was the club's top scorer with eleven goals, and goalkeeper Joe Anyon was Player of the Year despite breaking his leg towards the end of the season.

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.

The season started well in August, but all four league games in September ended in defeat. However, Sinnott refused to compromise his managerial philosophy to pick up results. 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, but would not enjoy his short stay in Stoke-on-Trent. 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 seventeen 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 eighteenth 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 fourteen 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.

League table

Results

Port Vale's score comes first

Football League Two

Results by matchday

Matches

FA Cup

League Cup

Football League Trophy

Player statistics

Appearances and goals

Pos.	#	Name	League Two		FA Cup		League Cup		Football League Trophy		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
GK	1	Joe Anyon	36	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	39	0
DF	2	Sam Stockley	22	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	25	0
MF	3	Rob Taylor	20	3	0	0	1	0	1	0	22	3
MF	4	Anthony Griffith	38	0	2	0	1	0	1	0	42	0
DF	5	John McCombe	31	2	1	0	1	0	1	0	34	2
DF	6	Luke Prosser	26	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	28	0
FW	7	Anthony Malbon	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
MF	8	David Howland	40	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	41	3
FW	9	Marc Richards	30	10	2	1	1	0	1	0	34	11
MF	10	Paul Marshall	13	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	13	1
MF	11	Paul Edwards	31	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	33	0
GK	12	Chris Martin	11	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	12	0
MF	14	Louis Dodds	44	7	2	3	1	0	1	0	48	10
MF	15	Scott Brown	18	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	19	1
FW	16	Kyle Perry	15	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	17	0
FW	17	Steve Thompson	17	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	17	2
FW	18	Danny Glover	23	3	2	0	0	0	1	0	26	3
MF	19	Simon Richman	37	5	2	0	1	0	1	0	41	5
MF	20	Ross Davidson	23	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	25	0
FW	21	James Lawrie	18	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	19	2
DF	22	Danny Edwards	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
MF	23	Luke Chapman	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
DF	24	Lee Collins	39	1	2	0	1	0	0	0	42	1
MF	25	Adnan Ahmed	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	1
MF	26	Dave Brammer	13	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	14	0
DF	27	Gareth Owen	12	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	13	0
MF	29	Paul Dixon	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
GK	32	Daniel Lloyd-Weston	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Players that left the club mid-season:
MF	7	Shane Tudor	5	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	6	0
FW	7	Kevin Gall	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	0
FW	10	Luke Rodgers	15	4	0	0	1	1	1	0	17	5
DF	15	Chris Slater	6	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	8	0
MF	25	Tom Taiwo	4	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	5	0
MF	25	Damien McCrory	12	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	14	0
MF	28	Neil MacKenzie	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	0

Top scorers

Place	Position	Nation	Number	Name	EFL League Two	FA Cup	EFL Cup	EFL Trophy	Total
1	FW	England	9	Marc Richards	10	1	0	0	11
2	MF	England	14	Louis Dodds	7	3	0	0	10
3	MF	England	19	Simon Richman	5	0	0	0	5
–	FW	England	10	Luke Rodgers	4	0	1	0	5
5	FW	England	18	Danny Glover	3	0	0	0	3
–	MF	England	3	Rob Taylor	3	0	0	0	3
–	MF	Northern Ireland	8	David Howland	2	1	0	0	3
8	FW	Northern Ireland	21	James Lawrie	2	0	0	0	2
–	FW	England	17	Steve Thompson	2	0	0	0	2
–	DF	England	5	John McCombe	2	0	0	0	2
11	DF	England	24	Lee Collins	1	0	0	0	1
–	MF	Pakistan	25	Adnan Ahmed	1	0	0	0	1
–	MF	England	10	Paul Marshall	1	0	0	0	1
–	MF	England	15	Scott Brown	1	0	0	0	1
				TOTALS	44	5	1	0	50

