2006–07 Port Vale F.C. season

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Port Vale
2006–07 season
Chairman Bill Bratt
Manager Martin Foyle
Stadium Vale Park
Football League One 12th (60 Points)
FA Cup Second Round
League Cup Fourth Round
Football League Trophy Second Round
Player of the Year Akpo Sodje
Top goalscorer League: Leon Constantine (22)
All: Leon Constantine (26)
Highest home attendance 7,388 vs. Nottingham Forest (26 September 2006)
Lowest home attendance 3,077 vs. Gillingham (5 December 2006)
Average home league attendance 4,726
Home colours
Away colours
← 2005–06 2007–08 →

The 2006–07 season was Port Vale's 95th season of football in the Football League, and third successive season in League One. Martin Foyle's side again finished in mid-table, whilst exiting the FA Cup and the League Trophy at the Second Round. Vale, notoriously poor performers in the League Cup, managed to reach the Fourth Round for the first time, at which point they were beaten by top-flight Tottenham Hotspur. Strike partners Leon Constantine and Akpo Sodje put in a 42 goal partnership, with Sodje picking up the club's Player of the Year award. At the end of the season top-scorer Constantine left the club, as did senior midfielder Danny Sonner, scuppering Foyle's long-term plans.

Manager Martin Foyle.
Player of the Year Akpo Sodje.
Top-scorer Leon Constantine.

Overview

League One

The pre-season saw Martin Foyle make a number of signings, including: Danny Sonner (Peterborough United);[1] Jason Talbot (Mansfield Town);[2] Paul Harsley (Macclesfield Town);[3] Richard Walker (Crewe Alexandra);[2] Danny Whitaker (Macclesfield Town); Colin Miles (Yeovil Town);[4] and Akpo Sodje (Darlington).[2] He also took Stefan Moore on loan from Queens Park Rangers,[5] and utility player Ritchie Humphreys from Hartlepool United.[6] Youth team player Danny Glover, son of assistant manager Dean Glover, was also given a squad number.

The season started with Vale in fine form, winning their first four games. His four goals meant Constantine was named the division's Player of the Month for August.[7] This run came to a halt with four defeats in the next five games, Vale scoring just three goals. In November, Ross Gardner was signed on loan from Nottingham Forest, and would join permanently in the January transfer window.[8] Foyle also signed defender Clayton Fortune on a season long loan for a second time, this time from Leyton Orient.[9] Heading into December with just three wins in fifteen league games, they won their first four games, with Constantine hitting five of Vale's nine goals. In January, Foyle splashed out £30,000 on Crewe Alexandra striker Luke Rodgers. He also signed former teammate Paul Musselwhite as an emergency back-up goalkeeper following an injury to Mark Goodlad,[10] as well as Cardiff City midfielder Malvin Kamara.[11] He also turned down an offer from Barnsley of £200,000 (plus Marc Richards) for Constantine,[12] who claimed to be happy at Vale Park.[13] However he did sell skilful winger Jeff Smith to Carlisle United for £60,000.[14] Also leaving Burslem was Louis Briscoe, who was allowed to join Leek Town.[15] Vale's form had left them once again, as they failed to pick up a win in a sequence of seven games. In February, defender Rhys Weston joined on a short-term contract, having left Norwegian club Viking FK.[16] On 10 March, Vale travelled to the Don Valley Stadium, and Sodje managed to hit four goals past the Rotherham United defence to give Vale a 5–1 win.[17] This gave Vale fans a sliver of hope of reaching the play-offs, but Vale failed to string two wins together in their final nine games, despite a 3–0 win over nearby Crewe Alexandra.

They finished in twelfth place with sixty points, a clear distance from both the play-off and the relegation zones. They again had the lowest numbers of draws in the division, recording just six stalemates. Constantine was the second-highest scorer in the division after Billy Sharp of Scunthorpe United. Player of the Year Sodje also hit sixteen goals. Captain George Pilkington and midfielder Danny Whitaker missed just two games between them all season.

