1983–84 Port Vale F.C. season

Port Vale

1983–84 season
Chairman	Jim Lloyd
Manager	John McGrath (until 5 December) John Rudge (from 5 December)
Stadium	Vale Park
Football League Third Division	23rd (43 Points)
FA Cup	First Round (knocked out by Lincoln City)
League Cup	Second Round (knocked out by Manchester United)
Associate Members' Cup	Second Round (knocked out by Bristol Rovers)
Player of the Year	Eamonn O'Keefe
Top goalscorer	League: Eamonn O'Keefe (10) All: Eamonn O'Keefe (11)
Highest home attendance	19,855 vs. Manchester United, 3 October 1983
Lowest home attendance	2,299 vs. Millwall, 14 May 1984
Average home league attendance	4,023
Biggest win	5–1 vs. Wrexham, 13 September 1983
Biggest defeat	0–7 vs. Burnley, 26 November 1983
Home colours Away colours
← 1982–83 1984–85 →

The 1983–84 season was Port Vale's 72nd season of football in the English Football League, and first (15th overall) back in the Third Division following their promotion from the Fourth Division.^[1] John McGrath began as manager before being replaced by John Rudge in December due to a dismal run of results.

The season opened disastrously, as Vale endured an 18‑game winless streak, culminating in a humiliating 7–0 defeat at Burnley under the glare of television cameras. Rudge's appointment sparked a gradual revival — reflecting his motto "we cannot change things overnight" — but the recovery proved insufficient, and Vale were relegated, finishing 23rd, six points adrift of safety. On the field, Eamonn O'Keefe, serving as both league and season top scorer, netted 11 goals, while impressing enough to be named Player of the Year, and the emerging Mark Bright displayed early promise before departing at season's close. In cup action, Vale bowed out early, suffering a First Round exit in the FA Cup (to v) and a Second Round defeat in the League Cup, while their run in the Associate Members' Cup also ended in the Second Round. Despite the on-pitch woes, the club maintained average home attendance around 4,023, highlighting continued local support even amid adversity.

A season defined by a calamitous start and management upheaval — Rudge's mid-season appointment steadied the ship, but Vale ultimately fell back to the Fourth Division amid a determined yet insufficient recovery.

The pre-season saw John McGrath pay Wigan Athletic £10,000 for Ireland international forward Eamonn O'Keefe.^[1] He also brought in three players on free transfers: midfielder Tommy Gore (Bury), defender Gary Pollard (Chesterfield), and goalkeeper Chris Pearce (Rochdale).^[1] The club reported record season ticket sales, however, several players refused to sign new contracts.^[1] As a result, Barry Siddall, Russell Bromage, Geoff Hunter, and Terry Armstrong remained on weekly contracts.^[1]

The season began with McGrath's new attacking tactics failing miserably, despite a 2–0 win over Bristol Rovers in the fourth game of the programme.^[1] Steve Fox asked to be dropped, and Wayne Cegielski ended up on crutches with an Achilles tendon injury. Fifteen league games without a win followed, keeping the club rooted at the foot of the table.^[1] Notable results in the sequence included a "rip-roaring" 4–2 defeat at Wimbledon, their "worst performance of the season" in a 2–0 loss at Walsall, and a "dismal 3–0 defeat at Orient. The Sentinel's Chris Harper commented that "Vale cannot go on being applauded off the park as entertaining losers."^[1] Phil Sproson noted that the ongoing contract problems caused unrest in the camp.^[1] Siddall handed in his notice, whilst Bob Newton and £8,000 were traded to Chesterfield for the services of Martin Henderson.^[1] Bromage walked out on the club after they refused to give him a contract lasting beyond two years.^[1] On 31 October, McGrath had to use 41-year-old coach Alan Oakes in a 1–0 defeat to Plymouth Argyle.^[1] A first away points was gained with a 1–1 draw at Exeter City on 5 November. Chairman Jim Lloyd then blocked McGrath's attempt to sign defender Ken Fogarty, showing how little confidence the board had in their manager.^[1] McGrath complained in the media, only to be 'gagged', instructed only to speak to the media on team affairs.^[1] Supporters began organizing demonstrations against Lloyd, and in favour of McGrath.^[1]

On 12 November, Vale lost 3–1 at home to third-placed Oxford United. Siddall and Bromage returned to sign new contracts.^[1] Steve Fox was suspended by the club for a fortnight after he refused to play in defence, and on 26 November Burnley thrashed Vale 7–0 at Turf Moor in front of Granada TV cameras; Kevin Reeves scored a hat-trick as Burnley led by six goals at half-time.^[1][2] Starting December nine points adrift of safety, paying the third-highest wage bill in the division (£9,000 a week), and home gate receipts down to around £3,000, McGrath was suspended on full pay.^[1] The club received a flood of letters in protest, 'some just abusive', but McGrath left permanently after being compensated financially.^[1]

