2016–17 Port Vale F.C. season

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Port Vale
2016–17 season
ChairmanNorman Smurthwaite
ManagerBruno Ribeiro
(until 26 December)
Michael Brown
(from 26 December)
StadiumVale Park
EFL League One21st (49 points)
FA CupThird Round
(knocked out by Huddersfield Town)
EFL CupFirst Round
(knocked out by Carlisle United)
EFL TrophyGroup Stage
Player of the YearNathan Smith
Top goalscorerLeague: Alex Jones (9)
All: Alex Jones (10)
Highest home attendance8,999 vs. Sheffield United, 14 April 2017
Lowest home attendance1,025 vs. Mansfield Town, 4 October 2016
Average home league attendance4,813
Biggest win4–0 vs. Hartlepool United, 4 December 2016
Biggest defeat0–4 (three games)

The 2016–17 season was Port Vale's 105th season of football in the English Football League, and fourth-successive season in EFL League One. Vale finished in 21st place – one point from safety – and were relegated. The season covers the period from 1 July 2016 through to 30 June 2017.

The club underwent a complete transformation of the playing and managerial team, with 16 players coming in (plus two on loan) and 16 players going out over the course of the summer. Ten of the new arrivals came from European leagues outside the UK, and bookmakers predicted the club would be relegated, though chairman Norman Smurthwaite expected the team to push for the play-offs under the stewardship of new manager Bruno Ribeiro. Vale were knocked out of the EFL Cup by League Two side Carlisle United, and they failed to make it out of the group stages of the EFL Trophy as they were unable to score against League Two clubs Doncaster Rovers and Mansfield Town. Ribeiro, the club's first foreign manager, resigned on Boxing Day with the club languishing in 17th-place.

Assistant manager Michael Brown stepped in as caretaker manager, but was unable to arrest Vale's slide down the table. The club had a poor January transfer window, losing top-scoring loanee striker Alex Jones, star goalkeeper Jak Alnwick, and reigning Player of the Year Anthony Grant. Despite failing to score in six of their final seven games, the fight against relegation went to the last day of the season at Fleetwood Town, but a 0–0 draw was not enough to escape the drop. After relegation was confirmed Smurthwaite announced that he was stepping down as chairman.

Ben Purkiss left at the end of the campaign.
Danny Pugh signed in January.
Chris Eagles was one of the few players to have impressed.
Jerome Thomas played well but struggled with injuries.
Martin Paterson scored only two goals from 18 games.
Ryan Taylor was signed twice.
Scott Tanser featured 11 times.
André Bikey made seven appearances.

Overview[edit]

EFL League One[edit]

Following the decision of Rob Page to leave Port Vale to manage Northampton Town at the end of the 2015–16 campaign a number of names were linked with the Vale job. Chairman Norman Smurthwaite hinted of three "outstanding" candidates, which The Sentinel reported as being Brian Little, Paul Dickov, and José Morais.[1] Bookmakers initially listed Michael Brown as the odds-on favourite, before switching to Morais, then Shefki Kuqi, and then Bruno Ribeiro.[2][3] Ribeiro was appointed as manager on 20 June, with Michael Brown as his assistant, and Peter Farrell as first-team coach.[4] He made Dutch centre-back Kjell Knops his first signing of the season, who had spent the previous five years in the Eerste Divisie with MVV Maastricht.[5] A day later, Curaçao under-20 striker Rigino Cicilia was signed after being released by Dutch side Roda JC Kerkrade.[6] The next to join were French midfielders Quentin Pereira and Anthony de Freitas.[7] Another Dutch-based centre-back, Calvin Mac-Intosch, was then signed from Cambuur.[7]

The next trio to arrive were all Portuguese: midfielder Paulo Tavares and left-back Kiko, both from Vitória Setúbal, and striker Carlos Saleiro from Oriental.[8] A ninth new arrival followed, Chris Mbamba, a Zimbabwean-born former Sweden under-17 international winger from Norwegian 2. divisjon club HamKam.[9] A pair of English players then joined the club, former Premier League veteran winger Jerome Thomas and 22-year-old former Blackburn Rovers forward Anton Forrester.[10] Bookmakers made Vale second favourites for relegation, though Smurthwaite intimated that he expected the club to reach the play-offs.[11][12] Andy Smith was confirmed as the club's new first-team coach whilst the club decided to not hire Peter Farrell after all; Farrell only found out the news on his future after he heard it reported on the radio, and said "It would have been more respectful if someone had the decency to ring me up rather than leave it for 10 days".[13] The club's Player of the Year, Anthony Grant, then submitted a transfer request.[14] The playing squad however, continued to grow, with a 12th signing, Monaco reserve team captain Sébastien Amoros, signing a 12-month contract.[15] The signing of 20-year-old midfielder Nathan Ferguson then took the club to 13 new players, and Ribeiro said he wanted to further expand the squad by securing the services of veteran trialist Nathan Tyson.[16][17] However, he lost a player, as right-back Adam Yates was ruled out of action for seven months with an ankle cruciate ligament injury.[18] Ribeiro broke with tradition by naming three players as joint-captains: goalkeeper Jak Alnwick, veteran full-back Ben Purkiss, and star midfielder Anthony Grant.[19]

Nine players made their debut for the club on the opening day of the season at Valley Parade, as Vale held Bradford City to a 0–0 draw.[20] Ribeiro planned to strengthen his team further though, and was hopeful of signing another goalkeeper, striker, winger and left-back.[21] He achieved one of his targets by bringing in young Birmingham City striker Alex Jones on loan until January.[22] Ribeiro went on to achieve his first win as Vale manager with a 2–0 victory over a poor Southend United side on 13 August.[23] Despite only joining the club six weeks ago, Carlos Saleiro agreed to have his contract cancelled by mutual consent as he "found it difficult to adjust to life in the country".[24] The good results kept coming though, and impressive young defender Nathan Smith scored a headed goal as Vale extending their run of league clean sheets to three games with a 1–0 win over Rochdale.[25] In a bizarre revelation, The Sun newspaper reported that Mario Balotelli could join the Vale on loan; the story was ridiculed by local journalists and fans on social media.[26] Vale conceded their first league goal in a 1–0 defeat at Swindon Town on 20 August, despite Ribeiro's view that Vale were the better side on the day.[27] Northampton Town boss Rob Page was allowed to sign JJ Hooper on a five-month loan deal starting from 22 August, after the striker began the season on the right-wing for Vale.[28] Later that night a grenade was found at Vale Park, which was later determined to be a training device from World War II.[29] With Kiko and Yates both injured, Ribeiro signed Liverpool Academy left-back Sam Hart on a season-long loan.[30] He also signed 29-year-old former Northern Ireland striker Martin Paterson, who had been a free agent after leaving Blackpool.[31] Vale continued their excellent start to the campaign by beating Scunthorpe United 3–1; substitutes Paterson, Hart and Amoros all made their first appearances for the club in the game, with the latter two players making their first appearances in professional football.[32] Vale rounded off the month with two deadline day signings: Portuguese goalkeeper Miguel Santos from Benfica B and Swiss attacker Gëzim Shalaj from Enosis Neon Paralimni.[33] Nathan Smith was named as the Football League Young Player of the Month for August.[34]

