He spent the next eight years at Vale Park, helping the club to win promotion out of the Third Division in 1993–94 and to reach the final of the Football League Trophy in 2001.
They then dropped to 15th in 1991–92, before suffering relegation with a 23rd-place finish in 1992–93; it would prove to be his last season at Springfield Park, and Tankard departed after being voted as the club's Player of the Year.
[6] He spent December to April of the 1993–94 season on the sidelines due to a hamstring injury, with Dean Stokes playing in his stead, but Tankard's performances whilst fit helped the club to promotion out of the Third Division.
[1] Following his recovery, he played 44 games of the 1996–97 season, one of the most successful of the club's history, as Vale posted an eighth-place finish, two places and four points below Crystal Palace, who went on to win promotion to the Premier League as winners of the play-offs.
In 1998–99, Tankard was the only outfield player to hit the 40-game mark for the Vale, and also netted goals against Watford, Crystal Palace, Norwich City, and Oxford United.
However, relegation came in the 1999–2000 season under new manager Brian Horton; Tankard played 37 games, scoring in a 3–2 win over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.
[8] Tankard was released in June 2001 after the club reneged on the offer of a new two-year contract upon bringing in Phil Hardy, Alex Gibson and Rae Ingram.