2009–10 Port Vale F.C. season

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Port Vale
2009–10 season
Chairman Bill Bratt
Manager Micky Adams
Stadium Vale Park
Football League Two 10th (68 Points)
FA Cup Second Round
League Cup Third Round
League Trophy Third Round
Player of the Year Anthony Griffith
Top goalscorer League: Marc Richards (20)
All: Marc Richards (23)
Highest home attendance 8,467 vs. Shrewsbury Town (8 May 2010)
Lowest home attendance 3,154 vs. Stockport County (6 September 2009)
Average home league attendance 4,939
Home colours
Away colours
← 2008–09 2010–11 →

The 2008–09 season was Port Vale's 98th season of football in the Football League, and second successive season in League Two. Micky Adams received plaudits for his first full season in charge. He took a squad of players that had previously been near the bottom of the division and made them difficult to beat, taking them to a tenth place finish, just outside the play-offs. In the League Cup Vale defeated two Championship sides to reach the Third Round stage. They also exited the League Trophy at the Third Round, and the FA Cup at the Second Round, whilst the reserve side finished as Staffordshire Senior Cup runners-up. Marc Richards hit 23 goals, whilst Player of the Year Anthony Griffith was also an essential part of the first eleven.

Manager Micky Adams.
Combative midfielder Anthony Griffith was Player of the Season.
Top-scorer Marc Richards scored a hat-trick past Chesterfield.
John McCombe became a fan favourite.
Young defender Lee Collins had an excellent season.
Captain Tommy Fraser.
Young keeper Chris Martin established himself as the club's #1.

Overview

League Two

The pre-season saw a new manager appointed – experienced 47-year-old Micky Adams arrived at Vale Park on 5 June 2009.[1] Chairman Bill Bratt stated that Adams' goal would be to stabilize the club,[2] a point reiterated by observers such as Robbie Earle,[3] as well as Adams himself.[4] He made his first signing on 15 June, bringing 21-year-old Tommy Fraser to the club on a free transfer, who had played for Adams at Brighton.[5] He appointed Fraser as club captain.[6] After confirming the signing of Adam Yates, who was linked to the club before Adams' arrival, Adams signed Doug Loft, who had also played under him at Brighton.[7] After a pre-season friendly, Adams considered switching to a 3–5–2 formation for the season.[8] On 21 July, it was announced that Adams had appointed veteran striker Geoff Horsfield as player-assistant manager. He was still strengthening his squad early in the season, signing midfielders Jason Jarrett, Kris Taylor and Claus Bech Jørgensen on short-term deals. He also signed Jamie Guy on loan from Colchester United, Damien McCrory on loan from Plymouth Argyle,[9] and winger Lewis Haldane from Bristol Rovers – Haldane would later make the move permanent in January.[10][11] In order to raise cash he placed six youngsters on the transfer list.[12]

The season started with just one defeat in the first seven league games, demonstrating how Adams had made his side difficult to beat. Joe Anyon returned to fitness to play a reserve game on 23 September,[13] but failed to displace teenager Chris Martin.[14] After a period of three defeats in seven days, including being knocked out of the League Cup at the third round, Adams decided to place his whole squad on the transfer list, saying of his team's performance: "We looked like a woman who had a big fur coat on but underneath she’s got no knickers on."[15] It was a controversial move, one that divided opinion among analysts and fans,[16][17] also bringing the fourth tier club to national attention.[18] The move appeared to many to be a motivational tactic.[19] He later admitted he merely played "a psychological game with them... [and] I don't think they fell for it – I don't think anybody fell for it".[20] Luke Prosser and Danny Glover both were shipped off to Conference National side Salisbury City on one month loan deals.[21] Steve Thompson was released from his contract to join Telford United.[22] Three wins – including a cup win over League One Stockport County and a league win at local rivals Crewe Alexandra – and three draws within four weeks saw Adams nominated for the League Two Manager of the Month award for October 2009.[23] He signed a contract extension in November 2009, keeping him at the club until summer 2012.[24][25]

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"The vision that I share with the board and the supporters is to win promotion. I think it can be achieved. It's all about short steps. The first one was to stabilise and we've done that. The players have bought into my philosophy and the next stage is to win promotion and establish ourselves as a League One club."