Vale opened September by losing 4–1 to Bury in rain-soaked conditions at Gigg Lane; Ribeiro blamed himself for his players' poor performance, saying it was his job to instil the right attitude into the team before the match.[35] Vale recovered and went on to claim a point at Peterborough United after Alex Jones converted a penalty in stoppage time to level the scores at 2–2.[36] Visitors Gillingham led 1–0 at Vale Park on 17 September, before Vale turned round the game completely to achieve a 2–1 victory; manager Justin Edinburgh told the media that he believed the crowd had influenced the referee, to which Jerome Thomas responded on social media by displaying his bruised and bloodied shin.[37][38] Vale then found themselves in the reverse situation at the Memorial Stadium, going from a 1–0 lead to an ultimate 2–1 defeat after Bristol Rovers equalised on 43 minutes.[39] The perfect home form continued with a 3–1 victory over Millwall.[40] Alex Jones was nominated for the EFL League One Player of the Month award for August and September after scoring six goals in eight games.[41]

Coventry City manager Tony Mowbray resigned days before Coventry travelled to Vale Park for their fixture on 1 October.[42] Vale were beaten 2–0 to lose their 100% home record and to give Coventry their first league win of the season.[43] Vale's fixture at Milton Keynes Dons was shown live on Sky TV, and the Daily Mirror reported that Ribeiro paid £1,500 out of his own pocket to pay for a hotel stay for the team before the game as Smurthwaite refused to pay for the trip out of club funds.[44] Smurthwaite refuted the newspaper's claim, saying he paid for the hotel accommodation out of his own pocket.[45] The investment paid off as Vale scored their first goal at Stadium mk and recorded their first away victory of the season with a 1–0 win.[46] However, they then put in a poor performance at Bramall Lane, losing 4–0 to Sheffield United despite United having three goals disallowed.[47] They seemed to be heading for another defeat at home to Charlton Athletic, before they managed a late comeback to achieve a 1–1 draw.[48] Former Wigan Athletic and Newcastle United defender Ryan Taylor then joined the club on a short-term deal.[49] He made his debut at home to Oxford United, and scored the equalising goal from the penalty spot as Vale came back from two goals down at half-time; Oxford had dominated the game in the first half before Vale initiated a more direct game plan in the second half.[50] Vale could not repeat the feat after going 3–0 down at high-flying Bolton Wanderers after 16 minutes, though did manage to score a consolation goal to make the score a respectable 3–1.[51]

Vale moved back into the play-offs on 12 November after coming from behind to beat Fleetwood Town 2–1 at Vale Park.[52] Fleetwood boss Uwe Rösler said that "Port Vale rode their luck today and I look like Father Christmas so they got a gift today from us".[53] However, Grant was sent off for two bookable offences and suspended for a total of six games and fined £2,000 after he returned to the field after the match to argue with the referee on the full-time whistle.[54] Vale then suffered a 2–0 defeat at Charlton, and dropped down to 11th-position.[55] On 22 November, Vale came from behind at home to struggling Oldham Athletic to lead the game with a late strike from Cicilia, only for Oldham to score an equalising goal deep into stoppage time.[56] They ended the month two points outside the play-offs after playing out a 0–0 draw with last-placed Shrewsbury Town.[57]

Rob Page returned to Vale Park as manager of Northampton Town for the first time on 10 December, and masterminded a 3–2 victory to leapfrog the Vale, who sank to 15th-place.[58] The poor form worsened with a 4–0 defeat at AFC Wimbledon that could have been much heavier without some fine goalkeeping from Alnwick.[59] This caused Smurthwaite to declare that 'Plan B' had been triggered, meaning the signing of "seasoned, higher grade" players, whilst he admitted he felt "a little bit hoodwinked" as Ribeiro's friends in the game (José Mourinho, Aitor Karanka, and Carlos Carvalhal) had provided him with glowing references but had thus far failed to lend any of their players to the Vale.[60][61] Out of form Walsall then inflicted a 1–0 Boxing Day defeat on the Vale.[62] This proved to be too much for Ribeiro, who announced his resignation hours later; Michael Brown was placed in temporary charge.[63] Brown's first match in charge was a 1–0 home victory over Chesterfield.[64]

Vale opened the new year at bottom club Oldham Athletic, and Alnwick made some excellent saves to secure a 0–0 draw and a point which moved the Vale two places up the table.[65] However, Brown stated that the player's fitness rates were so low they were "alarming".[66] Having allowed Santos and Hart to leave the club, Brown then signed veteran midfielder Chris Eagles on a short-term contract, and brought in 20-year loanee Callum Guy in from Derby County and 20-year striker Tyler Walker on loan from Nottingham Forest.[67][68] Ryan Boot made his debut in goal and Eagles, Guy and Walker also made their debuts in a 2–2 home draw with Bury on 20 January; Walker scored the opening goal whilst Guy was named as man of the match.[69] Brown went on to make a fourth signing in Rochdale full-back Scott Tanser.[70] Vale twice took the lead away at high-flying Scunthorpe United, but went on to lose the game 3–2 with a penalty which Brown said had "never been a penalty in a million years".[71] Brown further added to squad by signing 19-year-old Queens Park Rangers midfielders Olamide Shodipo and Axel Prohouly on loan until the end of the season.[72][73] However, Rangers triggered Alnwick's £250,000 release clause, and his departure left the Vale without arguably their Player of the Season so far.[74] Vale also sold reigning Player of the Year Anthony Grant to Peterborough United for an undisclosed "six-figure fee".[75] Brown completed Vale's January transfer window by signing veteran midfielder Danny Pugh and bringing in goalkeeper Leo Fasan on loan from Celtic.[76]