John Rudge was appointed caretaker manager, and made his first signing by taking midfielder Kevin Young on loan from Burnley.^[1] His side were defeated 4–0 at Deepdale by Preston North End, and finished the game with just nine men.^[1] By now 13 points short of safety, and seven points from their nearest competitors, The Sentinel's Chris Harper believed them to be 'the poorest side in the Third Division by quite a long chalk'.^[1] The revival started the next day, with a 2–0 win over second-placed Sheffield United despite Sproson being absent through injury as John Ridley and Wayne Cegielski were excellent in central defence to keep Keith Edwards and Tony Philliskirk from scoring, whilst Geoff Hunter was man of the match in midfield.^[3] It was the first of four straight home wins that cut the gap to safety down to only four points, including a 2–0 victory over promotion-chasing Wimbledon.^[1][4][5] O'Keefe and Henderson formed a potent striking partnership, whilst Young added balance to the midfield.^[1] Jim Steel was sold off to Wrexham for £10,000.^[1] Rudge said the battle to avoid relegation was as difficult a job as 'trying to climb Everest in a pair of pumps'.^[1]

Struggling again in February, their 4–2 win over Newport County lifted them off the bottom spot following Rudge giving the team a stern talking to at half-time with the scores level; reporter Chris Harper likened Newport goalkeeper Mark Kendall to an octopus for the amount of saves he made during the match.^[6] Following a 4–3 win over Brentford on 3 March, Rudge was appointed as manager until the end of the season.^[1] He took Millwall's Andy Massey on loan, but failed to re-sign Bob Newton.^[1] On 19 March, Vale defeated fellow strugglers Southend United 2–1 at Roots Hall, their first away game of the league campaign, it took them out of the relegation zone.^[1] The team found themselves two goals up against on 2 April, only to lose 3–2 to Rotherham United. The job only got more difficult for Rudge, however, as an injury crisis developed, and the team went nine games with just one victory.^[1] Young striker Mark Bright replaced the injured Martin Henderson and scored five times in the final six games, yet relegation was all but confirmed despite a 1–0 win over promotion-chasing Hull City.^[1] Just 2,299 turned up at Vale Park for a final day 1–0 victory over Millwall, yet a pitch invasion still ensued, with the invaders chanting "We'll be back".^[1]

They finished in 23rd place, ahead only of Exeter City.^[1] Only Exeter and Wigan Athletic scored fewer, and only Exeter conceded more goals.^[1] Player of the Year Eamonn O'Keefe was top-scorer with eleven goals, yet it was Mark Bright who was a revelation.^[1]

On the financial side, a £50,601 profit was recorded with donations from the Development Fund of £146,177 and an income of £73,023 from the open market rents.^[1] Wages had been cut back to £310,542, whilst gate receipts rose to £180,504.^[1] The club's shirt sponsors were PMT. Steve Fox left for Chester City, and Gary Pollard joined Mansfield Town.^[1] However, Mark Bright signed with Leicester City against Rudge's wishes. A tribunal handed Vale £33,333 and top-up clauses.^[1] O'Keefe also requested a transfer, as he felt he would receive no further international caps playing in the fourth tier.^[1] Mick Cullerton, then Vale's commercial manager, later claimed that vast wage disparities in the squad caused discontent and reduced club morale.^[7]

In the FA Cup, Vale were eliminated in the first round by Lincoln City with a 2–1 home defeat.^[1]

In the League Cup, Vale 'ran riot' over Wrexham at the Racecourse Ground to go through to the second round 8–2 on aggregate.^[1] Coming up against Ron Atkinson's Manchester United, they were defeated 1–0 at home despite 'a workmanlike performance', and beaten 2–0 at Old Trafford in a 'credible' game.^[1] The home leg in Burslem saw a crowd of 19,855 – the highest crowd since the visit of West Ham United in 1973.^[1] This raised £45,873 in gate receipts for the club.^[1] However, a fifty-strong gang of Manchester thugs caused chaos in Burslem town centre, stabbing a man from Brown Edge.^[1]

In the Associate Members' Cup, Vale beat Fourth Division side Hereford United 1–0 at Edgar Street. They were then beaten 2–0 at the Memorial Stadium by Bristol Rovers.^[1]

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion or relegation
20	Brentford	46	11	16	19	69	79	−10	49
21	Scunthorpe United (R)	46	9	19	18	54	73	−19	46	Relegation to the Fourth Division
22	Southend United (R)	46	10	14	22	55	76	−21	44
23	Port Vale (R)	46	11	10	25	51	83	−32	43
24	Exeter City (R)	46	6	15	25	50	84	−34	33