— Adams planned to push for promotion the following season.[26]

In November, Sam Stockley took the decision to retire on medical advice, having suffered an eye injury.[27] However he later joined Hungarian club Ferencvárosi TC as a player-coach.[28] This allowed Adam Yates to make the right-back spot his own. Glover also left the club for a loan spell at Rochdale.[29] Arriving at the club was Bristol Rovers loanee Sean Rigg,[30] who would sign permanently at the season's end.[31]

In the January 2010 transfer window Adams signed Lewis Haldane permanently, with Sean Rigg and Craig Davies signing on loan.[32] In February, Anyon returned to the starting line after young rival Martin was rested.[33] He performed well over seven games, but made two costly errors that resulted in two goals and dropped points in the play-off hunt.[34] Thus he was consigned to the bench until the season's end. Luke Prosser, Danny Glover and Ross Davidson were also informed they would not be offered new contracts,[35] and Prosser immediately joined James Lawrie on loan at Kidderminster Harriers.[36] Both Glover and Davidson joined Stafford Rangers on loan. Adams' men stormed into the play-off places for the first time in the season with just two games left to play, following a 2–1 win over champions-elect Notts County.[37] Yet with just one point from their final two games, the Vale finished just outside the play-off zone.

They finished in tenth place with 68 points, boasting the best goals conceded tally outside of the top three. They were four points short of Dagenham & Redbridge in the play-off zone – who would go on to win the play-off final. Only runaway champions Notts County lost fewer games than Vale, though only Macclesfield Town and Cheltenham Town picked up more draws. Marc Richards was the club's top-scorer with 23 goals, more than double that of his nearest rival.

At the end of the season Joe Anyon was offered a new contract at Vale Park on reduced pay,[38] but instead signed with Lincoln City.[39] Chris Martin signed a new two-year contract,[40] which came with an increase in wages.[41] Released players moved on to other clubs: Luke Prosser (Southend United);[42] Simon Richman and Danny Glover (Worcester City);[43] David Howland (Glentoran);[44] and James Lawrie (AFC Telford United).[45] Ross Davidson also joined Stafford Rangers, after having spent much of the season loan at the club, as well as a brief time at Nantwich Town. Geoff Horsfield retired as a player to concentrate on his role as assistant manager.[46]

Finances

On the financial side rumours abounded. In July 2009, Bill Bratt spoke out to publicly deny rumours spread on Vale fan sites, specifically rumours of sponsorship deals with Basement Jaxx and Maplin Electronics. Bratt said the rumours were "inaccurate, spurious and damaging", claiming the speculation could damage genuine and confidential negotiations.[47] In November, Bratt announced that he was planning to retire as chairman at the end of the season,[48][49] though he later decided to stay on. Reports that Andy Townsend would be appointed as a football advisor also surfaced,[50] but never transpired. There also came statements that shirt sponsors Harlequin Property would invest £500,000 into the club, though again this never materialized. Stoke-on-Trent city council gave the club a two-year repayment holiday for a £2.25 million loan taken out in 2005.[51]

Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, Vale advanced past Stevenage after a replay, with a 1–0 win at Broadhall Way. This ended Stevenage's year-long unbeaten home record.[52] They were then defeated 1–0 by League One Huddersfield Town in the Second Round.

In the League Cup, the club beat Championship side Sheffield United 2–1 at Bramall Lane in the First Round.[53] The Vale then defeated Sheffield Wednesday 2–0 in the Second Round, with goals from Adams' signing Kris Taylor and Rob Taylor – a player not appreciated under Dean Glover.[54] It was only after this game that Adams actually signed his managerial contract – two months after taking charge.[55] The delay was blamed on 'legal complications'.[56] Vale then took another Championship side, Scunthorpe United, to extra time at Glanford Park, before succumbing to a 2-0 defeat.

