2018–19 Port Vale F.C. season
Date from Position Name From Fee
1 July 2018 GK Scott Brown Wycombe Wanderers Free transfer
1 July 2018 LW Brendon Daniels Alfreton Town Free transfer
1 July 2018 DM Luke Joyce Carlisle United Free transfer
1 July 2018 CB Leon Legge Cambridge United Free transfer
1 July 2018 CF Ricky Miller Peterborough United Undisclosed
1 July 2018 CM Manny Oyeleke Aldershot Town Free transfer
1 July 2018 CB Connell Rawlinson The New Saints Free transfer
1 July 2018 CB Theo Vassell Gateshead Free transfer
25 July 2018 CM Tom Conlon Stevenage Free transfer
30 August 2018 CM Ben Whitfield Bournemouth Free transfer
18 January 2019 CF Danny Elliott San Cristoba Free transfer
31 January 2019 AM Daniel Trickett-Smith Leek Town Undisclosed
Transfers -- Transfers in
The 2018-19 season was Port Vale's 107th season of football in the English Football League, and second consecutive season in EFL League Two. The season covers the period from 1 July 2018 through to 30 June 2019. Neil Aspin marked his first summer transfer window as the club's manager with ten new permanent signings and five loan players in order to build his own squad, all of which were free signings except for striker Ricky Miller. The season started with five defeats in the opening seven games, before a 1-1 draw at Forest Green Rovers on 8 September marked a turnaround in results and performances. The team suffered 4-0 and 6-2 defeats at home to Lincoln City in the first round of the EFL Cup and in the league, though managed to win 1-0 at local rivals Crewe Alexandra to maintain a lower mid-table position from the end of August to the end of October. In the EFL Trophy, the two home group games set record low attendances at Vale Park and Nelson Agho became the youngest player in the club's history at age of 15 years and 262 days. They won all three group games to advance to the knockout stages, where they were drawn against Stoke City U21 - the Academy team of Potteries derby rivals Stoke City; Vale won the match 4-0 in front of a season high crowd of 7,940, but hooligans amongst the Stoke supporters caused around £100,000 of damage to Vale Park and surrounding areas of Burslem. Vale suffered a miserable December following their win over Stoke, drawing three and losing two of their five league games against teams around them in the bottom half of the table. They did manage to pick up a 1-1 draw at league leaders Lincoln City on New Year's Day, though after the game Aspin considered leaving the club after feeling that supporters had shown him a lack of respect. He chose to stay and oversaw a run to the EFL Trophy quarter-finals, where Vale ended up being knocked out by Bristol Rovers. However he resigned on 30 January following a run of one win in ten league games. He was succeeded by John Askey, who managed to turn the team's form around after losing his first four games in charge.