Vale welcomed back Grant with Peterborough United on 4 February – Fasan, Shodipo and Pugh all made their Vale debuts – and were beaten, 3–0, despite Fasan's man-of-the-match performance and his saving a penalty.[77] Youth team goalkeeper Joe Slinn went on to turn professional at the club, becoming the fifth goalkeeper on the club's books.[78] A Remie Streete header seemed to have handed Vale a comfortable win at Gillingham, but a Josh Parker header five minutes into injury time levelled the game at 1–1.[79] Streete then fractured his leg in a 2–0 defeat at Millwall, as Vale dropped to just one place above the relegation zone.[80] A 1–1 home draw with Bristol Rovers then allowed Bury to overtake Vale to leave Vale in the relegation zone for the first time in the season; the injury also crisis worsened as Walker left the pitch with a serious knee injury.[81] Bradford City then came to Burslem to claim three points, with Alex Jones scoring his first goal in Bradford colours to make the final score 2–1.[82] A waterlogged pitch at Rochdale on 28 February left the Vale powerless to prevent Swindon overtaking them and other relegation rivals to pick up points; Vale entered March five points from safety but with three game in hand.[83]

Brown signed Vale's eighth goalkeeper of the season on 1 March after former Turkey youth international Deniz Mehmet agreed to a short-term contract.[84] Vale then travelled to play-off chasing Southend United, and picked up a useful point after grinding out a 1–1 draw despite losing Pugh and Thomas to injury and having to hand a debut to youth team graduate Billy Reeves.[85] Vale came from one goal down to record an important 3–2 victory at home to relegation rivals Swindon Town on 11 March.[86] However, they went on to lose 2–1 at Northampton Town three days later – a damaging defeat as the two teams directly above the relegation zone (Bury and Oldham) both won to leave Vale five points short of safety.[87] Brown acted on 17 March by bringing in former Cameroon international defender André Bikey and re-signing Ryan Taylor on contracts running until the end of the season.[88] Later that evening Taylor provided an assist and scored a goal as Vale claimed a crucial 2–1 home win over relegation rivals Shrewsbury Town.[89] Vale had the chance to exit the relegation zone on 21 March, but put in a poor performance at the Ricoh Arena and conspired to become the only team to lose home and away to bottom club Coventry City that season.[90] They missed another opportunity to overtake Shrewsbury in 20th-place four days later after playing out a 0–0 draw at home to MK Dons in front of a crowd of just 3,877.[91]

Vale beat Wimbledon, 2–0, on 1 April to overtake Shrewsbury, Gillingham and Oldham and finish the day in 18th place.[92] However, they lost 3–0 at Rochdale three days later, losing Pugh to a red card and Knops to a serious knee injury.[93] Vale then suffered a 1–0 defeat at Chesterfield, which dropped them back into the relegation zone.[94] League leaders Sheffield United ran out comfortable 3–0 winners in front of a season high 8,999 crowd – 4,330 of which were United fans – at Vale Park on Good Friday.[95] Vale put in a decent performance away at Oxford United, but lost the game 2–0 after individual errors from Mehmet and then Smith handed easy chances to the home side.[96] Bolton Wanderers were Vale's final home opponents of the season in an eventful and disastrous game on 22 April, Cicilia was sent off in the first half for two bookable offences, and as Bolton took the lead after 66 minutes a pitch invasion from the away fans sparked a clash between both sets of fans as the players left the field whilst police restored order; the players returned to see out a 2–0 away win, and other results went against the Vale to leave them needing to win their final two games to stand any chance of survival.[97] A late Chris Eagles strike at Walsall gave the Vale a 1–0 victory to keep their survival fight going until the final day of the season.[98] In order to retain their League One status Vale had to beat Fleetwood on the final day and rely on either Gillingham failing to win at Northampton or Bury failing to pick up a point at Southend.[99] Third-place Fleetwood were difficult opponents however, as they needed a win to stand a chance of securing automatic promotion, and manager Uwe Rosler said they "have to settle the score" after losing at Vale Park in November.[100] Gillingham and Bury both dropped points, but Vale failed to take advantage a they saw out a 0–0 draw with Fleetwood.[101]

Brown decided to release 10 players at the end of the season: Sébastien Amoros, Remie Streete, JJ Hooper, Sam Johnson, Sam Kelly, Ryan Lloyd, Deniz Mehmet, Harry Pickering, Scott Tanser, and Jerome Thomas; he also arranged deals with Rigino Cicilia, Kiko, Chris Mbamba, Quentin Pereira, and Paulo Tavares so that those five players could leave their contracts early.[102][103] Sam Foley also left the club after rejecting the offer of a new contract.[104] Ben Purkiss was the next to leave after he elected to join Swindon Town.[105]

Finances & ownership issues[edit]

The club sold 3,344 season tickets, priced as low as £345 for adults, for the 2016–17 season; match day tickets were £23.[106] Smurthwaite stated that the playing budget was around £1.3 million.[107] A Norwegian hedge fund signed an exclusivity deal in view of purchasing the club on 16 June 2016.[108] Smurthwaite stated that the hedge fund ended their interest after meeting with Ribeiro.[108] Smurthwaite renewed his dispute with The Sentinel by banning the newspaper from attending the club's press conference where Ribeiro was unveiled as the club's new manager.[109] He went on to appoint Colin Garlick as the club's CEO, and in January stated that "I'm only really involved now when it comes to prising open the sweetie jar for the money".[110] In March, Smurthwaite used the OneValeFan fansite to ask supporters to vote whether he should sell the club to one of two hedge funds that he said had met his asking price for the club.[111] The Sentinel revealed one interested party was a Norwegian company who proposed a sale figure of £6.5 million based on a valuation of Vale Park at £10 million, the playing squad at £5 million and expected crowds of 20,000 in the Championship.[112] Smurthwaite said this information had been leaked by "some long standing fans" he had consulted for advice.[108] He went on to issue a statement apologizing for his decision to appoint Ribeiro and expressing regret at his attempts to communicate with fans over social media.[108] He said there would be no further dialogue over social media, though "sadly I do not think this will change the activities of the keyboard warriors but at least they will now know that I will not be reading or responding to it".[108]

