With thanks to Port Vale supporter Ken Grocott, we have three national press previews of Port Vale’s FA Cup tie against Tottenham Hotspur in 1988.
Notes: due to their size these images have been “stitched” together from several scans so there may be colour mismatches etc. If you can’t make out the text then you can click on each image for a larger version.
Image One: a chat with the Sprosons – click on the image for a larger version.
Image Two: A Daily Mail preview – click for a larger sized image.
Image Three: The Independent preview – click for a larger sized image.
Port Vale 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur, FA Cup fourth round, 1988
About that Spurs game…
It turned out to be one of the most memorable games in the history of Port Vale as John Rudge’s unfancied side upset the 1987 cup finalists thanks to goals from Ray Walker and Phil Sproson. It brought Port Vale to the nation’s attention and inspired a new string of admirers in Scandinavia where the game was broadcast on TV. The Valiants went on to hold top-flight Watford at home in the next round before losing in a replay.
OVF has a wide range of features on that game which are below:
