Wed Apr 22, 2026 9:29 pm
Tonight's result confirms Port Vale's relegation to League Two.
Wed Apr 22, 2026 11:14 pm
As magnificent an achievement as beating Sunderland to seal a first FA Cup quarter-final appearance since the 1950s was, Port Vale's main aim was to stay up and this League One campaign never threatened to match the cup highs.
After last season's promotion, the Vale board were realistic but confident the squad, under Darren Moore, would be competitive enough to avoid an immediate return to League Two.
A summer rebuild saw 14 new signings but Moore struggled to get consistency out of Vale in the tougher world of the third tier - typified by their first six defeats coming by a single-goal margin - and it was seven games before they picked up a first win.
Three more in a row followed - as well as a spirited defeat by Arsenal in the Carabao Cup - hinting a corner being turned, but familiar frailties returned and a 3-0 loss to Stockport in October sent them into the relegation zone.
Patience with Moore ran out at the end of December with Vale seven points adrift at the bottom of the table.
Former Northampton boss Jon Brady was Moore's replacement but, like his predecessor, he found early cup success never rubbed off on league form.
The gap to safety grew as only three wins came from Brady's first 15 league games.
With the FA Cup run - which ended in a sobering thrashing at Chelsea - leading to a fixture pile-up, Vale were 14 points adrift by the time they resumed their league programme.
A spirited win over fellow strugglers Rotherham kept hopes alive and a draw with Barnsley lifted Vale off the bottom for the first time since November.
Despite another excellent result at Peterborough, failure to beat Wigan at home three days later their survival flame flickering.
It meant anything other than victory in Cardiff would officially extinguish it and, in the end, a near-impossible task proved beyond them.
Thu Apr 23, 2026 9:04 am
They did not seem to bust a gut to win or did not seem to upset to be relegated. Would not be happy if that was our club.
Thu Apr 23, 2026 10:04 am
Cyncoedblue wrote:They did not seem to bust a gut to win or did not seem to upset to be relegated. Would not be happy if that was our club.
Thought they worked hard but just aren't very good.
Could have got a result though because one of their players missed a chance late on which looked unmissable.