At the end of the season a number of players were released: Nathan Lowndes (Chester City); George Abbey (Crewe Alexandra); Rhys Weston (Walsall); Michael Husbands (Macclesfield Town);[18] Christian Smith (Clyde); Ross Gardner (Ilkeston Town);[19] Malvin Kamara (Huddersfield Town);[20] Michael Walsh and Mark Soboljew. Leon Constantine also decided against signing a new contract at Vale, and instead joined Leeds United.[21] Danny Sonner also rejected his contract offer, and moved on to Walsall,[22] but not before making a parting shot at the club's leadership.[23]

Finances

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.[24] The club's shirt sponsorship came from local company BGC Gas.

Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, Vale advanced past League Two side Lincoln City with a 2–1 victory at Sincil Bank.[25] However they then were on the end of a 4–0 hiding from Hereford United at Edgar Street in the Second Round.

In the League Cup, Vale faced Preston North End, who they defeated with goals from Sodje and Constantine.[26] The "Valiants" then vanquished Queens Park Rangers 3–2 in the Second Round.[27] This left them facing Norwich City, the third Championship club of the season to travel to Burslem in the League Cup. Vale against upset the odds by winning the penalty shoot-out 3–2 following a goalless draw against a strong "Canary" side.[28] Premier League Tottenham Hotspur awaited in the Fourth Round, who at White Hart Lane proved to be too much of a challenge for the Vale. Constantine put Vale into the lead, but a Tom Huddlestone goal took the game into extra-time, before both Huddlestone and Jermain Defoe scored to give "Spurs" a 3–1 win, thus saving Martin Jol's blushes.[29] This represented the club's greatest achievement in the competition, as Vale had never reached the Fourth Round before.

In the League Trophy, Vale advanced past Scunthorpe United after winning on penalties at Glanford Park.[30] They then had a home tie with local rivals Crewe Alexandra. The "Railwaymen" won the game 3–2 despite a brace from Constantine.

Final league table

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Main article: 2006–07 Football League
P W D L F A GD Pts
C 1 Scunthorpe United 46 26 13 7 73 35 +38 91
P 2 Bristol City 46 25 10 11 63 39 +24 85
P 3 Blackpool 46 24 11 11 76 49 +27 83
  4 Nottingham Forest 46 23 13 10 65 41 +24 82
  5 Yeovil Town 46 23 10 13 55 39 +16 79
  6 Oldham Athletic 46 21 12 13 69 47 +22 75
  7 Swansea City 46 20 12 14 69 53 +16 72
  8 Carlisle United 46 19 11 16 54 55 −1 68
  9 Tranmere Rovers 46 18 13 15 58 53 +5 67
  10 Millwall 46 19 9 18 59 62 −3 66
  11 Doncaster Rovers 46 16 15 15 52 47 +5 63
  12 Port Vale 46 18 6 22 64 65 −1 60
  13 Crewe Alexandra 46 17 9 20 66 72 −6 60
  14 Northampton Town 46 15 14 17 48 51 −3 59
  15 Huddersfield Town 46 14 17 15 60 69 −9 59
  16 Gillingham 46 17 8 21 56 77 −21 59
  17 Cheltenham Town 46 15 9 22 49 61 −12 54
  18 Brighton and Hove Albion 46 14 11 21 49 58 −9 53
  19 Bournemouth 46 13 13 20 50 64 −14 52
  20 Leyton Orient 46 12 15 19 61 77 −16 51
R 21 Chesterfield 46 12 11 23 45 53 −8 47
R 22 Bradford City 46 11 14 21 47 65 −18 47
R 23 Rotherham United 46 13 9 24 58 75 −17 38*
R 24 Brentford 46 8 13 25 40 79 −39 37

* Deducted 10 points for going into administration

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 H A A H H A H A H A A H A H A H H A A H H A A A H A H A H H A H H A H A H A A H
Result W W W W L L W L L L D W L W L D L L L W W W W L L D L L D L W L W L W D W L W D L L W L L W
Position 1 1 1 1 2 3 3 3 4 7 9 8 10 7 9 10 13 14 17 15 12 9 9 10 11 11 11 11 13 15 12 16 14 15 13 13 12 12 11 12 12 14 12 14 15 12

Sourced from Statto.[31]