Smurthwaite issued a statement on 2 May apologising for relegation, and stated that he would be stepping down as chairman and would no longer attend games as he looked to sell the club.[113] Three days later, Burslem-based IT company Synectics Solutions's husband and wife owners Carol and Kevin Shanahan went public to announce they had made a bid of £1.25 million for the club.[114] This bid was quickly matched by a local consortium fronted by property developer Kevin Jones, the owner and managing director of both ManorShop and ICL (International Computer Logistics) of Kidsgrove.[115] Smurthwaite rejected both offers, saying that "I do not anticipate any further dialogue with either party with regard to the sale."[116]

In April 2018, it was revealed that Port Vale had made a profit of £466,343 over the course of the 2016–17 season, due in part to £390,000 in player sales and £100,000 in exclusivity payments.[117]

Cup competitions[edit]

Vale faced a home tie with League Two side Stevenage in the First Round of the FA Cup, and managed to progress by edging a narrow game 1–0, but were booed off by sections of the home support.[118] Witnessed by a crowd of just 3,093 (only 173 of which were Stevenage fans), this was Vale's lowest attendance for a home FA Cup tie since 1906; this was despite ticket prices being almost halved to £12 on the day.[119] They then cruised to a 4–0 victory at home to League Two side Hartlepool United to make it into the Third Round.[120] Huddersfield Town, fourth in the Championship, proved far superior to the Vale in the Third Round, as they cruised to a 4–0 win at the John Smith's Stadium.[121]

Vale were drawn away to League Two club Carlisle United in the First Round of the newly re-branded EFL Cup, and lost the game 2–1 after conceding two goals in a poor first half.[122] In his post-match interview Ribeiro criticised his team's work rate, and said that "I am very disappointed with my players."[123]

In the EFL Trophy, Vale were drawn in Northern Group E with Derby County under-23s, Doncaster Rovers (League Two), Mansfield Town (League Two).[124] Only 1,198 spectators turned out to witness the opening victory over Derby County U23 – the second lowest ever attendance for a competitive fixture at Vale Park – as a Nathan Smith header secured a 1–0 win, though coach Andy Smith criticised the players for putting in a low-tempo performance.[125] They went on to lose 1–0 at home to Mansfield Town in front of an even lower crowd of 1,075 – 29 more than the lowest ever attendance at Vale Park.[126] Vale then failed to beat Doncaster, and were eliminated from the competition despite winning the penalty shoot-out that resulted from the 0–0 draw.[127]

Results[edit]

Pre-season[edit]

9 July 2016 (2016-07-09) Newcastle Town 0–4 Port Vale Newcastle-under-Lyme
Report Forrester 57', 63'
Hooper 59'
Lloyd 79'		 Stadium: Lyme Valley Stadium
Attendance: 1,426
Referee: Dan Meeson
16 July 2016 (2016-07-16) Kidsgrove Athletic 1–2 Port Vale Kidsgrove
15:00 Clayton 71' Report Brown 79', 83' Stadium: The Novus Stadium
Attendance: 1,157
19 July 2016 (2016-07-19) Port Vale 0–2 Nottingham Forest Burslem
19:45 http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/port-vale-0-wolves-0-valiants-show-promise-but-lack-cutting-edge-in-front-of-goal/story-29546141-detail/story.html[permanent dead link] Mills 40'
Assombalonga 56'		 Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 1,594
23 July 2016 (2016-07-23) Port Vale 0–0 Wolverhampton Wanderers Burslem
15:00 Report Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 1,981
27 July 2016 (2016-07-27) Port Vale 0–2 Birmingham City Burslem
19:45 http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/port-vale-0-birmingham-2-goal-wait-goes-on-in-ill-tempered-friendly-at-vale-park/story-29558801-detail/story.html[permanent dead link] Storer 74'
Caddis 84' (pen.)		 Stadium: Vale Park
Referee: Mark Heywood
30 July 2016 (2016-07-30) Port Vale 4–2 Manchester United XI Burslem
15:00 Goss 15' (og.)
Cicilia 45' (pen.), 61'
Foley 52'		 http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/port-vale-4-2-manchester-united-rigino-cicilia-double-helps-vale-to-victory/story-29568042-detail/story.html[permanent dead link] El-Fitouri 31'
Mitchell 84' (pen.)		 Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 2,444
31 July 2016 (2016-07-31) Sheffield Wednesday 3–0 Port Vale Sheffield
16:30 Lees 15'
Forestieri 51'
Abdi 57'		 http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/sheffield-wednesday-3-port-vale-0-report-vale-field-potential-new-signings/story-29570245-detail/story.html[permanent dead link] Stadium: Hillsborough Stadium
Attendance: 6,711

EFL League One[edit]

Main article: 2016–17 EFL League One

League table[edit]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
19 Bury 46 13 11 22 61 73 −12 50
20 Gillingham 46 12 14 20 59 79 −20 50
21 Port Vale (R) 46 12 13 21 45 70 −25 49 Relegation to EFL League Two
22 Swindon Town (R) 46 11 11 24 44 66 −22 44
23 Coventry City (R) 46 9 12 25 37 68 −31 39
Source: BBC Sport
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(R) Relegated

Results by matchday[edit]

Round12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546
GroundAHHAHAAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHHAAHAHAA
ResultDWWLWLDWLWLWLDDLWLDDLLLWDDLLDLDLDWLWLDWLLLLLWD
Position15746479565647671161112121517171715151819192021212221212121211820212121212121
Source: Statto[128]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches[edit]

