2012–13 Port Vale F.C. season

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Port Vale
2012–13 season
ChairmanPaul Wildes
(from 20 November)
ManagerMicky Adams
StadiumVale Park
Football League Two3rd (78 points)
FA CupSecond Round
(knocked out by Sheffield United)
League CupFirst Round
(knocked out by Burnley)
League TrophyThird Round
(knocked out by Bradford City)
Player of the YearTom Pope
Top goalscorerLeague: Tom Pope (31)
All: Tom Pope (33)
Highest home attendance12,496 vs. Northampton Town, 20 April 2013
Lowest home attendance2,702 vs. Tranmere Rovers, 4 September 2012
Average home league attendance5,727
Biggest win7–1 vs. Burton Albion, 5 April 2013
Biggest defeat0–2 (eight games) and 1–3 (once)
Gold jersey, black shorts, black socks
Away colours
Third colours

The 2012–13 season was Port Vale's 101st season of football in the English Football League, and fifth successive season in League Two. The club secured promotion into League One with a third-place finish. Administration scuppered the club's promotion chances in the previous campaign, and high-profile departures in the summer meant that manager Micky Adams had to rebuild his team from the ground up. His rebuilding efforts were severely hampered when Keith Ryder's expected takeover collapsed. The club was instead taken over by Paul Wildes on 20 November.

There were no lengthy cup runs, as Vale exited the League Cup with an opening day defeat to Championship club Burnley, and were knocked out of the FA Cup at the Second Round with a loss away at League One side Sheffield United, before their progress in the Football League Trophy was halted by League Two rivals Bradford City. This allowed the "Valiants" to focus on gaining promotion, and their goal-scoring feats took them up to second place by 15 September, behind only defensive masters Gillingham. With the new owners in place, Adams could afford to sign experienced players in the January transfer window, and the team pushed on to establish themselves as the division's leaders. However the wheels then fell off as Vale struggled to score as they showed relegation form heading on from mid-February. After just one win in eight games, Vale rediscovered their previous form by mid-March and went on to beat fourth-placed Burton Albion 7–1 in front of 10,978 supporters on 5 April. Promotion was secured 15 days later with a 2–2 draw with Northampton Town before a home crowd of 12,496. After promotion was secured Paul Wildes resigned as chairman and Norman Smurthwaite took full control of the club.

Manager Micky Adams.
Captain Doug Loft.
Goalkeeper Chris Neal.
Tom Pope and Lee Hughes formed an effective strike partnership
Talented winger Jennison Myrie-Williams and experienced centre-back Darren Purse.
A pitch invasion ensued after promotion was secured in the final home game of the season against Northampton Town on 20 April 2013.

Overview[]

League Two[]

On 19 June 2012, Port Vale were given odds of 40 to 1 of gaining promotion.[1] The club had lost some its best players as versatile defender Lee Collins, midfield general Anthony Griffith, and top-scorers Sean Rigg and Marc Richards all signed big money deals elsewhere – the latter two moving to club's expecting to win promotion out of League Two.

With the club's new owner in place, Adams signed six players early in July. He first signed midfielder Darren Murphy and winger Jennison Myrie-Williams (who had impressed in a loan spell at the club the previous season) from Stevenage, as well as Colchester United attacker Ashley Vincent.[2] He then made another triple swoop by bringing in Shrewsbury Town goalkeeper Chris Neal, Crewe Alexandra centre-back David Artell, and former Wales international Richard Duffy.[3] Highly rated striker Liam Dickinson, veteran forward Darren Byfield, and Irish attacker Tadhg Purcell also joined the club on trial.[4][5][6] Adams appointed Doug Loft as club captain at the end of July.[7] The pre-season tour of Ireland was hailed as a success, whilst Vale recorded wins in each of their encounters with non-league opposition.[8] However, David Artell left the club as a free agent days before the start of the season, as he refused to sign a contract that reflected the club's status as 'in administration' (the initial contract he signed listed Keith Ryder as the club's owner, and was therefore invalid).[9]

"The players have been absolutely amazing. I've told them that I can't thank them enough for their loyalty, character and commitment. They have thrown away a lot of money in signing these [revised] contracts... I'm embarrassed because I believed in Keith Ryder and believed in what he was doing. To find out that the players could have walked away for nothing after all the work we had done in pre-season was unbelievable. I hope the football club has hit rock-bottom and we can start to climb again, but I can't guarantee that."

— Manager Micky Adams had hoped to build a strong squad to challenge for promotion, but as Ryder's takeover seemed less probable, so did Vale's chances of promotion.[10]

The team got off to a solid start in August, recording wins over a poor Barnet side and a much more resilient Morecambe.[11] They lost away at Accrington Stanley despite having 56% possession and 12 attempts on goal.[12] They continued their form into September, as 14 points from a possible 18 left them sitting second in the table. Only a bizarre own goal from Brian Saah won them a point at home to Torquay United, before Tom Pope hit four against former club Rotherham United in a 6–2 victory; the win over Steve Evans's big spending "Millers" sent a message to the rest of the division that Vale were genuine promotion candidates.[11] They then came from behind to win away at Plymouth Argyle, before putting a highly impressive Fleetwood Town to the sword with a 5–2 away victory.[11] A top-of-table clash with Gillingham at Vale Park ended the "Valiants" impressive run, as the visitors claimed a 2–0 victory with a professional performance.[11] Having named the same first eleven for nine successive games, Adams introduced Rob Taylor and Ryan Burge at the expense of central midfielders Sam Morsy and Chris Shuker, and was rewarded with a 1–0 win over high-flying Bradford City in front of over 11,000 spectators at Valley Parade.[11] Micky Adams was named as Manager of the Month and Pope was named as Player of the Month.[13]