Disciplinary record

Number	Nation	Position	Name	League One		FA Cup		EFL Cup		EFL Trophy		Total
2	England	DF	Sam Stockley	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	1
24	England	DF	Lee Collins	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	1
9	England	FW	Marc Richards	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	1
18	England	FW	Danny Glover	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	1
20	England	MF	Ross Davidson	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	1
16	England	FW	Kyle Perry	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
6	England	DF	Luke Prosser	9	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	9	0
8	Northern Ireland	MF	David Howland	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
11	England	MF	Paul Edwards	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
4	Montserrat	MF	Anthony Griffith	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
14	England	MF	Louis Dodds	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
5	England	DF	John McCombe	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
25	Pakistan	MF	Adnan Ahmed	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
24	England	DF	Danny Edwards	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
19	England	MF	Simon Richman	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
3	England	MF	Rob Taylor	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
1	England	GK	Joe Anyon	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
26	England	MF	Dave Brammer	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
10	England	MF	Paul Marshall	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
27	England	DF	Gareth Owen	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
			TOTALS	64	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	64	6

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		Kyle Perry	Chasetown	Released
January 2009	MF		Shane Tudor	Retired
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	End of season
6 March 2009	MF		Paul Marshall	Manchester City	End of season

Loans out

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	To	Date to	Ref.
6 March 2009	FW		Kyle Perry	Northwich Victoria	6 April 2009

References

Specific

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2. "Port Vale sign ex-Bulls defender". BBC Sport. 29 May 2008. Retrieved 6 June 2009.
3. "Vale sign Boro youngster Thompson". BBC Sport. 14 May 2008. Retrieved 7 June 2009.
4. "McCombe reveals link with Sinnott". BBC Sport. 4 June 2008. Retrieved 6 June 2009.
5. "Thompson happy with Sinnott style". BBC Sport. 16 May 2008. Retrieved 7 June 2009.
6. "I'm here for promotion - Stockley". BBC Sport. 8 July 2008. Retrieved 6 June 2009.
7. "First summer signings for Sinnott". BBC Sport. 29 April 2008. Retrieved 20 May 2009.
8. "Port Vale complete Dodds signing". BBC Sport. 21 July 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
9. "Collins makes Valiants loan move". BBC Sport. 31 July 2008. Retrieved 7 June 2009.
10. "Collins and Brammer sign for Vale". BBC Sport. 16 January 2009. Retrieved 7 June 2009.
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23. "Glover named new Port Vale boss". BBC Sport. 6 October 2008. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
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27. "Brown completes move to Port Vale". BBC Sport. 2 January 2009. Retrieved 6 June 2009.
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38. Shaw, Steve. "Breaking News: Port Vale midfielder Tudor retires". The Sentinel. Retrieved 21 January 2009.
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40. "Glover aiming for top-half finish". BBC Sport. 2 January 2009. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
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43. "Northwich complete double signing". BBC Sport. 7 March 2009. Archived from the original on 10 March 2009. Retrieved 9 March 2009.
44. "Perry told he can leave Port Vale". BBC Sport. 21 February 2009. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
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52. Shaw, Steve (14 May 2009). "Port Vale: Brammer slams his voicemail farewell". The Sentinel. Retrieved 14 May 2009.
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58. "Vale fans stage post-match protest". The Sentinel. 28 February 2009. Retrieved 1 March 2009.
59. Shaw, Steve (27 March 2009). "Breaking News: Shirt sponsor set to invest £1/2 million into Port Vale". The Sentinel. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
60. "Vale chairman happy to walk away". BBC Sport. 27 March 2009. Archived from the original on 1 May 2009. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
61. "Port Vale late with repayments of £2.25m council loan". BBC Sport. 8 February 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
62. "Huddersfield 3-4 Port Vale". BBC Sport. 8 November 2008. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
63. "Port Vale 1-3 Macclesfield". BBC Sport. 28 November 2008. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
64. "Anyon slams Port Vale team-mates". BBC Sport. 1 December 2008. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
65. "Sheff Utd 3-1 Port Vale". BBC Sport. 13 August 2008. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
66. "Stockport 1-0 Port Vale". BBC Sport. 2 September 2008. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
67. Port Vale 2008–2009 : Results & Fixtures Archived 28 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
68. "England - Port Vale FC - Results, fixtures, squad, statistics, photos, videos and news - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
69. ^ "Port Vale FC Club Details | Transfers | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 7 October 2016.

General

• Soccerbase

• Port Vale F.C. seasons
• 2008–09 Football League Two by team