[1] The club enjoyed kind draws and a good run in the FA Cup, reaching the fourth round, where they were knocked out by Brighton & Hove Albion.

The club also hit the headlines in April after Daniel Jones was sacked for attacking captain Doug Loft during a training ground session.

[7] Mathias Kouo-Doumbé, Paul Reid and Ben Parker joined the club on trial, as Vale desperately needed more defensive cover.

[8][9] However, the sixth signing of the summer was revealed as former Stoke City left-back Carl Dickinson, who secured his release form Watford in order to join the Vale.

[10] Chairman Norman Smurthwaite then told fans that there were to be no new signings as the club's wage bill was now up to 60 per cent of turnover – the maximum allowed under the Football League's new Financial Fair Play rule.

[14] He made changes to his team and tactics – reverting to 4–4–2 – for the visit of newly promoted Bradford City, and Vale secured a deserved 2–1 victory.

They ended the month with another defeat, as Wolverhampton Wanderers left Burslem with a 3–1 win, the one positive being Tom Pope getting off the mark with a last-minute consolation.

[23] Immediately following the game Rob Page was put in temporary charge of first-team affairs at Vale Park after Adams decided to take time off work to have hip replacement surgery.

[25] Adams returned on crutches for the home encounter with high-flying Peterborough United and tried a new diamond formation in midfield; the tactic brought a good performance out of the side, but a late strike for "Posh" left Vale with a 1–0 defeat.

[26] The next game was against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane, and Adams was again disappointed at his boyhood club as Vale were beaten 2–1, with Daniel Jones sent off for two yellow cards after just 20 minutes.

[28] He had no complaints though when Vale came back from Crawley Town with a 3–0 victory; Jordan Hugill, fresh from a loan spell with Gateshead, made an impressive debut up front with Ben Williamson.

[31] Having failed to hold down a first-team place, especially with the tactical move away from wingers, Kaid Mohamed joined former club AFC Wimbledon on loan.

[32] They returned to form though in Burslem, recording a 3–1 victory over nearby Shrewsbury Town, and Adams said that the club had "unearthed a gem" after Hugill added Vale's third goal.

[35] On 29 November, goalkeeper Chris Neal injured his wrist and 21-year-old back-up 'keeper Sam Johnson was handed his league debut the following day away at Walsall.

Lee Hughes was allowed to join Forest Green Rovers on a free transfer after the 37-year-old stated that he wanted to play as much first-team football as possible before his retirement.

"[43] He made his debut against Brentford four days later alongside Joe Davis, who was also making his first appearance of the season following a loan spell with Luton Town, and the young pair impressed despite Vale losing 2–0 to the league leaders.

[45] However, Cuvelier was ruled out for the rest of the season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) just 36 minutes into his debut – a 1–0 home win over Oldham, the only goal of the game being scored by Grimmer.

[48] Vale opened February by losing 3–2 to Gillingham, with 16 stone (220 lb; 100 kg) forward Adebayo Akinfenwa proving to be a thorn in the club's side again as he grabbed two of the goals.

[52] Vale then had the chance to close the gap on the play-offs with a mid-week tie at home to Colchester, and a brace from Doug Loft took them 2–0 up shortly after half-time, a lead which young centre-backs Davis and Grimmer managed to defend without too many worrying moments.

[74] Three players were released in the summer: Anthony Griffith, Liam Chilvers and Rob Taylor, whilst Chris Shuker announced his retirement due to a chronic knee injury.

[79] Meanwhile, Gavin Tomlin was sold to Crawley Town for a small fee, after deciding to relocate back to London after failing to settle in the Midlands.

The club's abysmal record in the competition continued with a bitter 2–1 defeat – James Baxendale's winning goal coming seconds after Vale had a strong penalty appeal waved away.