October opened with a dismal home draw with Dagenham & Redbridge, with goalkeeper Chris Neal making an uncharacteristic error to allow a blunted "Daggers" attack to claim an unlikely goal.[11] The team then rallied to produce a convincing 2–0 win away at fourth-placed Exeter City, Pope's two goals taking him into double figures with 35 league games yet to play.[11] However injuries took hold of the small squad, with captain Loft sidelined with a calf injury,[14] and winger Lewis Haldane forced to announce his retirement after failing to recover from a broken leg he sustained in August 2011.[15] They played Oxford United on a Monday night in front of the Sky Sports cameras, and did themselves justice with a convincing 3–0 win, with both Ashley Vincent and Sam Morsy scoring impressive goals.[11] An injury/suspension crisis in midfield then did little to prevent a patched up Vale side to come from behind to beat Gareth Ainsworth's Wycombe Wanderers 4–1.[11] They then travelled to Staffordshire rivals Burton Albion, and battled to a 1–1 draw after falling behind to a fluke goal.[11] The month ended on a sour note at Sixfields, as John McCombe was sent off after breaking the leg of Northampton Town goalscorer Alex Nicholls; injuries and suspensions left teenagers Joe Davis and Kingsley James to form a makeshift centre-back partnership, though the score was kept to a respectable 2–0.[11] For a second successive time, a Vale player was named the division's Player of the Month; Ashley Vincent took the award, but credited his teammates, saying "this award is as much for them as it is for me".[16]

Vale went three league games without a win on 6 November, as they lost a two-goal lead to draw 2–2 at home with Rochdale; the game turned on Sam Morsy's sending off on the 67 minute mark.[11] Three days later, Adams boosted his midfield by signing former Shrewsbury player Sean McAllister to an eight-week deal.[17] A day later and Vale travelled to Roots Hall and came away with a point following a goalless draw.[11] Vale then went five league games without a win, after throwing away a two-goal lead for the second successive home game, to draw 2–2 with York City.[11] Adams said "It's not a time for people to criticise and get on the players' backs, so I'll have to put my arm around a few of them, even if I feel like strangling them at times."[18] His team duly went on to record a simple 4–0 win over Bristol Rovers, with Pope's hat-trick taking him to 20 goals in the season.[11] On 22 November, Liam Chilvers re-signed on loan from AFC Telford United in order to provide more options in defence.[19] Notts County striker Lee Hughes was also reported to have joined the club on loan, with a view to a permanent move; however, the next day it was revealed that the loan move would not go through as the relevant paperwork had not been sent in to the Football League on time.[20][21] Vale carried on scoring goals regardless, ending the month with a 3–1 win in miserable conditions at Aldershot Town.[11] They also welcomed Calvin Andrew, who was signed to provide cover for Tom Pope.[22]

Vale went into the festive schedule with a 2–0 home defeat to Chesterfield, who boasted four former "Valiants" in their team, including goal scorer Jay O'Shea.[11] Adams tried to boost the team's confidence and said he then did "a bit of psychology with the players... sat them down, one-on-one, and reminded them about what and where they are."[23] The talks seemed to work, as a Louis Dodds goal ensured that they came from behind at third-place Cheltenham Town to record a 1–1 draw.[11] Assistant manager Mark Grew also employed psychology, telling the media that "We have the ability to bring people in, but hopefully we won't have to... if we lose three or four games, then the gaffer might have to freshen things up... but if we can pick up maybe nine points over Christmas and new year, then we wouldn't have a problem."[24] On Boxing day, Vale headed to the New York Stadium for the first time, and completed the double over Rotherham with a 2–1 win. They then ended the year top of the table, after beating the "Daggers" 3–2 in rain-soaked conditions.

The new year was welcomed with a poor showing at home to Fleetwood, that ended in a 2–0 loss. There was good and bad news on 3 January, as Trinidad and Tobago international midfielder Chris Birchall was re-signed to the club as John McCombe was ruled out injured for "at least six weeks".[25][26] Adams responded to the defeat to Fleetwood by making six changes at home to Plymouth, and was rewarded with a comprehensive 4–0 win over a struggling team reduced to ten men in the first half. He also signed experienced Argyle centre-back and captain Darren Purse.[27] Gareth Owen and Darren Murphy both left the club, whilst veteran striker Lee Hughes was signed from Notts County.[28][29] Liam Chilvers was also signed up until the end of the season.[30] Both Purse and Hughes were handed debuts for the top of the table clash with Gillingham on 12 January, and played vital roles in the team's 2–1 victory. Adams then added another new face, with left-sided Sheffield Wednesday player Daniel Jones signed on until the end of the season.[31] With the influx of defenders limiting first team opportunities, Clayton McDonald joined Bristol Rovers on loan until the end of the season.[32] Jones scored on his debut, helping Vale to earn a point away at AFC Wimbledon in front of the television cameras.

New signings Hughes and Purse gave Vale a 3–0 home win over Accrington on 2 February. Three days later bottom club Wimbledon arrived at Vale Park, and Vale won the game 3–0 thanks to goals from Hughes and Vincent (2). The next challenge was another club battling against relegation, Barnet, and Adams named the same team for the fourth successive game; however for only the second time in the season Vale fans witnessed a goalless draw.[33] Mid-table Morecambe then arrived at Vale Park as the club honoured former chairman Bill Bell, who died on 12 February; the game ended with a 1–0 defeat to ten-man Morecambe.[34] Calvin Andrew was given a surprise start at Torquay, and rewarded Micky Adams with the only goal of the game. However Vale then tasted a 2–0 defeat at home to play-off hopefuls Exeter City, who put in a superb performance; Adams nevertheless found his team's lack of urgency going forward as a "little bit baffling".[35]