6 August 2016 (2016-08-06) 1 Bradford City 0–0 Port Vale Bradford
15:00 BST Report Stadium: Valley Parade
Attendance: 18,558
Referee: Darren Deadman
13 August 2016 (2016-08-13) 2 Port Vale 2–0 Southend United Burslem
15:00 BST Forrester 40'
Streete 75'		 Report Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 4,727
Referee: Lee Probert
16 August 2016 (2016-08-16) 3 Port Vale 1–0 Rochdale Burslem
19:45 BST Smith 52' Report Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 3,941
Referee: Rob Jones
20 August 2016 (2016-08-20) 4 Swindon Town 1–0 Port Vale Swindon
15:00 BST Barry 47' Report Stadium: County Ground
Attendance: 6,182
Referee: Dean Whitestone
27 August 2016 (2016-08-27) 5 Port Vale 3–1 Scunthorpe United Burslem
15:00 BST Forrester 33'
Jones 49', 84'		 Report Morris 45+2' Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 4,557
Referee: Brendan Malone
3 September 2016 (2016-09-03) 6 Bury 4–1 Port Vale Bury
15:00 BST Vaughan 6', 30'
Mellis 22'
Hope 73'		 Report Smith 58' Stadium: Gigg Lane
Attendance: 4,042
Referee: Ross Joyce
10 September 2016 (2016-09-10) 7 Peterborough United 2–2 Port Vale Peterborough
15:00 BST Moncur 8', 84' Report Jones 6', 90+4' (pen.) Stadium: London Road Stadium
Attendance: 4,711
Referee: Graham Horwood
17 September 2016 (2016-09-17) 8 Port Vale 2–1 Gillingham Burslem
15:00 BST Streete 76'
Jones 84'		 Report Wright 25' Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 4,719
Referee: Carl Boyeson
24 September 2016 (2016-09-24) 9 Bristol Rovers 2–1 Port Vale Bristol
15:00 BST Harrison 43'
Easter 62' (pen.)		 Report Paterson 23' Stadium: Memorial Stadium
Attendance: 9,088
Referee: Trevor Kettle
27 September 2016 (2016-09-27) 10 Port Vale 3–1 Millwall Burslem
19:45 BST Jones 4'
Paterson 59'
Streete 71'		 Report Gregory 84' (pen.) Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 3,934
Referee: Jeremy Simpson
1 October 2016 (2016-10-01) 11 Port Vale 0–2 Coventry City Burslem
15:00 BST Report Sordell 36'
McCann 72'		 Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 5,605
Referee: John Busby
9 October 2016 (2016-10-09) 12 Milton Keynes Dons 0–1 Port Vale Milton Keynes
14:15 BST Report Jones 35' Stadium: Stadium mk
Attendance: 8,259
Referee: Seb Stockbridge
15 October 2016 (2016-10-15) 13 Sheffield United 4–0 Port Vale Sheffield
15:00 BST Ebanks-Landell 23', 45'
Duffy 62'
Scougall 83'		 Report Stadium: Bramall Lane
Attendance: 19,699
Referee: Mark Heywood
18 October 2016 (2016-10-18) 14 Port Vale 1–1 Charlton Athletic Burslem
19:45 BST Jones 85' (pen.) Report Ulvestad 30' Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 3,494
Referee: Graham Salisbury
22 October 2016 (2016-10-22) 15 Port Vale 2–2 Oxford United Burslem
15:00 BST Cicilia 54'
Taylor 59' (pen.)		 Report Dunkley 11'
Crowley 19'		 Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 4,837
Referee: Ben Toner
29 October 2016 (2016-10-29) 16 Bolton Wanderers 3–1 Port Vale Bolton
15:00 BST Clough 7'
Vela 11'
Wilson 16'		 Report Hart 73' Stadium: Macron Stadium
Attendance: 13,937
Referee: Nigel Miller
12 November 2016 (2016-11-12) 17 Port Vale 2–1 Fleetwood Town Burslem
15:00 BST Cicilia 75'
Jones 86'		 Report Long 52' Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 3,890
Referee: John Brooks
19 November 2016 (2016-11-19) 18 Charlton Athletic 2–0 Port Vale Charlton, London
15:00 BST Magennis 30'
Ajose 44'		 Report Stadium: The Valley
Attendance: 8,992
Referee: Richard Clark
22 November 2016 (2016-11-22) 19 Port Vale 2–2 Oldham Athletic Burslem
19:45 BST Streete 51'
Cicilia 78'		 Report Banks 48'
Winchester 90+4'		 Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 3,152
Referee: Darren England
26 November 2016 (2016-11-26) 20 Shrewsbury Town 0–0 Port Vale Shrewsbury
15:00 BST Report Stadium: New Meadow
Attendance: 5,429
Referee: Scott Duncan
10 December 2016 (2016-12-10) 21 Port Vale 2–3 Northampton Town Burslem
15:00 BST Taylor 52'
Cicilia 90+2'		 Report Zakuani 22'
Hoskins 78'
Anderson 90'		 Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 4,739
Referee: Graham Salisbury
17 December 2016 (2016-12-17) 22 AFC Wimbledon 4–0 Port Vale Kingston upon Thames
15:00 BST Poleon 53'
Elliott 58'
Barnett 85'
Robertson 89'		 Report Stadium: Kingsmeadow
Attendance: 4,291
Referee: Brendan Malone
26 December 2016 (2016-12-26) 23 Port Vale 0–1 Walsall Burslem
15:00 BST Report Laird 27' Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 5,854
Referee: Darren Deadman
30 December 2016 24 Port Vale 1–0 Chesterfield Burslem
19:45 GMT Thomas 61' Report Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 4,027
Referee: Michael Salisbury
2 January 2017 (2017-01-02) 25 Oldham Athletic 0–0 Port Vale Oldham
15:00 BST Report Stadium: Boundary Park
Attendance: 3,451
Referee: Richard Clark
20 January 2017 (2017-01-20) 26 Port Vale 2–2 Bury Burslem
19:45 BST Walker 20'
Taylor 45+4' (pen.)		 Report Vaughan 40' (55) Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 4,338
Referee: Oliver Langford
28 January 2017 (2017-01-28) 27 Scunthorpe United 3–2 Port Vale Scunthorpe
15:00 BST Morris 49' (pen.)
Toney 62'
Hopper 71'		 Report Walker 38'
Hooper 59'		 Stadium: Glanford Park
Attendance: 4,442
Referee: Darren England
4 February 2017 (2017-02-04) 28 Port Vale 0–3 Peterborough United Burslem
15:00 BST Report Maddison 20'
Morias 90', 90+5'		 Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 4,259
Referee: Charles Breakspear
11 February 2017 (2017-02-11) 29 Gillingham 1–1 Port Vale Gillingham, Kent
15:00 BST Maddison 20' Report Parker 49' Stadium: Priestfield Stadium
Attendance: 4,942
Referee: Nick Kinseley
14 February 2017 (2017-02-14) 30 Millwall 2–0 Port Vale South Bermondsey
19:45 BST O'Brien 26'
Cooper 52'		 Report Stadium: The Den
Attendance: 7,032
Referee: Darren Drysdale
18 February 2017 (2017-02-18) 31 Port Vale 1–1 Bristol Rovers Burslem
15:00 BST Harris 54' (og.) Report Bodin 78' Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 4,460
Referee: Dean Whitestone
25 February 2017 (2017-02-25) 32 Port Vale 1–2 Bradford City Burslem
15:00 BST Hooper 58' Report Vincelot 41'
Jones 74'		 Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 4,953
Referee: Mark Heywood
4 March 2017 (2017-03-04) 33 Southend United 1–1 Port Vale Southend
15:00 BST Wordsworth 83' Report Eagles 78' Stadium: Roots Hall
Attendance: 7,545
Referee: Nigel Miller
11 March 2017 (2017-03-11) 34 Port Vale 3–2 Swindon Town Burslem
15:00 BST Eagles 36'
Hooper 50', 87'		 Report Obika 35'
Norris 90'		 Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 4,510
Referee: Geoff Eltringham
14 March 2017 (2017-03-14) 35 Northampton Town 2–1 Port Vale Northampton
19:45 BST Phillips 63'
Taylor 88'		 Report Hooper 73' Stadium: Sixfields Stadium
Attendance: 4,812
Referee: Gavin Ward
17 March 2017 (2017-03-17) 36 Port Vale 2–1 Shrewsbury Town Burslem
19:45 BST Foley 65'
Taylor 68'		 Report Dodds 73' Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 4,626
Referee: Ross Joyce
21 March 2017 (2017-03-21) 37 Coventry City 2–1 Port Vale Coventry
19:45 Reid 37'
Thomas 41'		 Report Smith 74' Stadium: Ricoh Arena
Attendance: 7,695
Referee: David Webb
25 March 2017 (2017-03-25) 38 Port Vale 0–0 Milton Keynes Dons Burslem
15:00 BST Smith 21'
Eagles 69'		 Report Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 3,877
Referee: Kevin Johnson
1 April 2017 (2017-04-01) 39 Port Vale 2–0 AFC Wimbledon Burslem
15:00 BST Report Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 4,308
Referee: Darren Drysdale
4 April 2017 (2017-04-04) 40 Rochdale 3–0 Port Vale Rochdale
19:45 BST Lund 33'
McDermott 42'
Henderson 45+5' (pen.)		 Report Stadium: Spotland Stadium
Attendance: 4,387
Referee: Seb Stockbridge
8 April 2017 (2017-04-08) 41 Chesterfield 1–0 Port Vale Chesterfield
15:00 BST Rowley 54' Report Stadium: Proact Stadium
Attendance: 5,527
Referee: Richard Clark
14 April 2017 (2017-04-14) 42 Port Vale 0–3 Sheffield United Burslem
15:00 BST Report O'Shea 2'
Clarke 30'
Done 90+3'		 Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 8,999
Referee: Nick Kinseley
17 April 2017 (2017-04-17) 43 Oxford United 2–0 Port Vale Oxford
15:00 BST Ruffels 14'
Maguire 82'		 Report Stadium: Kassam Stadium
Attendance: 7,646
Referee: Trevor Kettle
22 April 2017 (2017-04-22) 44 Port Vale 0–2 Bolton Wanderers Burslem
15:00 BST Report Wheater 66'
Madine 90'		 Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 8,890
Referee: Carl Boyeson
25 April 2017 (2017-04-25) 45 Walsall 0–1 Port Vale Walsall
19:45 Report Eagles 85' Stadium: Bescot Stadium
Attendance: 4,266
Referee: John Busby
30 April 2017 (2017-04-30) 46 Fleetwood Town 0–0 Port Vale Fleetwood
12:00 BST Report Stadium: Highbury Stadium
Attendance: 4,733
Referee: Ross Joyce

FA Cup[edit]

5 November 2016 1 Port Vale 1–0 Stevenage Burslem
15:00 GMT Streete 38' Report Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 3,093
Referee: Mark Haywood
4 December 2016 2 Port Vale 4–0 Hartlepool United Burslem
15:00 GMT Cicilia 12'
Woods 14' (og.)
Jones 31'
Taylor 56' (pen.)		 Report Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 3,514
Referee: Darren Handley
7 January 2017 3 Huddersfield Town 4–0 Port Vale Huddersfield
15:00 GMT Payne 28', 84'
Palmer 73'
Bunn 80'		 Report Stadium: John Smith's Stadium
Attendance: 11,715
Referee: Geoff Eltringham

EFL Cup[edit]

9 August 2016 (2016-08-09) 1 Carlisle United 2–1 Port Vale Carlisle, Cumbria
19:45 BST Wyke 27'
Miller 41'		 Report Grant 51' Stadium: Brunton Park
Attendance: 3,363
Referee: Mark Haywood

EFL Trophy[edit]

Pos Div Team
 Pld W PW PL L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 L2 Doncaster Rovers 3 1 1 1 0 4 2 +2 6 Advance to Round 2
2 L2 Mansfield Town 3 2 0 0 1 4 4 0 6
3 L1 Port Vale 3 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 5
4 ACA Derby County U21 3 0 0 1 2 4 6 −2 1
Source: Sky Sports
30 August 2016 Group Stage Port Vale 1–0 Derby County U23 Burslem
19:45 BST Smith 80' Report Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 1,198
Referee: Mark Heywood
4 October 2016 Group Stage Port Vale 0–1 Mansfield Town Burslem
19:45 BST Report Green 66' Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 1,025
Referee: Michael Salisbury
8 November 2016 Group Stage Doncaster Rovers 0–0
(3–4 p)		 Port Vale Doncaster
19:45 BST Report Stadium: Keepmoat Stadium
Attendance: 1,495
Referee: Geoff Eltringham
Penalties
Houghton soccer ball with check mark
Evina soccer ball with red X
Longbottom soccer ball with red X
Mandeville soccer ball with check mark
Keegan soccer ball with check mark		 Streete soccer ball with check mark
Grant soccer ball with red X
Paulo Tavares soccer ball with check mark
Pereira soccer ball with check mark
Hart soccer ball with check mark

Squad statistics[edit]

Appearances and goals[edit]

