Andy Porter (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Andrew Michael "Andy" Porter (born 17 September 1968) is an English former footballer, turned coach
and manager
, who is now a youth team coach at Stockport County
. His playing career spanned from 1986 to 2006 and for the majority of his career he played for Port Vale
, where he served as co-caretaker manager
alongside Dean Glover
.
He managed Kidsgrove Athletic
in 2002–03, and has also spent short periods as caretaker manager
at Chester City
, Port Vale and York City
.
as a youngster and made his Football League
debut in December 1986. It marked the beginning of a long association with the Vale Park
club, as more than 350 Football League appearances were made before he departed for Wigan Athletic
in July 1998. His spell with Vale had been one of the most successful the club had enjoyed for many years, including appearances at Wembley Stadium, FA Cup
giant killing acts and twice winning promotion to the second tier of English football. He played in the 1996 Anglo-Italian Cup Final
, as Vale lost 5–2 to Genoa
. He enjoyed a testimonial match against Derby County
in 1996. As of 2009, he has the 6th most league appearances of any Vale player. His 432 appearances in all competitions means he has the 5th most appearances of any Vale player over all competitions.
Porter struggled to establish himself with Wigan and spent time on loan with Mansfield Town
in October 1999 before ending the season on loan with Chester City
, but he was unable to help them avoid relegation to the Conference. In October 2000 he joined Chester on a permanent basis and helped the club win the Nationwide Variety Club Trophy at the end of the season. In December 2001, Porter was named as part of the club's caretaker-managerial
team that helped defeat Hayes
3–1 to help Chester in their fight for Football Conference
survival.
Despite Porter scoring a winning penalty against Barnet
the following month, he was soon deemed surplus to requirements by manager Mark Wright and spent time on loan with Northwich Victoria
.
He joined Kidsgrove Athletic
on loan in September 2002.
player-manager at Kidsgrove alongside Terry Hillman after they sacked Dave Nolan on 14 November 2002 and was offered the job permanently on 31 December 2002. He resigned as manager on 28 March 2003, with Bernard Taylor being appointed as his successor. Following his spell at Kidsgrove manager, Porter returned to Port Vale as a youth coach. In December 2004, Porter made a playing comeback when he replaced Levi Reid
early in Vale's 3–1 win over Tranmere Rovers
. Over the next two seasons he made three more Football League and two FA Cup
appearances under manager Martin Foyle
, his former team-mate at Vale. A move to Nantwich Town
in March 2006 was blocked by Foyle as the club were short-staffed.
Following these brief cameos Porter settled down to his duties as youth coach and achieved a large amount of success with the youth team in 2007 and 2008. In the summer of 2007 the youth team entered the prestigious Irish youth tournament the Foyle Cup
, beating Bournemouth
1–0 in the under-18s final to claim the trophy. Porter also steered the team to a club record quarter final appearance in the FA Youth Cup
, beating Premier League academy sides Bolton Wanderers
(3–2 at the Reebok Stadium
) and Tottenham Hotspur
(1–0 at Vale Park) along the way, before losing to eventual finalists Chelsea
5–2.
Porter's charges then won the Midland Youth Cup for the first time in decades, beating Lincoln City
6–5 on a penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw at Sincil Bank
. He had also taken charge of the reserve side for the majority of the 2007–08
season, and managed to finish second in The Central League Midland Division in front of several higher-placed clubs and clubs with youth academy status.
Following Lee Sinnott
's departure as manager, Porter and Dean Glover
were appointed as caretaker manager
s on 23 September 2008. He was in the running for the role on a permanent basis, but it was eventually handed to Glover on 6 October. Porter departed as manager of the Port Vale youth team on 24 December. He later cited his reasons for doing so as being rejected for the managerial position earlier in the season and also not being offered the role of assistant manager, despite his success with the youth team, coupled with a need to advance his career.
He teamed up again with Martin Foyle after being appointed as York City
's assistant manager on 30 December. Glover was sacked as Vale manager in May 2009 and Porter applied for the vacant position once again. However chairman Bill Bratt
was determined to hire a manager of experience and so Porter was not considered for the role. He took over as caretaker manager on 24 September 2010 following Foyle's resignation and his first game in charge was a 3–1 victory at Tamworth
the following day. After two weeks in charge Porter also left the club.
On 12 February 2011, Porter turned out for Alsager Town
in their North West Counties Football League Premier Division 2–0 defeat to Glossop North End
. The 42 year old played for the full ninety minutes as a favour to the club, who put out a makeshift first eleven after a period of disarray. Later in the year he was appointed as a youth coach at Stockport County
.
with Wigan Athletic
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
and manager
Manager (association football)
In association football, a manager is responsible for running a football club or a national team. The manager of a professional club is responsible directly to the club president. The position of manager is almost exclusively used in British football...
, who is now a youth team coach at Stockport County
Stockport County F.C.
Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...
. His playing career spanned from 1986 to 2006 and for the majority of his career he played for Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
, where he served as co-caretaker manager
Caretaker manager
In association football, a caretaker manager is someone who takes temporary charge of the management of a football club, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caretaker may also be appointed if the regular manager is ill or unable to attend to his...
alongside Dean Glover
Dean Glover
Dean Victor Glover is an English former footballer and football manager. A cultured and stylish defender, he had the ball control skills of a midfielder. He played 457 league games in a seventeen year career in the Football League.He started his career at Aston Villa in 1980, before he moved on to...
.
He managed Kidsgrove Athletic
Kidsgrove Athletic F.C.
Kidsgrove Athletic F.C. is an English football club based in based in Kidsgrove, Staffordshire, England currently playing in the Northern Premier League Division One South...
in 2002–03, and has also spent short periods as caretaker manager
Caretaker manager
In association football, a caretaker manager is someone who takes temporary charge of the management of a football club, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caretaker may also be appointed if the regular manager is ill or unable to attend to his...
at Chester City
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
, Port Vale and York City
York City F.C.
York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions...
.
Playing career
Porter joined Port ValePort Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
as a youngster and made his Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
debut in December 1986. It marked the beginning of a long association with the Vale Park
Vale Park
Vale Park is a football stadium in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England. It is the home ground of Port Vale F.C., who have played at the ground since 1950....
club, as more than 350 Football League appearances were made before he departed for Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
in July 1998. His spell with Vale had been one of the most successful the club had enjoyed for many years, including appearances at Wembley Stadium, FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
giant killing acts and twice winning promotion to the second tier of English football. He played in the 1996 Anglo-Italian Cup Final
1995–96 Anglo-Italian Cup
The 1995–96 Anglo-Italian Cup was the last ever Anglo-Italian Cup competition. The European football competition was played between eight clubs from England and eight clubs from Italy. Italian side Genoa lifted the trophy after beating English side Port Vale 5-2.-Format:For the competition there...
, as Vale lost 5–2 to Genoa
Genoa C.F.C.
Genoa Cricket and Football Club, commonly referred to simply as Genoa , is a professional Italian football club based in the city of Genoa, Liguria...
. He enjoyed a testimonial match against Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
in 1996. As of 2009, he has the 6th most league appearances of any Vale player. His 432 appearances in all competitions means he has the 5th most appearances of any Vale player over all competitions.
Porter struggled to establish himself with Wigan and spent time on loan with Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
in October 1999 before ending the season on loan with Chester City
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
, but he was unable to help them avoid relegation to the Conference. In October 2000 he joined Chester on a permanent basis and helped the club win the Nationwide Variety Club Trophy at the end of the season. In December 2001, Porter was named as part of the club's caretaker-managerial
Caretaker manager
In association football, a caretaker manager is someone who takes temporary charge of the management of a football club, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caretaker may also be appointed if the regular manager is ill or unable to attend to his...
team that helped defeat Hayes
Hayes F.C.
Hayes F.C. was an English football club based in Hayes, in Greater London. The club started out as Botwell Mission in 1909 taking its present name in 1929. The team nickname, The Missioners was a salute to the history of the team. The club played in the Conference South for their last few seasons...
3–1 to help Chester in their fight for Football Conference
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
survival.
Despite Porter scoring a winning penalty against Barnet
Barnet F.C.
Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet....
the following month, he was soon deemed surplus to requirements by manager Mark Wright and spent time on loan with Northwich Victoria
Northwich Victoria F.C.
Northwich Victoria Football Club are an English football club who play at the Victoria Stadium in Wincham, Northwich, Cheshire in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, the seventh tier of the English football league system.Northwich are an old club, founded in 1874 and named in honour of...
.
He joined Kidsgrove Athletic
Kidsgrove Athletic F.C.