Oxford beat Vale 2–1 on 2 March, ending Vale's five-month unbeaten run on the road. Adams then tried to add some steel to his midfield by re-signing tough-tackling Anthony Griffith from Leyton Orient.[36] League Cup finalists Bradford then came to Burslem, and left with a point after the first goalless draw at Vale Park of the season. With the gap between Vale and play-offs getting ever more slender, Southend then successfully defended a two-goal lead at half-time to beat Vale 2–1. Adams admitted that "Promotion seems a million miles away with the way we're playing."[37] Things then went from bad to worse at Bristol Rovers, with former Stoke player Ryan Brunt giving the "Gas" a 2–0 win whilst Ashley Vincent suffered a season-ending injury. Adams claimed that "idiots" in a "certain section of the crowd" were giving him "personal" abuse following the run of bad results and his decision to drop fan favourite Ryan Burge for disciplinary reasons.[38] Full-back Adam Yates later said this low-point motivated the players to pull together to prove wrong fans that had barracked Adams.[39] Burge was suspended for two weeks after refusing to apologize for making veiled criticism of the club on Twitter.[40] Vale then put a poor York side to the sword with goals from Myrie-Williams and Hughes. Cheltenham Town proved a much sterner challenge, but Vale recovered from 2–1 down to win a crucial match 3–2, with Tom Pope hitting his third hat-trick of the season.

Vale were holding onto second place going into April, and though they failed to capitalize on their rivals dropping points on 1 April, they managed to come from behind to two Marc Richards goals at Chesterfield to secure a point. Four days later, Vale hosted fourth placed Burton Albion, in what was labelled as the biggest game of the season for the "Valiants".[41] Reduced tickets of £9 ensured a crowd of 10,978, and they were treated to a comprehensive 7–1 victory as Lee Hughes scored a hat-trick.[42] Bottom-placed Aldershot were the visitors four days later, and were seemingly fired up after manager Andy Scott took offense to Adams saying that "[Aldershot] are down the bottom because [they] deserve to be"; Scott stated that "Sometimes managers say things to deflect from what is going on at their own club. We will find out if they have got the stomach for the fight and see if they want to get promoted as they have got a few clubs chasing them."[43] The match proved to be low on action, and Vale surrendered a half-time lead to draw the game 1–1. On 12 April, it was confirmed that Burge had left the club by mutual consent.[44] Vale could have won promotion the following day, and seemed to have done so after Liam Chilvers made amends for a horrific first half own goal by heading Vale into the lead on 89 minutes; however an injury-time equalizer left the Vale still just short of their final target. Automatic promotion was effectively secured with a 2–2 draw against Northampton Town on 20 April, the two unlikely goalscorers were Chilvers and former "Valiant" turned "Cobbler" Lee Collins. Promotion was confirmed with a 1–1 draw with Wycombe at Adams Park on the last day of the season, in what was former favourite Gareth Ainsworth's last game as a player.

At the end of the season all out-of-contract players were rewarded with a contract offer, except for Darren Purse, Calvin Andrew, Clayton McDonald, and Kingsley James.[45] Ashley Vincent rejected his contract, choosing instead to leave the club.[46] Despite still being under contract, John McCombe chose to leave the club by mutual consent.[47] Sam Morsy was the third to leave the club, after he rejected the two-year contract on offer in order to sign with Chesterfield.[48][49]

Finances & ownership issues[]

The club lost the services of David Artell after Keith Ryder failed to produce the money to complete his takeover.

The trauma of administration still afflicted Port Vale during the 2012–13 season, as Micky Adams was unable to sign any players until the club's new owner, Keith Ryder, was granted clearance from the Football League. The takeover deal was delayed for a number of weeks after Ryder faced difficulties in passing the league's 'fit and proper persons' test.[50] The administrators lost patience in Ryder, and publicly stated that if Ryder did not pay the £1.3 million takeover sum before 1 August 2012 then his bid would be rejected, and 'plan B' would be implemented.[51] The deadline passed without comment from either party.[52] Confusion reigned as the administrators confirmed that they were open to negotiations with other parties, and that it was up to Ryder to complete his takeover, as he had the opportunity, the funds and – according to Ryder himself – the inclination to complete his takeover.[53] Administrator Bob Young stated that "We initially gave him a deadline of the end of June, which was then extended to 6 July. If someone comes back to us with the funding first, then we will obviously take that forward."[54] Ryder responded that "I wake up every morning believing this is the day we will complete the takeover. If the deal does not go through, and someone else buys the club, there will be no-one more disappointed than me."[54]

The time sensitive nature of the situation was emphasized when the club revealed that the two pre-season friendlies at Vale Park would be played behind closed doors "as the club has been unable to carry out usual maintenance work during the closed season owing to the prolonged period in administration."[55] The 18 players who signed new contracts in the summer did so on the understanding that Ryder would be the club's owner, and so when told that they had to sign revised contracts that offered less security they sought the advice of the Professional Footballers' Association – they technically remained free agents, free to join another club, until either they agreed to the revised contracts or until Ryder completed his takeover.[56][57] All but one of the players agreed to sign revised contracts, allowing the club to at least start the season with a full complement of senior players.[58] Ryder disappeared from the scene completely, losing some £170,000 he had spent on a non-refundable deposit and some pre-seasons costs.[59] The off-field problems even extended to the first team kit, as they spent the pre-season in only the grey away strip and played the League Cup First Round game in a pink strip.[60] This was because of a problem supplying the black and white home kit. The new away black and gold kit was released in mid-September, and the new home kit was released the following month. Fans could purchase seasons tickets for between £272 and £356, and could purchase matchday tickets for between £20 and £21.[61]

