My best Port Vale XI: Jon’s team selection is simple – “just my favourite players”

This is the tenth in a new series where OVF is asking fans to name a team of their best-ever Port Vale players in a 4-4-2 formation. Here’s a best-ever eleven courtesy of Jon.

About me

I’m Jon, grew up in the Porthill/ Bradwell/ Wolstanton area and one day, at the age of nine, a friend of mine asked if I would like to go to a football match? I did, and it was Vale v Preston in the ’89 play offs. There was no looking back after that.

My overriding memories of that game was firstly, walking into the ground and taking it in. Even a knackered old Vale Park piqued my interest straight away. Secondly, the smell, something I’ll never experience again, a strange mix of tobacco, BO and urine (don’t think the toilets improved much over the decades either). Strangely alluring for such a disgusting mixture. Thirdly, standing/ sitting on the barriers in the Bycars and seeing Darren Beckford, who of course went on to get a hat-trick… he was superhuman to 9 year-old me. So, I couldn’t understand why they let some old bloke take a penalty, which that old bloke (Futcher) missed. Didn’t matter in the end though, victory on the night and my second game was Robbie Earle heading us to promotion. Couldn’t get much of a better introduction than that.

Since then I’ve been a regular, as much as I can, and travelled the country following the Vale, some great memories (Stoke, Brighton, Everton, Arsenal, Palace, Huddersfield, West Brom, Wolves etc) and some terrible ones (Stoke, Blackpool, Scunthorpe, Wycombe, Shrewsbury, Sunderland, I’ve been to Ipswich twice and we lost 5-1 both times).

I moved away from the area in 2009 and moved to the North West but I’ve made sure my kids all follow the Vale too (well, I’ve told them they can support whoever they want, but if it’s not Vale then I’m not taking them).

My choices

My team is going to consist of my favourite players in those positions of 442, so there’s no thought into how this team would actually work together, just my favourite players.

At the back: Goodlad was Mr Dependable, good at everything and always filled you with confidence when the going got tough. Matty Carragher, again, never let us down and looked like he genuinely cared and loved playing for the club. Tankard had a sweet left foot and wasn’t afraid to back up the attack as well as give his all in defending. Aspin and Glover together, the grit and the culture. One will beat you up, the other make you look foolish.

Midfield: Guppy and McCarthy go hand in hand don’t they? I can’t think of one without the other, marauding, attacking, skill creativity and goals. They were so exciting to watch and integral to some of my favourite games and memories. Ian Taylor is simply my favourite ever Vale player, he was only with us for a short time but his dynamic running and goals saw us twice at Wembley and a promotion. van der Laan had everything as well but a bit more bullish. Running and tackling as well as creating and scoring goals and in those years I had Taylor’s number 11 on my home shirt and van der Laan’s number 8 on my away.

Attack: Beckford, he was like nothing else I’d seen, strength, speed, power, skill and goals, lots and lots of goals. Naylor had the skill and the unexpected and never gave defenders a moment to relax. Score from anywhere and anyhow. Just what every football fan wants, excitement with an end product.

Subs: Musselwhite, either fantastic or terrible, nothing in between, but I have more fond memories of his better games. Earle, only sub as I have less clear memories of him but obviously one of our greatest. Bogie, I always thought he was under appreciated by some and thought he was actually on a higher level than most and sometimes that held him back. Great composure and vision and saw things other people didn’t. Jansson, the best left foot I have seen at Vale. Composure on the ball and on another level to what we had at the time and who could forget the performance at Huddersfield on the last day. Porter, the bulldog in the middle. He must have been an absolute nightmare to play against!

So that’s it and that’s me, from those days when football supporting just seemed more fun.

The line-up

My sub choices

Musselwhite, Earle, Bogie, Jansson, Porter

The overall best eleven