Kidsgrove Athletic F.C. is an English football club based in based in Kidsgrove, Staffordshire, England currently playing in the Northern Premier League Division One South...
on loan in September 2002.
Coaching and management career
He was appointed as caretakerCaretaker manager
In association football, a caretaker manager is someone who takes temporary charge of the management of a football club, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caretaker may also be appointed if the regular manager is ill or unable to attend to his...
player-manager at Kidsgrove alongside Terry Hillman after they sacked Dave Nolan on 14 November 2002 and was offered the job permanently on 31 December 2002. He resigned as manager on 28 March 2003, with Bernard Taylor being appointed as his successor. Following his spell at Kidsgrove manager, Porter returned to Port Vale as a youth coach. In December 2004, Porter made a playing comeback when he replaced Levi Reid
Levi Reid
Levi Stanley Junior Reid is an English football midfielder who plays for Northern Premier League Premier Division side Chasetown, on loan from Conference National club Telford United....
early in Vale's 3–1 win over Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
. Over the next two seasons he made three more Football League and two FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
appearances under manager Martin Foyle
Martin Foyle
Martin John Foyle is an English former footballer, turned football manager. In his 20 year playing career he played 533 League games, scoring 155 goals...
, his former team-mate at Vale. A move to Nantwich Town
Nantwich Town F.C.
Nantwich Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Nantwich, Cheshire, England. The club was founded in 1884 and is nicknamed The Dabbers. The club is currently a member of the Northern Premier League Premier Division, with home matches played at the Weaver Stadium.Nantwich...
in March 2006 was blocked by Foyle as the club were short-staffed.
Following these brief cameos Porter settled down to his duties as youth coach and achieved a large amount of success with the youth team in 2007 and 2008. In the summer of 2007 the youth team entered the prestigious Irish youth tournament the Foyle Cup
Foyle Cup
The Foyle Cup is a youth soccer tournament held every year in Derry City. Along with the Milk Cup, which takes place around the same time, The Foyle Cup is one of Ireland and indeed Europe's premier youth tournaments.-History:...
, beating Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899....
1–0 in the under-18s final to claim the trophy. Porter also steered the team to a club record quarter final appearance in the FA Youth Cup
FA Youth Cup
The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under–18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part...
, beating Premier League academy sides Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
(3–2 at the Reebok Stadium
Reebok Stadium
The Reebok Stadium is the home stadium of English Premier League football club Bolton Wanderers, and is located on the Middlebrook Retail Park in Horwich, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. It is commonly known as 'The Reebok'...
) and Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
(1–0 at Vale Park) along the way, before losing to eventual finalists Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
5–2.
Porter's charges then won the Midland Youth Cup for the first time in decades, beating Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
6–5 on a penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw at Sincil Bank
Sincil Bank
Sincil Bank is a football stadium in Lincoln, England and has been the home of Lincoln City since 1895. Previously, Lincoln City had played at the nearby John O'Gaunts ground since the club's 1884 inception. Sincil Bank has an overall capacity of 10,120 and is colloquially known to fans as "The...
. He had also taken charge of the reserve side for the majority of the 2007–08
2007–08 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2007–08 season was Port Vale's ninety-sixth season of football in the Football League, and fourth successive season in League One. Vale finished second-from-bottom, and were relegated, some twelve points from safety. Manager Martin Foyle left the club in September, and Lee Sinnott failed to...
season, and managed to finish second in The Central League Midland Division in front of several higher-placed clubs and clubs with youth academy status.
Following Lee Sinnott
Lee Sinnott
Lee Sinnott is an English former professional footballer turned football manager, who is in charge at Conference North side Altrincham....
's departure as manager, Porter and Dean Glover
Dean Glover
Dean Victor Glover is an English former footballer and football manager. A cultured and stylish defender, he had the ball control skills of a midfielder. He played 457 league games in a seventeen year career in the Football League.He started his career at Aston Villa in 1980, before he moved on to...
were appointed as caretaker manager
Caretaker manager
In association football, a caretaker manager is someone who takes temporary charge of the management of a football club, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caretaker may also be appointed if the regular manager is ill or unable to attend to his...
s on 23 September 2008. He was in the running for the role on a permanent basis, but it was eventually handed to Glover on 6 October. Porter departed as manager of the Port Vale youth team on 24 December. He later cited his reasons for doing so as being rejected for the managerial position earlier in the season and also not being offered the role of assistant manager, despite his success with the youth team, coupled with a need to advance his career.