Pos. # Name EFL League One FA Cup EFL Cup EFL Trophy Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK 1 Turkey Deniz Mehmet 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 0
DF 2 England Ben Purkiss 32 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 36 0
DF 3 England Adam Yates 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DF 4 England Remie Streete 37 5 3 1 0 0 2 0 42 6
DF 5 Netherlands Kjell Knops 29 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 32 0
DF 6 England Ryan Taylor 22 4 3 1 0 0 0 0 25 5
MF 7 England Sam Kelly 21 0 3 0 1 0 1 0 26 0
MF 8 Portugal Paulo Tavares 22 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 26 0
FW 9 Curaçao Rigino Cicilia 29 4 3 1 0 0 3 0 35 5
FW 10 England JJ Hooper 23 5 0 0 1 0 0 0 24 5
MF 11 Republic of Ireland Sam Foley 32 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 33 1
MF 12 England Danny Pugh 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 0
MF 13 France Axel Prohouly 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MF 14 England Jerome Thomas 23 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 26 1
FW 15 England Anton Forrester 21 2 1 0 1 0 1 0 24 2
MF 16 Sweden Chris Mbamba 6 0 1 0 1 0 3 0 11 0
MF 17 England Michael Brown 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
FW 18 England Dan Turner 16 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 18 0
DF 19 England Scott Tanser 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 0
DF 20 Portugal Kiko 21 0 2 0 0 0 3 0 26 0
MF 21 France Quentin Pereira 14 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 17 0
MF 22 England Ryan Lloyd 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
GK 23 England Ryan Boot 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
DF 24 England Nathan Smith 46 4 3 0 1 0 3 1 53 5
MF 25 England Callum Guy 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 0
FW 26 England Tyler Walker 6 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 2
MF 27 France Sébastien Amoros 10 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 13 0
MF 28 France Anthony de Freitas 24 0 3 0 1 0 1 0 29 0
MF 30 Switzerland Gëzim Shalaj 7 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 9 0
MF 31 Wales Billy Reeves 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 0
GK 32 England Harry Pickering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DF 33 England Luke Dennis 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DF 34 England James Gibbons 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
GK 38 Italy Leo Fasan 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 0
DF 39 Cameroon André Bikey 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
MF 44 England Chris Eagles 20 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 4
MF 46 Republic of Ireland Olamide Shodipo 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0
GK England Sam Johnson 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
GK England Joe Slinn 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Players that left the club mid-season:
GK 1 England Jak Alnwick 26 0 3 0 1 0 1 0 31 0
DF 6 Suriname Calvin Mac-Intosch 3 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 6 0
MF 12 England Nathan Ferguson 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
FW 13 Northern Ireland Martin Paterson 16 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 18 2
MF 19 England Omar Haughton 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
GK 25 Portugal Miguel Santos 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 3 0
FW 26 England Alex Jones 19 9 1 1 0 0 1 0 21 10
FW 39 Portugal Carlos Saleiro 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
MF 42 Jamaica Anthony Grant 20 0 2 0 1 1 1 0 24 1
DF 46 England Sam Hart 11 1 2 0 0 0 3 0 16 1

Top scorers[edit]

Place Position Nation Number Name EFL League One FA Cup EFL Cup EFL Trophy Total
1 FW  England 26 Alex Jones 9 1 0 0 10
2 DF  England 4 Remie Streete 5 1 0 0 6
3 FW  Curaçao 9 Rigino Cicilia 4 1 0 0 5
– FW  England 10 JJ Hooper 5 0 0 0 5
– DF  England 24 Nathan Smith 4 0 0 1 5
– DF  England 40 Ryan Taylor 4 1 0 0 5
7 MF  England 44 Chris Eagles 4 0 0 0 4
8 FW  England 15 Anton Forrester 2 0 0 0 2
– FW  Northern Ireland 13 Martin Paterson 2 0 0 0 2
– FW  England 26 Tyler Walker 2 0 0 0 2
11 MF  Ireland 11 Sam Foley 1 0 0 0 1
– MF  Jamaica 42 Anthony Grant 0 0 1 0 1
– DF  England 46 Sam Hart 1 0 0 0 1
– MF  England 14 Jerome Thomas 1 0 0 0 1
– Own goals 1 1 0 0 2
TOTALS 45 5 1 1 52

Disciplinary record[edit]

Number Nation Position Name EFL League One FA Cup EFL Cup EFL Trophy Total
Yellow card Red card Yellow card Red card Yellow card Red card Yellow card Red card Yellow card Red card
42  Jamaica MF Anthony Grant 8 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 10 1
9  Curaçao DF Rigino Cicilia 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 1
12  England MF Danny Pugh 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1
5  Netherlands DF Kjell Knops 9 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 10 0
4  England DF Remie Streete 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0
8  Portugal MF Paulo Tavares 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0
40  England DF Ryan Taylor 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0
46  England DF Sam Hart 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 0
26  England FW Alex Jones 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0
13  Northern Ireland FW Martin Paterson 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
24  England DF Nathan Smith 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 4 0
14  England MF Jerome Thomas 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
27  France MF Sébastien Amoros 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 0
39  Cameroon DF André Bikey 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
7  England MF Sam Kelly 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
20  Portugal DF Kiko 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 0
11  Ireland MF Sam Foley 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
1  England GK Jak Alnwick 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
44  England MF Chris Eagles 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
25  England MF Callum Guy 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
6  Suriname DF Calvin Mac-Intosch 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0
31  Wales MF Billy Reeves 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
17  England MF Michael Brown 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
28  France MF Anthony de Freitas 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
38  Italy GK Leo Fasan 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
10  England FW JJ Hooper 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
2  England DF Ben Purkiss 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
18  England FW Dan Turner 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
TOTALS 92 3 2 0 3 0 5 0 102 3

Sourced from Soccerway.[129]

Awards[edit]

End of Season Awards Winner[130]
Player of the Year Nathan Smith
Away Travel Player of the Year Nathan Smith
Supporters' Club's Trophy Nathan Smith
Players' Player of the Year Nathan Smith
Young Player of the Year Nathan Smith
Community Foundation Trust Player of the Year Adam Yates
Youth Player of the Year Mike Calveley
Goal of the Season Chris Eagles (vs Walsall, 25 April 2017)

Transfers[edit]

Transfers in[edit]

