Playing Career
Porter joined Port Vale as a youngster. He made his Football League debut in December 1986, and played on loan in New Zealand with Hutt Valley United to gain first team experience. 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. His 432 appearances in all competitions means he has the sixth 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, before later becoming a coach at the club.
Read more about this topic: Andy Porter (footballer)
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