In the League Trophy, Vale knocked out Stockport County with a 3–1 win, before exiting at the Third Round after losing out to Bradford City at Valley Parade in a penalty shoot-out.

Final league table

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Main article: 2009–10 Football League
P W D L F A GD Pts
C 1 Notts County 46 27 12 7 96 31 +65 93
P 2 Bournemouth 46 25 8 13 61 44 +17 83
P 3 Rochdale 46 25 7 14 82 48 +34 82
  4 Morecambe 46 20 13 13 73 64 +9 73
  5 Rotherham United 46 21 10 15 55 52 +3 73
  6 Aldershot Town 46 20 12 14 69 56 +13 72
P 7 Dagenham & Redbridge 46 20 12 14 69 58 +11 72
  8 Chesterfield 46 21 7 18 61 62 −1 70
  9 Bury 46 19 12 15 54 59 −5 69
  10 Port Vale 46 17 17 12 61 50 +11 68
  11 Northampton Town 46 18 13 15 62 53 +9 67
  12 Shrewsbury Town 46 17 12 17 55 54 +1 63
  13 Burton Albion 46 17 11 18 71 70 +1 62
  14 Bradford City 46 16 14 16 59 62 −3 62
  15 Accrington Stanley 46 18 7 21 62 74 −12 61
  16 Hereford United 46 17 8 21 54 65 −11 59
  17 Torquay United 46 14 15 17 64 55 +9 57
  18 Crewe Alexandra 46 15 10 21 68 73 −5 55
  19 Macclesfield Town 46 12 18 16 49 58 −9 54
  20 Lincoln City 46 13 11 22 42 65 −23 50
  21 Barnet 46 12 12 22 47 63 −16 48
  22 Cheltenham Town 46 10 18 18 54 71 −17 48
R 23 Grimsby Town 46 9 17 20 45 72 −27 44
R 24 Darlington 46 8 6 32 33 87 −54 30

P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points

Results

Port Vale's score comes first

Legend

Win Draw Loss
Round 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46
Ground H A A H A H A H A H H A A H A H A H A H A A H H A H A H A H H A A H H A A H A H H A A H A H
Result D D L W D W D L L D D W W D D L D D W L D W W D D W L L W L W L W L W W D L W W D W D W L D
Position 12 17 20 15 16 10 13 14 16 15 16 14 12 13 13 13 13 14 13 16 16 13 12 12 13 12 14 14 14 15 14 14 12 13 11 9 11 13 11 10 10 9 9 7 9 10

Sourced from Statto.[57]