At the end of September, Bob Young said that he was hopeful of selling the club by the end of October at the earliest, and that he would "be disappointed if we haven't sold the club by the end of the year".[62] The new preferred bidder was revealed to be Wirral-based businessman Paul Wildes.[63] On 17 November, the Roy Sproson status was revealed, as was new home shirt sponsor UK Windows Systems Ltd.[64] Wildes completed his £1.25 million takeover of the club on 20 November.[65]

"I have a lot of experience of fixing broken businesses. It's what I'm good at for 30 years. And while this is very different to what I've done before, the model is no different. If you don't have any debt, which we won't have, and you don't have any excessive payrolls for people driven by ego, which we won't have, this business can only go one way and that's up. The only ego issue is ensuring I deliver what I believe this business needs. But everything we do here will be for the benefit of the club, and ultimately for the benefit of the team and the supporters. We'll try to get more people into the ground, increase our turnover, encourage people to spend more within the business and that will enable me to put money directly into the playing budget. There's nothing clever about it. We'll only be custodians of this club, just like everybody else before us, but I'm hoping when people look back they'll see that the club is in a better place than when I arrived... It's a business which needs a lot, but not a lot. That sounds like a contradiction, but there are stupid things which are broken and simply by fixing them we'll make Vale Park a better place. The only way we can influence things on the pitch is by creating the commercial resources to increase our income. We'll filter that down to the squad. It's difficult to list priorities because there are so many things that are broken, damaged or tarnished – from the toilets to the stadium seating to people's perception of the business and the overall match-day experience. But this should not be a one-day-a-week venue. The resources here are massively under-used at the moment and we want to change that... We'll have a board for operational purposes, but there will be just two shareholders – Paul, who will be chairman, and myself, and we'll take no salaries or dividends. We're planning to take nothing out of this club whatsoever. We're bringing in people from within our current group of businesses, but it will be a very flat structure, and even their costs will come from within the group of businesses that we run, so the finance and operational side of things will not be a cost to Port Vale... If you're coming to the game, come earlier, drink our beer and eat our pies because everything we can do to increase turnover will directly go straight into the playing squad, It's that simple."

— Norman Smurthwaite, Wildes' advisor and the new club CEO, speaking upon the completion of the takeover in November.[66]

After promotion was secured, Smurthwaite said that "I've never had any hobbies to speak of, but buying Port Vale has given me a passion. The club has reinvigorated me – it has saved me really, given me a new purpose."[67] On 18 May, Paul Wildes made a shock decision to resign as chairman and sell his 50% stake to Smurthwaite, who became the club's chairman and sole owner; Wildes stated that "From many conversations with Norman, it's clear we have conflicting ideas on how to take Vale forward".[68] It was revealed that Smurthwaite had funded the initial takeover, and that the pair had a disagreement following defeat to Bristol Rovers in March, with Smurthwaite insisting on a more public approach to take pressure off the manager and players.[69]

Cup competitions[]

The FA Cup draw was not kind on the "Valiants", as they were forced to travel to Conference play-off hopefuls Forest Green Rovers at The New Lawn. Ashley Vincent and Clayton McDonald (scoring his first goal for the club) opened the scoring, before Rovers levelled shortly after half-time; substitute Ben Williamson then scored a late winner to avoid a replay.[11] The Second Round was also tough, particularly for Micky Adams, who was tasked with overcoming Sheffield United at Bramall Lane; the League One title chasers had sacked Adams and appointed Danny Wilson in May 2011.[70] Ever ready with a quote, Adams said: "I just thought 'All those balls in that bag and they picked this one out'".[71] Vale seemed certain to progress to the Third Round after Tom Pope put them into the lead, before two late goals from Shaun Miller dumped them out of the competition.[11]

As per tradition, Vale exited the League Cup at the First Round stage. They were beaten 3–1 by Championship side Burnley.[72]

The Football League Trophy First Round draw left Vale facing League One leaders Tranmere Rovers for the second successive season. Wishing to advance in the competition, Adams picked a strong side, and Vale won the game 2–0 thanks to a brace from Jennison Myrie-Williams, who scored with a 30-yard free kick and a penalty.[73][74] For the Second Round clash with Walsall at the Bescot Stadium, Adams took the unusual move of naming his team a day in advance "to allow Vale fans a fairer chance to decide whether they think it is worth making the short trip down the M6".[75] Nineteen-year-old goalkeeper Sam Johnson made his debut in the game, and was unable to prevent the two "Saddlers" goals in a 2–2 draw.[76] However, in a remarkable turn of events he went on to score the winning penalty as the 22nd penalty taker of the penalty shoot-out.[76] However suspensions weakened the team – Tom Pope's presence was especially missed – for the encounter with Bradford City, and Vale exited the competition with a 2–0 home defeat.[11]

Results[]

Pre-season[]