He teamed up again with Martin Foyle after being appointed as York City
York City F.C.
York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions...
's assistant manager on 30 December. Glover was sacked as Vale manager in May 2009 and Porter applied for the vacant position once again. However chairman Bill Bratt
Bill Bratt
William Amos "Bill" Bratt MBE is the former chairman of Port Vale Football Club, who served the club in this post from 2003 to 2011....
was determined to hire a manager of experience and so Porter was not considered for the role. He took over as caretaker manager on 24 September 2010 following Foyle's resignation and his first game in charge was a 3–1 victory at Tamworth
Tamworth F.C.
Tamworth Football Club are an English semi-professional football club based in the town of Tamworth, Staffordshire. Nicknamed 'The Lambs', they are currently members of the Conference National, the fifth highest tier in the English league system....
the following day. After two weeks in charge Porter also left the club.
On 12 February 2011, Porter turned out for Alsager Town
Alsager Town F.C.
Alsager Town F.C. is an English association football club, based in Alsager, Cheshire. They currently play in the North West Counties Football League Premier Division and are members of the Cheshire County Football Association. The club have gone through a number of name changes since they were...
in their North West Counties Football League Premier Division 2–0 defeat to Glossop North End
Glossop North End A.F.C.
Glossop North End A.F.C. are an English football club based in Glossop, Derbyshire. Former members of the Football League, they are currently in the North West Counties League and are members of the Derbyshire County Football Association. They play their home matches at Surrey Street, which has a...
. The 42 year old played for the full ninety minutes as a favour to the club, who put out a makeshift first eleven after a period of disarray. Later in the year he was appointed as a youth coach at Stockport County
Stockport County F.C.
Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...
.
Managerial statistics
| Team | Nation | From | Chester City Chester City F.C. Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the... (caretaker) | 27 December 2001 | 8 January 2002 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33.3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kidsgrove Athletic Kidsgrove Athletic F.C. Kidsgrove Athletic F.C. is an English football club based in based in Kidsgrove, Staffordshire, England currently playing in the Northern Premier League Division One South... |
14 November 2002 | 28 March 2003 | |||||||||
| Port Vale Port Vale F.C. Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as... (caretaker) |
23 September 2008 | 6 October 2008 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | ||||
| York City York City F.C. York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions... (caretaker) |
24 September 2010 | 6 October 2010 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 25.0 |
As a player
with Port Vale- Football League Third DivisionFootball League Third DivisionThe Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
Play-offFootball League One play-offsThe Football League One Playoffs are a series of playoff matches, contested by the teams finishing from 3rd to 6th in the NPower Football League One table to determine the third spot for promotion to the second tier of English football, the Championship....
winner: 19891989 Football League Third Division play-off FinalThe 1989 Football League Third Division play-off final was a two-legged football match played at on 31 May and 3 June 1989, to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the Third Division to the Second Division of The Football League in the 1988–89 season. Port Vale faced Bristol... - Football League TrophyFootball League TrophyThe Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
winner: 19931993 Football League Trophy FinalThe 1993 Football League Trophy Final was the 10th final of the domestic football cup competition for teams from Football League Second and Third Division, the Football League Trophy. The final was played at the Wembley Stadium in London on 22 May 1993. The match was contested by Port Vale and... - Anglo-Italian CupAnglo-Italian CupThe Anglo-Italian Cup is a defunct European football competition that was played intermittently between 1970 and 1996 between clubs from England and Italy. Founded by Gigi Peronace in 1970, following the success of the Anglo-Italian League Cup, it was played as a professional tournament until 1973...
runner-up: 19961995–96 Anglo-Italian CupThe 1995–96 Anglo-Italian Cup was the last ever Anglo-Italian Cup competition. The European football competition was played between eight clubs from England and eight clubs from Italy. Italian side Genoa lifted the trophy after beating English side Port Vale 5-2.-Format:For the competition there...
with Wigan Athletic
- Football League TrophyFootball League TrophyThe Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
winner: 19991999 Football League Trophy FinalThe 1999 Football League Trophy Final was the 16th final of the domestic football cup competition for teams from the Second and Third Division of the Football League. The match was played at Wembley on 18 April 1999, and was contested by Millwall and Wigan Athletic...