Football League Two

Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
8 August 2009 Rochdale H 1–1 6,158 Richards (pen)
15 August 2009 Bradford City A 0–0 11,333
18 August 2009 Macclesfield Town A 0–2 3,433
22 August 2009 Darlington H 1–0 4,561 Richards
29 August 2009 Hereford United A 2–2 2,434 Dodds, R.Taylor
5 September 2009 Grimsby Town H 4–0 5,056 Dodds, Richards, Owen, Collins
12 September 2009 Aldershot Town A 1–1 3,406 R.Taylor
19 September 2009 Bury H 0–1 5,461
26 September 2009 Notts County A 1–3 7,561 Richards (pen)
29 September 2009 Accrington Stanley H 2–2 4,326 Dodds, Fraser
3 October 2009 Bournemouth H 0–0 4,905
10 October 2009 Shrewsbury Town A 1–0 7,096 McCombe
17 October 2009 Crewe Alexandra A 2–1 6,943 Richards, K.Taylor
24 October 2009 Cheltenham Town H 1–1 4,979 Richards
31 October 2009 Dagenham & Redbridge A 1–1 2,003 Dodds
14 November 2009 Rotherham United H 1–2 4,788 Prosser
21 November 2009 Barnet A 0–0 1,939
24 November 2009 Torquay United H 2–2 3,996 Loft, R.Taylor
1 December 2009 Lincoln City A 2–1 2,569 Richards, Dodds
5 December 2009 Morecambe H 0–2 4,679
12 December 2009 Northampton Town A 1–1 4,132 Richards (pen)
28 December 2009 Grimsby Town A 2–1 4,401 Rigg, R.Taylor
19 January 2010 Burton Albion H 3–1 4,458 Richards (2), Rigg
23 January 2010 Macclesfield Town H 0–0 5,167
26 January 2010 Rochdale A 0–0 3,081
30 January 2010 Hereford United H 2–0 4,686 Davies, Richards
6 February 2010 Burton Albion A 0–1 4,644
9 February 2010 Chesterfield H 1–2 4,090 Davies
13 February 2010 Torquay United A 2–1 2,563 Haldane, Richards
20 February 2010 Barnet H 0–2 4,571
23 February 2010 Lincoln City A 4–0 3,231 Own goal, R.Taylor, Davies, McCombe
27 February 2010 Morecambe A 0–1 2,064
2 March 2010 Darlington A 3–1 1,582 Loft, Dodds, Haldane
6 March 2010 Northampton Town H 1–3 4,861 Loft
9 March 2010 Bradford City H 2–1 3,728 Richards, R.Taylor
13 March 2010 Chesterfield A 5–0 4,138 Richards (3), R.Taylor, Davies (pen)
20 March 2010 Cheltenham Town A 1–1 3,503 McCombe
27 March 2010 Crewe Alexandra H 0–1 7,232
3 April 2010 Rotherham United A 2–1 3,721 Davies, Richards
5 April 2010 Dagenham & Redbridge H 3–1 4,572 Haldane, R.Taylor, Davies
10 April 2010 Aldershot Town H 1–1 5,399 Rigg
13 April 2010 Accrington Stanley A 2–1 2,205 Davies, K.Taylor
17 April 2010 Bury A 1–1 4,570 Richards (pen)
24 April 2010 Notts County H 2–1 7,459 Richards, K.Taylor
1 May 2010 Bournemouth A 0–4 9,055
8 May 2010 Shrewsbury Town H 1–1 8,467 Richards (pen)

FA Cup

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Main article: 2009–10 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R1 7 November 2009 Stevenage H 1–1 3,999 Yates
R1 Replay 17 November 2009 Stevenage A 1–0 2,914 Dodds
R2 28 November 2009 Huddersfield Town H 0–1 5,311

League Cup

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Main article: 2009–10 Football League Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R1 11 August 2009 Sheffield United A 2–1 7,627 Richards (2)
R2 25 August 2009 Sheffield Wednesday H 2–0 6,667 K.Taylor, R.Taylor
R3 22 September 2009 Scunthorpe United A 0–2 3,383

League Trophy

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Main article: 2009–10 Football League Trophy
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R2 6 September 2009 Stockport County H 3–1 3,154 Haldane, Dodds, Richards
R3 10 November 2009 Bradford City A (3)2–2 (4) 5,096 McCombe, R.Taylor

Player statistics

Awards

End of Season Awards Winner[58]
Player of the Year Anthony Griffith
Away Travel Player of the Year Anthony Griffith
Players' Player of the Year Lee Collins
Chairman Player of the Year Lee Collins
Young Player of the Year Chris Martin
Youth Player of the Year Sam Morsy
Mr Shirt Off Your Back Louis Dodds
Clubman of the Year Brian Lewis
Assist of the Season Lee Collins (vs Hereford United, 30 January 2010)
Goal of the Season Rob Taylor (vs Hereford United, 29 August 2009)

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  57. ↑ Port Vale 2009–2010 : Results & Fixtures. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  58. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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