17 July 2012 Alsager Town 0 – 8 Port Vale The Town Ground
19:30 Report Pope Goal 29'
Vincent Goal 43'
o.g. Goal 45'
Purcell Goal 49', 53', 88'
Williamson Goal 72', 82'		 Attendance: 450
18 July 2012 0 – 5 Port Vale Tunstall Road
19:30 Report Purcell Goal 3'
Williamson Goal 18'
Myrie-Williams Goal 30', 41'
Dodds Goal 89'		 Referee: Chris Jackson
21 July 2012 Newcastle Town 0 – 2 Port Vale Lyme Valley Stadium
14:30 Report Pope Goal 41'
Williamson Goal 66'		 Attendance: 1,464
25 July 2012 Athlone Town Republic of Ireland 0 – 5 Port Vale Athlone Town Stadium
19:30 Report Pope Goal 50', 77', 79', 81'
Dodds Goal 52'
29 July 2012 Galway United Republic of Ireland 0 – 3 Port Vale Eamonn Deacy Park
19:30 Report Burge Goal 28'
Dodds Goal
Williamson Goal 50'		 Attendance: 405
31 July 2012 Ilkeston 0 – 2 Port Vale New Manor Ground
19:30 Report Pearson (og) Goal 35'
Williamson Goal 69'		 Attendance: 265
1 August 2012 Stafford Rangers 1 – 3 Port Vale Marston Road
19:30 Johnson Goal 58' Report Dodds Goal 17'
Myrie-Williams Goal
Pope Goal 63'		 Attendance: 398
Referee: Craig Taylor
3 August 2012 Nantwich Town 0 – 1 Port Vale The Weaver Stadium
19:30 Report Purcell Goal 90' (pen.) Attendance: 352
Referee: Rob Jones
7 August 2012 Port Vale 0 – 1 Coventry City Vale Park
19:30 Report McSheffrey Goal 42' Attendance: Closed Doors
8 August 2012 Congleton Town 1 – 2 Port Vale Booth Street
19:30 Southern Report James
Marland
11 August 2012 Port Vale 1 – 1 Tranmere Rovers Vale Park
15:00 Goodison (og) Goal 17' Report Stockton Goal 75'

Football League Two[]

League table[]

Main article: 2012–13 Football League Two
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Gillingham (C, P) 46 23 14 9 66 39 +27 83 Promotion to Football League One
2 Rotherham United (P) 46 24 7 15 74 59 +15 79
3 Port Vale (P) 46 21 15 10 87 52 +35 78
4 Burton Albion 46 22 10 14 71 65 +6 76 Qualification for League Two play-offs[a]
5 Cheltenham Town 46 20 15 11 58 51 +7 75
Updated to match(es) played on 27 April 2013. Source: BBC Sport[needs update]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(C) Champion; (P) Promoted
Notes:
  1. ^ Four teams play for one spot and promotion to Football League One.

Results by matchday[]

Round12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546
GroundHAAHHAAHAHAHHAAHAHHAHAAAHHAAHHAHAHAHHAAHAHHAHA
ResultWLWDWWWLWDWWWDLDDDWWLDWWLWWDWWDLWLLDLLWWDWDDDD
Position21057322222222222222222212211111222222322222223
Source: Statto[77]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches[]

