Port Vale: Ray Walker recalls the day he helped humble the mighty Spurs
VALE'S victory over Spurs showed off the silky midfield skills of Ray Walker to a national audience.
However, the club issued a hands-off warning to potential suitors immediately after the game as chairman Bill Bell warned it would take a substantial offer from a top-flight club before Vale would consider selling.
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SHOOTING STAR: Port Vale's Ray Walker rifles the ball home to give his side the lead against mighty Tottenham Hotspur.
Walker's £12,000 transfer from Aston Villa in 1986 had included a 50 per cent sell-on clause, which made Vale all the more reluctant to flog their star asset.
Walker stayed at Vale Park for 11 years and ranks the Spurs win along with Vale's 3-2 FA Cup victory at Derby in 1990 as his favourite games.
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The midfielder, who is now a football in the community officer for Crewe Alexandra, said: "People talk about the mud affecting Tottenham, but they forget we had to play in it too. But we adapted to the conditions better.
"As for my goal, David Riley and Gary Ford did well in the build-up and I managed to strike it sweetly out of the mud!.
"Despite the occasion, I don't think there were many nerves. Robbie Earle used to be sick before every match anyway, that was part of his routine.
"Once the game started it was hell for leather, but we had some leaders in that team such as Robbie, myself, Bob Hazell and Phil Sproson.
"We had good players such as Darren Hughes, who was a super left-back.
"On the day no-one went missing and everyone played to their potential, which was why we won the game.
"We'd also been given a lift by them changing their team and leaving Ossie Ardiles out.
"They played Gary Mabbutt and Terry Fenwick in midfield, both were good players, but workers.
"They had changed their team to suit the pitch, but it didn't suit their style.
"Pitches have improved so much now. We could play as well, as we would go on to show at places like Blackburn, West Ham and Newcastle.
"I think if we'd had a better pitch, we would have been a better side too.
"But that Spurs win was massive for us. We battered Watford at home in the next round and should have beaten them, but drew before losing away in the replay.
"Even so, that run gave us belief and showed us what we could do.
"The celebrations after the Spurs game took place in the players' bar at Vale Park, which was actually a kitchen.
"Mark Grew ran the bar, but other players would help him out changing barrels.
"It's fair to say the bar was a lot busier than usual after that game.
"We hadn't really thought in the weeks before the game about whether the manager was in danger of losing his job. Players can be naive and don't really think like that, they just get on with it until the day the manager comes in and tells you he's been sacked.
"But I do think Kevin Finney's goal against Macclesfield played a bit part in John Rudge's life ... and Port Vale's history.
"Had John been sacked, I don't think the club would have gone on to achieve what we did.
"We are very fortunate that Kevin Finney scored that goal for us."
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