Port Vale 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur FA Cup fourth round, January 31th, 1988
Port Vale 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
“White Hart Slain” proclaimed the banner from the Bycars stand as John Rudge’s unfancied Port Vale side produced one of the great FA Cup giantkillings. Terry Venables’ 1987 FA Cup finalists came to Burslem as overwhelming favourites with TV pundit Jimy Greaves wisecracking that “the only trouble they’ll have is finding the place.” Greaves was wrong as Ray Walker and Phil Sproson scored memorable goals in a famous 2-1 upset which saw the Valiants through to the fifth round.
In this special feature from onevalefan.co.uk we have previews, video, images, press clippings, quotes, match reports and much more…
You can also use the menu above to navigate between other classic upsets.
Match details
Special features on this game
Match Weekly magazine’s coverage of Port Vale’s win over Spurs in 1988
Match Weekly was a popular football magazine in the 1980s – here’s how they covered Port Vale’s famous FA Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur in 1988.
How the national press covered Port Vale’s win over Spurs in 1988
A look at the national press backpages after Port Vale’s famous 1988 FA Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur in January 1988.
The national press previews Port Vale’s game against Tottenham Hotspur in 1988
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.
Fans’s memories of Port Vale 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur, 1988
Here’s how supporters remember the epic FA Cup victory over Spurs at Vale Park in January 1988…
Classic clippings: local media coverage of Port Vale 2-1 Spurs in 1988
Kindly provided to this website by Dave here are some clippings of the Sentinel’s coverage of Vale’s famous win over Spurs in 1988.
The Phil Sproson revelation in Shoot magazine
In this 1988 edition of Shoot magazine, Port Vale were featured due to their epic FA Cup run. This edition ran just before Vale’s fifth round clash with Watford and featured a fascinating revelation from Phil Sproson on how close he came to joining neighbours Stoke City.
BBC Radio Five Live’s special programme on Vale’s win over Spurs 1988
BBC Radio Five Live presented a dedicated programme on Port Vale’s famous 1988 win over Tottenham Hotspur – and here’s the full transcript.
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