18 August 2012 1 Port Vale 3 – 0 Barnet Vale Park
15:00 Dodds Goal 8'
Myrie-Williams Goal 20' (pen.)
Pope Goal 75'		 Report Attendance: 4,608
Referee: Scott Duncan
21 August 2012 2 Accrington Stanley 2 – 0 Port Vale Crown Ground
19:45 Amond Goal 43' (pen.)
Gray Goal 90+3'		 Report Attendance: 1,946
Referee:
25 August 2012 3 Morecambe 1 – 3 Port Vale Globe Arena
15:00 Ellison Goal 32' Report Morsy Goal 1'
McCombe Goal 89'
Pope Goal 90+4'		 Attendance: 2,164
Referee:
1 September 2012 4 Port Vale 1 – 1 Torquay United Vale Park
15:00 Saah Goal 69' (og) Report Morris Goal 39' Attendance: 4,721
Referee:
8 September 2012 5 Port Vale 6 – 2 Rotherham United Vale Park
15:00 Dodds Goal 5'
Pope Goal 16', 21', 68', 78'
Vincent Goal 28'		 Report O'Connor Goal 31'
Nardiello Goal 54' (pen.)		 Attendance: 5,544
Referee: Mick Russell
15 September 2012 6 Plymouth Argyle 1 – 3 Port Vale Home Park
15:00 Williams Goal 18' Report Myrie-Williams Goal 66' (pen.)
Vincent Goal 74'
Williamson Goal 78'		 Attendance: 6,080
Referee:
18 September 2012 7 Fleetwood Town 2 – 5 Port Vale Highbury Stadium
19:45 Brown Goal 39'
Gillespie Goal 84' (pen.)		 Report Pope Goal 29', 60'
Vincent Goal 34'
Dodds Goal 67', 78'		 Attendance: 3,392
Referee:
22 September 2012 8 Port Vale 0 – 2 Gillingham Vale Park
15:00 Report Burton Goal 11'
Whelpdale Goal 25'		 Attendance: 6,924
Referee:
29 September 2012 9 Bradford City 0 – 1 Port Vale Valley Parade
15:00 Report Pope Goal 37' Attendance: 11,030
Referee: Paul Tierney
2 October 2012 10 Port Vale 1 – 1 Dagenham & Redbridge Vale Park
19:45 Myrie-Williams Goal 75' Report Howell Goal 72' Attendance: 4,355
Referee: Tony Harrington
6 October 2012 11 Exeter City 0 – 2 Port Vale St James Park
15:00 Report Pope Goal 40', 62' Attendance: 3,938
Referee:
15 October 2012 12 Port Vale 3 – 0 Oxford United Vale Park
19:45 Pope Goal 30'
Vincent Goal 51'
Morsy Goal 61'		 Report Attendance: 4,596
Referee: Keith Stroud
20 October 2012 13 Port Vale 4 – 1 Wycombe Wanderers Vale Park
15:00 Williamson Goal 59'
Pope Goal 66', 87'
Vincent Goal 90'		 Report Grant Goal 20' (pen.) Attendance: 5,303
Referee:
23 October 2012 14 Burton Albion 1 – 1 Port Vale Pirelli Stadium
19:45 Chappell Goal 73' Report Williamson Goal 75' Attendance: 3,975
Referee:
27 October 2012 15 Northampton Town 2 – 0 Port Vale Sixfields Stadium
15:00 Nicholls Goal 20'
Moult Goal 43'		 Report Attendance: 5,061
Referee:
6 November 2012 16 Port Vale 2 – 2 Rochdale Vale Park
19:45 Pope Goal 27', 62' Report Grant Goal 73'
Tutte Goal 87'		 Attendance: 4,139
Referee:
10 November 2012 17 Southend United 0 – 0 Port Vale Roots Hall
15:00 Report Attendance: 4,876
Referee:
17 November 2012 18 Port Vale 2 – 2 York City Vale Park
15:00 Burge Goal 30'
Myrie-Williams Goal 44' (pen.)		 Report Rodman Goal 67'
Reed Goal 89'		 Attendance: 5,380
Referee:
20 November 2012 19 Port Vale 4 – 0 Bristol Rovers Vale Park
19:45 Pope Goal 20', 22', 67'
Williamson Goal 35'		 Report Attendance: 4,177
Referee: Andrew Madley
24 November 2012 20 Aldershot Town 1 – 3 Port Vale Recreation Ground
15:00 López Goal 29' Report Williamson Goal 17'
Burge Goal 47'
Myrie-Williams Goal 76' (pen.)		 Attendance: 1,992
Referee: Mick Russell
8 December 2012 21 Port Vale 0 – 2 Chesterfield Vale Park
15:00 Report O'Shea Goal 37'
Darikwa Goal 64'		 Attendance: 5,298
Referee:
15 December 2012 22 Cheltenham Town 1 – 1 Port Vale Whaddon Road
15:00 Carter Goal 61' Report Dodds Goal 67' Attendance: 3,670
Referee:
26 December 2012 23 Rotherham United 1 – 2 Port Vale New York Stadium
15:00 Agard Goal 83' Report Dodds Goal 55'
Pope Goal 63'		 Attendance: 10,502
Referee:
29 December 2012 24 Dagenham & Redbridge 2 – 3 Port Vale Victoria Road
15:00 Williams Goal 18' (pen.)
Doe Goal 84'		 Report Pope Goal 4'
Myrie-Williams Goal 9'
Dodds Goal 39'		 Attendance: 1,697
Referee:
1 January 2013 25 Port Vale 0 – 2 Fleetwood Town Vale Park
19:45 Report Ball Goal 26'
Goodall Goal 39'		 Attendance: 6,092
Referee: Paul Tierney
5 January 2013 26 Port Vale 4 – 0 Plymouth Argyle Vale Park
15:00 Myrie-Williams Goal 32'
Pope Goal 55', 83'
Williamson Goal 77'		 Report Attendance: 5,168
Referee:
12 January 2013 27 Gillingham 1 – 2 Port Vale Priestfield Stadium
15:00 Kedwell Goal 21' Report Pope Goal 4'
Hughes Goal 20'		 Attendance: 8,392
Referee:
24 January 2013 28 AFC Wimbledon 2 – 2 Port Vale Kingsmeadow
19:45 Midson Goal 8', 42' (pen.) Report Jones Goal 44'
Pope Goal 58'		 Attendance: 3,395
Referee: Graham Scott
2 February 2013 29 Port Vale 3 – 0 Accrington Stanley Vale Park
15:00 Hughes Goal 50', 66'
Purse Goal 54'		 Report Attendance: 5,172
Referee: Andy Davies
5 February 2013 30 Port Vale 3 – 0 AFC Wimbledon Vale Park
19:45 Hughes Goal 13'
Vincent Goal 35', 75'		 Report Attendance: 5,567
Referee:
9 February 2013 31 Barnet 0 – 0 Port Vale Underhill Stadium
15:00 Report Attendance: 2,398
Referee:
16 February 2013 32 Port Vale 0 – 1 Morecambe Vale Park
15:00 Report Alessandra Goal 63' Attendance: 5,513
Referee:
23 February 2013 33 Torquay United 0 – 1 Port Vale Plainmoor
15:00 Report Andrew Goal 28' Attendance: 2,679
Referee:
26 February 2013 34 Port Vale 0 – 2 Exeter City Vale Park
19:45 Report Cureton Goal 11'
Coles Goal 33'		 Attendance: 4,480
Referee:
2 March 2013 35 Oxford United 2 – 1 Port Vale Kassam Stadium
15:00 Potter Goal 10'
Smalley Goal 76'		 Report Loft Goal 16' Attendance: 6,322
Referee:
5 March 2013 36 Port Vale 0 – 0 Bradford City Vale Park
15:00 Report Attendance: 4,281
Referee:
9 March 2013 37 Port Vale 1 – 2 Southend United Vale Park
15:00 Hughes Goal 64' Report Clohessy Goal 19' (pen.)
Assombalonga Goal 31'		 Attendance: 4,858
Referee:
12 March 2013 38 Bristol Rovers 2 – 0 Port Vale Memorial Stadium
19:45 Brunt Goal 7', 38' Report Attendance: 5,111
Referee: Fred Graham
16 March 2013 39 York City 0 – 2 Port Vale Bootham Crescent
15:00 Report Myrie-Williams Goal 7'
Hughes Goal 48'		 Attendance: 3,945
Referee:
29 March 2013 40 Port Vale 3 – 2 Cheltenham Town Vale Park
15:00 Pope Goal 19', 58', 74' Report Mohamed Goal 47'
Benson Goal 54'		 Attendance: 5,867
Referee:
1 April 2013 41 Chesterfield 2 – 2 Port Vale Proact Stadium
19:45 Richards Goal 14', 19' Report Purse Goal 5'
Pope Goal 85'		 Attendance: 6,669
Referee: Simon Hooper
5 April 2013 42 Port Vale 7 – 1 Burton Albion Vale Park
19:45 Hughes Goal 12', 22' (pen.), 51' (pen.)
Birchall Goal 25'
Pope Goal 56'
Williamson Goal 73', 90'		 Report Paterson Goal 70' Attendance: 10,978
Referee:
9 April 2013 43 Port Vale 1 – 1 Aldershot Town Vale Park
19:45 Myrie-Williams Goal 45' Report McCallum Goal 74' Attendance: 6,197
Referee:
13 April 2013 44 Rochdale 2 – 2 Port Vale Spotland Stadium
15:00 Chilvers Goal 31' (og.)
Kennedy Goal 90+3'		 Report Pope Goal 34'
Chilvers Goal 89'		 Attendance: 5,042
Referee:
20 April 2013 45 Port Vale 2 – 2 Northampton Town Vale Park
15:00 Chilvers Goal 38'
Collins Goal 86' (og.)		 Report Carlisle Goal 2'
O'Donovan Goal 69'		 Attendance: 12,496
Referee:
27 April 2013 46 Wycombe Wanderers 1 – 1 Port Vale Adams Park
15:00 Morgan Goal 31' (pen.) Report Hughes Goal 79' Attendance: 7,120
Referee:

FA Cup[]

Main article: 2012–13 FA Cup
3 November 2012 Round 1 Forest Green Rovers 2 – 3 Port Vale The New Lawn
15:00 Norwood Goal 34'
Oshodi Goal 49'		 Report Vincent Goal 7'
McDonald Goal 12'
Williamson Goal 80'		 Attendance: 1,753
Referee:
1 December 2012 Round 2 Sheffield United 2 – 1 Port Vale Bramall Lane
15:00 Miller Goal 90', 90+5' Report Pope Goal 33' Attendance: 10,215
Referee:

League Cup[]

Main article: 2012–13 Football League Cup
14 August 2012 Round 1 Port Vale 1 – 3 Burnley Vale Park
19:45 Shuker Goal 9' Report McCann Goal 11'
Austin Goal 29'
Marney Goal 42'		 Attendance: 4,055
Referee:

League Trophy[]

Main article: 2012–13 Football League Trophy
4 September 2012 Round 1 Port Vale 2 – 0 Tranmere Rovers Vale Park
19:15 Myrie-Williams Goal 57', 75' (pen.) Report Attendance: 2,702
Referee:
9 October 2012 Round 2 Walsall 2 – 2
(5 – 6 p)		 Port Vale Bescot Stadium
19:45 Cuvelier Goal 26' (pen.)
Grigg Goal 47'		 Report Burge Goal 49'
Pope Goal 61'		 Attendance: 2,845
Referee: Darren Deadman
Penalties
Bowerman Penalty scored
Paterson Penalty missed
Taylor Penalty scored
Cuvelier Penalty missed
Featherstone Penalty missed
Taundry Penalty missed
Brandy Penalty missed
Butler Penalty scored
Downing Penalty scored
Jones Penalty scored
Darlow Penalty missed		 Myrie-Williams Penalty scored
Shuker Penalty missed
Burge Penalty missed
Pope Penalty scored
Davis Penalty missed
Taylor Penalty missed
Dodds Penalty missed
Lloyd Penalty scored
Yates Penalty scored
McCombe Penalty scored
Johnson Penalty scored
4 December 2012 Round 3 Port Vale 0 – 2 Bradford City Vale Park
19:15 Report Jones Goal 46'
Forsyth Goal 55'		 Attendance: 2,786
Referee: Darren Drysdale

Squad statistics[]

Appearances and goals[]

Louis Dodds contributed seven goals.
Richard Duffy played almost 40 games.
Pos. # Name League Two FA Cup League Cup League Trophy Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK 1 England Chris Neal 46 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 51 0
DF 2 England Adam Yates 26 0 2 0 1 0 3 0 32 0
MF 3 England Rob Taylor 28 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 32 0
MF 4 Montserrat Anthony Griffith 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 0
DF 5 England John McCombe 32 1 1 0 1 0 3 0 37 1
DF 6 England Darren Purse 17 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 2
MF 7 England Doug Loft 32 1 1 0 1 0 2 0 36 1
FW 8 England Louis Dodds 30 7 2 0 1 0 3 0 36 7
MF 9 England Jennison Myrie-Williams 44 9 2 0 1 0 3 2 50 11
MF 10 England Ashley Vincent 34 7 2 1 1 0 3 0 40 8
FW 11 England Tom Pope 46 31 2 1 1 0 2 1 51 33
GK 12 England Sam Johnson 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
DF 14 England Clayton McDonald 22 0 2 1 1 0 1 0 26 1
MF 15 England Chris Shuker 29 0 1 0 1 1 3 0 34 1
FW 16 England Calvin Andrew 22 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 24 1
DF 17 England Joe Davis 7 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 10 0
MF 18 Egypt Sam Morsy 28 2 1 0 1 0 2 0 32 2
FW 19 England Ben Williamson 33 8 2 1 1 0 3 0 39 9
DF 21 England Kingsley James 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
MF 22 England Ryan Lloyd 6 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 7 0
DF 24 Wales Richard Duffy 36 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 39 0
DF 25 England Liam Chilvers 20 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 21 2
MF 26 Trinidad and Tobago Chris Birchall 11 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 1
FW 29 England Lee Hughes 18 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 10
GK 32 England Ryan Boot 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DF 36 England Daniel Jones 16 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 16 1
Players that left the club mid-season:
MF 4 Republic of Ireland Darren Murphy 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
DF 6 Wales Gareth Owen 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
MF 16 Wales Lewis Haldane 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DF 20 Gibraltar David Artell 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MF 20 England Sean McAllister 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 0
MF 23 England Ryan Burge 30 2 2 0 1 0 2 1 35 3

Top scorers[]

Place Position Nation Number Name League Two FA Cup League Cup League Trophy Total
1 FW  England 11 Tom Pope 31 1 0 1 33
2 MF  England 9 Jennison Myrie-Williams 9 0 0 2 11
3 FW  England 29 Lee Hughes 10 0 0 0 10
4 FW  England 19 Ben Williamson 8 1 0 0 9
5 MF  England 10 Ashley Vincent 7 1 0 0 8
6 FW  England 8 Louis Dodds 7 0 0 0 7
7 MF  England 23 Ryan Burge 2 0 0 1 3
8 DF  England 25 Liam Chilvers 2 0 0 0 2
= MF  Egypt 18 Sam Morsy 2 0 0 0 2
= DF  England 6 Darren Purse 2 0 0 0 2
= – – – Own goals 2 0 0 0 2
12 DF  England 16 Calvin Andrew 1 0 0 0 1
= MF  Trinidad and Tobago 7 Chris Birchall 1 0 0 0 1
= DF  England 36 Daniel Jones 1 0 0 0 1
= DF  England 7 Doug Loft 1 0 0 0 1
= DF  England 5 John McCombe 1 0 0 0 1
= DF  England 14 Clayton McDonald 0 1 0 0 1
= MF  England 15 Chris Shuker 0 0 1 0 1
TOTALS 87 4 1 4 96

Disciplinary record[]

Number Nation Position Name League Two FA Cup League Cup League Trophy Total
Yellow card Red card Yellow card Red card Yellow card Red card Yellow card Red card Yellow card Red card
18  Egypt MF Sam Morsy 7 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 9 1
7  England DF Doug Loft 7 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 1
5  England DF John McCombe 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 1
24  Wales DF Richard Duffy 8 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 10 0
23  England MF Ryan Burge 6 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 8 0
14  England DF Clayton McDonald 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
9  England MF Jennison Myrie-Williams 5 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 7 0
11  England FW Tom Pope 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
29  England FW Lee Hughes 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0
10  England MF Ashley Vincent 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 0
36  England DF Daniel Jones 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
25  England DF Liam Chilvers 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
8  England FW Louis Dodds 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
1  England GK Chris Neal 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
6  England DF Darren Purse 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
4 Montserrat Montserrat MF Anthony Griffith 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
3  England MF Rob Taylor 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
26  Trinidad and Tobago MF Chris Birchall 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
17  England DF Joe Davis 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
6  Wales DF Gareth Owen 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
15  England MF Chris Shuker 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
TOTALS 82 3 5 0 1 0 6 0 94 3

Sourced from Soccerway.[78]

Awards[]

End of Season Awards Winner[79]
Player of the Year Tom Pope
Away Travel Player of the Year Chris Neal
Players' Player of the Year Chris Neal
Young Player of the Year Sam Johnson
Youth Player of the Year Dougie Price
Goal of the Season Louis Dodds (vs Fleetwood Town, 18 September 2012)

Transfers[]

Anthony Griffith was one of a number of former Vale players to make a return to the club.
Gareth Owen retired from professional football.

Transfers in[]

Date from Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref.
2 July 2012 MF England Jennison Myrie-Williams Stevenage Free [2]
2 July 2012 MF Republic of Ireland Darren Murphy Stevenage Free [2]
2 July 2012 MF England Ashley Vincent Colchester United Free [2]
6 July 2012 DF Gibraltar David Artell Crewe Alexandra Free [3]
6 July 2012 DF Wales Richard Duffy Exeter City Free [3]
6 July 2012 GK England Chris Neal Shrewsbury Town Free [3]
9 November 2012 MF England Sean McAllister Shrewsbury Town Free [17]
26 November 2012 FW England Calvin Andrew Crystal Palace Free [22]
3 January 2013 MF Trinidad and Tobago Chris Birchall United States Columbus Crew Free [25]
5 January 2013 DF England Darren Purse Plymouth Argyle Free [27]
8 January 2013 FW England Lee Hughes Notts County Free [29]
10 January 2013 DF England Liam Chilvers AFC Telford United Free [30]
17 January 2013 DF England Daniel Jones Sheffield Wednesday Free [31]

Transfers out[]

Date from Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref.
11 August 2012 DF Gibraltar David Artell Northampton Town Rejected contract [80]
7 October 2012 MF Wales Lewis Haldane Retired [15]
8 January 2013 MF England Sean McAllister Scotland Cowdenbeath Contract expired [81][82]
8 January 2013 MF Republic of Ireland Darren Murphy Macclesfield Town Released [28]
8 January 2013 DF Wales Gareth Owen Retired [28][83]
12 April 2013 MF England Ryan Burge Newport County Released [44][84]
2 May 2013 DF England Darren Purse Finland IFK Mariehamn Released [45][85]
2 May 2013 FW England Calvin Andrew Mansfield Town Released [45][86]
2 May 2013 DF England Clayton McDonald Grimsby Town Released [45][87]
2 May 2013 MF England Kingsley James Hereford United Released [45][88]
21 May 2013 MF England Ashley Vincent Cheltenham Town Rejected contract [46][89]
31 May 2013 DF England John McCombe Mansfield Town Mutual consent [47][90]
5 June 2013 MF Egypt Sam Morsy Chesterfield Rejected contract [48][49]

Loans in[]

Start date Position Nationality Name From End date Ref.
22 November 2012 DF England Liam Chilvers AFC Telford United 5 January 2013 [19]
4 March 2013 MF Montserrat Anthony Griffith Leyton Orient 1 May 2013 [36]

Loans out[]

Start date Position Nationality Name To End date Ref.
21 January 2013 DF England Clayton McDonald Bristol Rovers 22 April 2013 [32]
28 January 2013 DF England Kingsley James Hereford United 22 April 2013 [91]

References[]

Specific
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General
  • Soccerbase
  • Sherwin, Phil; Johnson, Dave (2013), Port Vale This Side Up: 2012-2013 Promotion Celebration, BGL, ISBN 978-0-9926579-0-1
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