Football League One

Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
5 August 2006 Leyton Orient H 3–0 5,631 Constantine (2), Sodje
8 August 2006 Oldham Athletic A 1–0 4,975 Sodje
12 August 2006 Cheltenham Town A 1–0 4,309 Constantine
19 August 2006 Chesterfield H 3–2 5,622 Constantine (2), Pilkington
26 August 2006 Yeovil Town A 0–1 4,827
3 September 2006 Doncaster Rovers H 1–2 4,862 Whitaker
9 September 2006 Blackpool H 2–1 5,171 Constantine, Sodje
12 September 2006 Scunthorpe United A 0–3 3,473
16 September 2006 Bradford City A 0–2 7,829
23 September 2006 Bristol City H 0–2 5,295
26 September 2006 Nottingham Forest H 1–1 7,388 Husbands
30 September 2006 Northampton Town A 2–0 5,316 Pilkington, Moore
8 October 2006 Rotherham United H 1–3 4,810 Constantine (pen)
13 October 2006 Tranmere Rovers A 2–1 7,866 Smith, Constantine
21 October 2006 Huddersfield Town H 1–2 5,225 Constantine
28 October 2006 Millwall A 1–1 10,189 Sodje
4 November 2006 Crewe Alexandra A 1–2 7,632 Abbey
18 November 2006 Swansea City H 0–2 4,615
25 November 2006 Carlisle United A 2–3 7,543 Harsley, Smith
5 December 2006 Gillingham H 2–0 3,077 Gardner, Constantine
9 December 2006 Bournemouth A 4–0 4,538 Constantine (2), Pilkington, Sodje
16 December 2006 Brentford H 1–0 4,166 Pilkington
23 December 2006 Brighton and Hove Albion H 2–1 4,349 Constantine (2 [1 pen])
26 December 2006 Nottingham Forest A 0–3 22,999
30 December 2006 Bristol City A 1–2 12,776 Smith
1 January 2007 Scunthorpe United H 0–0 4,869
6 January 2007 Bradford City H 0–1 4,146
13 January 2007 Blackpool A 1–2 6,661 Sodje (pen)
27 January 2007 Brighton and Hove Albion A 0–0 5,177
3 February 2007 Leyton Orient A 1–2 4,295 Gardner
6 February 2007 Northampton Town H 1–0 3,353 Whitaker
17 February 2007 Chesterfield A 0–3 3,752
20 February 2007 Oldham Athletic H 3–0 4,061 Whitaker, Pilkington, Constantine (pen)
24 February 2007 Doncaster Rovers A 0–1 7,848
3 March 2007 Yeovil Town H 4–2 4,202 Constantine (2), Whitaker, Rose (og)
6 March 2007 Cheltenham Town H 1–0 3,340 Kamara
10 March 2007 Rotherham United A 5–1 3,854 Sodje (4), Pilkington
17 March 2007 Tranmere Rovers H 2–3 4,809 Sonner, Constantine
24 March 2007 Millwall H 2–0 3,973 Whitaker, Sodje
31 March 2007 Huddersfield Town A 2–2 10,313 Sodje (2)
7 April 2007 Carlisle United H 0–2 4,882
9 April 2007 Swansea City A 0–3 12,465
14 April 2007 Crewe Alexandra H 3–0 5,740 Hulbert, Constantine, Rodgers
21 April 2007 Gillingham A 2–3 5,928 Whitaker, Constantine (pen)
28 April 2007 Brentford A 3–4 5,125 Constantine (2), Rodgers
5 May 2007 Bournemouth H 2–1 5,080 Sodje, Rodgers

FA Cup

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Main article: 2006–07 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R1 11 November 2006 Lincoln City A 2–1 3,884 Whitaker, Sodje
R2 2 December 2006 Hereford United A 0–4 4,076

League Cup

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Main article: 2006–07 Football League Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R1 23 August 2006 Preston North End H 2–1 3,522 Sodje, Constantine
R2 19 September 2006 Queens Park Rangers H 3–2 3,550 Smith, Whitaker, Walker
R3 24 October 2006 Norwich City H (3)0–0(2) 4,518
R4 8 November 2006 Tottenham Hotspur A 1–3 34,560 Constantine

League Trophy

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Main article: 2006–07 Football League Trophy
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R1 30 October 2006 Scunthorpe United A (5)0–0(3) 3,421
R2 29 November 2006 Crewe Alexandra H 2–3 4,694 Constantine (2)

Player statistics

References

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  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Coca-cola Manager of the Month 2006-07 Football League.co.uk. Retrieved on 24 March 2007
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Port Vale 2006–2007 : Results & Fixtures. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
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