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

Pos.	Name	Football League		FA Cup		League Cup		Associate Members' Cup		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
GK	Barry Siddall	39	0	1	0	3	0	2	0	45	0
GK	Chris Pearce	7	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	8	0
DF	Phil Sproson	38	2	0	0	4	2	2	0	44	4
DF	Wayne Cegielski	39	0	0	3	0	0	1	0	43	0
DF	Max Thompson	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
DF	Gary Pollard	18	0	1	0	1	0	2	0	22	0
DF	Russell Bromage	38	1	0	0	3	0	1	0	42	1
MF	Terry Armstrong	19	2	1	0	1	0	0	0	21	2
MF	Colin Tartt	22	2	1	0	4	0	2	1	29	3
MF	Geoff Hunter	42	1	1	0	4	1	2	0	49	2
MF	John Ridley	30	2	1	0	2	0	2	0	35	2
MF	Robbie Earle	12	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	13	0
MF	Steve Fox	40	3	1	0	4	0	2	0	47	3
MF	Winston White	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
MF	Kevin Young	28	4	0	0	0	0	2	0	30	4
MF	Andy Massey	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	1
MF	Alan Oakes	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
MF	Tommy Gore	36	2	1	0	4	1	2	0	43	3
FW	Andy Shankland	7	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	8	0
FW	Mark Bright	26	9	1	1	2	0	2	0	31	10
FW	Jim Steel	15	3	1	0	3	1	0	0	19	4
FW	Bob Newton	7	2	0	0	2	2	0	0	9	4
FW	Eamonn O'Keefe	37	10	1	0	4	1	1	0	43	11
FW	Martin Henderson	27	7	1	0	0	0	0	0	28	7

Place	Position	Nation	Name	Fourth Division	FA Cup	League Cup	Associate Members' Cup	Total
1	FW	Ireland	Eamonn O'Keefe	10	0	1	0	11
2	FW	England	Mark Bright	9	1	0	0	10
3	FW	Scotland	Martin Henderson	7	0	0	0	7
4	MF	England	Kevin Young	4	0	0	0	4
–	DF	England	Phil Sproson	2	0	2	0	4
–	FW	Scotland	Jim Steel	3	0	1	0	4
–	FW	England	Bob Newton	2	0	2	0	4
8	MF	England	Steve Fox	3	0	0	0	3
–	MF	England	Tommy Gore	2	0	1	0	3
–	MF	England	Colin Tartt	2	0	0	1	3
1	MF	England	John Ridley	2	0	0	0	2
–	MF	England	Geoff Hunter	1	0	1	0	2
–	MF	England	Terry Armstrong	2	0	0	0	2
14	MF	England	Andy Massey	1	0	0	0	1
–	DF	England	Russell Bromage	1	0	0	0	1
			TOTALS	51	1	8	1	61

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
1983	MF		Alan Oakes	Northwich Victoria	Free transfer	[9]
June 1983	GK		Chris Pearce	Rochdale	Free transfer	[9]
June 1983	DF		Gary Pollard	Chesterfield	Free transfer	[9]
July 1983	MF		Tommy Gore	Bury	Free transfer	[9]
July 1983	MF		Eamonn O'Keefe	Wigan Athletic	£10,000	[9]
October 1983	FW		Martin Henderson	Chesterfield	Exchange	[9]
October 1983	MF		Winston White	Chesterfield	Trial	[9]

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
Summer 1983	FW		Bob Newton	Chesterfield	Free transfer	[9]
October 1983	MF		Winston White	Stockport County	Trial ended	[9]
December 1983	MF		Alan Oakes	Sacked		[9]
January 1984	FW		Jim Steel	Wrexham	£10,000	[9]
1984	MF		Steve Fox	Chester City	Free transfer	[9]
June 1984	FW		Mark Bright	Leicester City	£33,333	[9]
July 1984	DF		Gary Pollard	Mansfield Town	Free transfer	[9]
Summer 1984	FW		Martin Henderson	Spalding United	Sacked	[9]

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	From	Date to	Ref.
November 1983	DF		Max Thompson	Bournemouth	November 1983	[9]
December 1983	MF		Kevin Young	Burnley	End of season	[9]
March 1984	MF		Andy Massey	Millwall	April 1984	[9]

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	To	Date to	Ref.
October 1983	DF		Russell Bromage	Oldham Athletic	October 1983	[9]
October 1983	GK		Barry Siddall	Blackpool	October 1983	[9]

Specific

General

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