Date from Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref.
1 July 2016 CF Curaçao Rigino Cicilia Netherlands Roda JC Free transfer [6]
1 July 2016 CM France Anthony de Freitas France Monaco Free transfer [7]
1 July 2016 CB Netherlands Kjell Knops Netherlands MVV Maastricht Free transfer [5]
1 July 2016 CB Suriname Calvin Mac-Intosch Netherlands Cambuur £20,000 [7]
1 July 2016 CM France Quentin Pereira France RC Épernay Champagne Free transfer [7]
5 July 2016 LB Portugal Kiko Portugal Vitória Setúbal Free transfer [8]
5 July 2016 CF Portugal Carlos Saleiro Portugal Oriental Free transfer [8]
5 July 2016 CM Portugal Paulo Tavares Portugal Vitória Setúbal Free transfer [8]
9 July 2016 LW Sweden Chris Mbamba Norway HamKam Free transfer [9]
12 July 2016 CF England Anton Forrester Blackburn Rovers Free transfer [10]
12 July 2016 LW England Jerome Thomas Rotherham United Free transfer [10]
20 July 2016 CM France Sébastien Amoros France Monaco Free transfer [15]
26 July 2016 CM England Nathan Ferguson Burton Albion Free transfer [16]
26 August 2016 CF Northern Ireland Martin Paterson Blackpool Free transfer [31]
31 August 2016 GK Portugal Miguel Santos Portugal Benfica B Free transfer [33]
31 August 2016 CM Switzerland Gëzim Shalaj Cyprus Enosis Neon Paralimni Free transfer [33]
21 October 2016 RB England Ryan Taylor Hull City Free transfer [49]
11 January 2017 RW England Chris Eagles Accrington Stanley Free transfer [67]
27 January 2017 LB England Scott Tanser Rochdale Free transfer [70]
31 January 2017 CM England Danny Pugh Blackpool Free transfer [76]
1 March 2017 GK Turkey Deniz Mehmet Scotland Falkirk Free transfer [84]
17 March 2017 CB Cameroon André Bikey India FC Pune City Free transfer [88]
17 March 2017 RB England Ryan Taylor Port Vale Free transfer [88]

Transfers out[edit]

Date from Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref.
16 August 2016 CF Portugal Carlos Saleiro Mutual consent [24]
27 December 2016 CF Northern Ireland Martin Paterson United States Tampa Bay Rowdies Contract expired [131]
10 January 2017 GK Portugal Miguel Santos Netherlands Fortuna Sittard Mutual consent [132]
20 January 2017 CB Suriname Calvin Mac-Intosch Netherlands Almere City Mutual consent [133]
20 January 2017 LW England Omar Haughton Stafford Rangers Mutual consent [134]
27 January 2017 RB England Ryan Taylor Port Vale Contract expired [88]
30 January 2017 GK England Jak Alnwick Scotland Rangers £250,000 [135]
30 January 2017 CM England Nathan Ferguson Bromley Mutual consent [136]
31 January 2017 CM Jamaica Anthony Grant Peterborough United "six-figure fee" [75]
1 May 2017 CM France Sébastien Amoros France RC Grasse Released [137][138]
4 May 2017 CB England Remie Streete Released [139]
19 May 2017 CF Curaçao Rigino Cicilia Lithuania FK Sūduva Mutual consent [102]
19 May 2017 CF England JJ Hooper Grimsby Town Released [140]
19 May 2017 GK England Sam Johnson F.C. Halifax Town Released [141]
19 May 2017 LW England Sam Kelly Grimsby Town Released [102]
19 May 2017 LB Portugal Kiko Portugal Académico de Viseu Mutual consent [142]
19 May 2017 CM England Ryan Lloyd Macclesfield Town Released [143]
19 May 2017 GK Turkey Deniz Mehmet Scotland Dundee United Released [144]
19 May 2017 CM France Quentin Pereira Andorra UE Sant Julià Mutual consent [102]
19 May 2017 GK England Harry Pickering Forest Green Rovers Released [145]
19 May 2017 LB England Scott Tanser Scotland St Johnstone Released [146]
19 May 2017 LW England Jerome Thomas Released [102]
22 May 2017 CM Republic of Ireland Sam Foley Northampton Town Rejected contract [104]
23 May 2017 LW Sweden Chris Mbamba Sweden Oskarshamns AIK Mutual consent [147]
23 May 2017 CM Portugal Paulo Tavares Portugal Cova da Piedade Mutual consent [148]
28 June 2017 RB England Ben Purkiss Swindon Town Rejected contract [102]
30 June 2017 CB Cameroon André Bikey India Jamshedpur Rejected contract [149]
30 June 2017 RW England Chris Eagles Scotland Ross County Rejected contract [150]
30 June 2017 CM Switzerland Gëzim Shalaj Kosovo Trepça'89 Rejected contract
30 June 2017 RB England Ryan Taylor India ATK Rejected contract [151]

Loans in[edit]

Date from Position Nationality Name From Date until Ref.
12 August 2016 CF England Alex Jones Birmingham City 2 January 2017 [22]
25 August 2016 LB England Sam Hart Liverpool 11 January 2017 [30]
11 January 2017 CM England Callum Guy Derby County End of Season [67]
17 January 2017 CF England Tyler Walker Nottingham Forest End of Season [68]
30 January 2017 LW Republic of Ireland Olamide Shodipo Queens Park Rangers End of Season [72]
31 January 2017 MF France Axel Prohouly Queens Park Rangers End of Season [73]
31 January 2017 GK Italy Leo Fasan Scotland Celtic End of Season [76]

Loans out[edit]

Date from Position Nationality Name To Date until Ref.
1 July 2016 GK England Sam Johnson Gateshead 1 January 2017 [152]
1 July 2016 CM England Ryan Lloyd Chester 1 January 2017 [153]
22 August 2016 CF England JJ Hooper Northampton Town 10 January 2017 [28]
9 September 2016 GK England Ryan Boot Worcester City October 2016 [154]
9 September 2016 CF England Dan Turner Kidsgrove Athletic 8 October 2016 [155]
16 September 2016 CM Wales Billy Reeves Witton Albion 24 October 2016 [156]
17 September 2016 RB England James Gibbons Leek Town 17 October 2016 [157]
8 October 2016 CM England Nathan Ferguson Southport 3 December 2016 [158]
14 October 2016 GK England Harry Pickering Kidsgrove Athletic November 2016 [159]
11 November 2016 GK England Ryan Boot Macclesfield Town 12 January 2017 [160]
18 November 2016 CM Wales Billy Reeves Witton Albion December 2016
1 January 2017 GK England Sam Johnson F.C. Halifax Town End of Season [161]
6 January 2017 LW England Ryan Lloyd Chester End of Season [162]
16 January 2017 CF England Dan Turner Worcester City 9 February 2017 [163]
3 February 2017 CM Wales Billy Reeves Stafford Rangers 3 March 2017 [164]
9 March 2017 GK England Harry Pickering Newcastle Town End of Season [165]

References[edit]

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  2. ^ "Shefki Kuqi in line for manager's job at League One side". BBC Sport. 7 June 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
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