in august 1994, he was signed by kevin keegan's newcastle united for a fee of £150,000. he made one first team appearance as a substitute in the league cup in newcastle's 2–0 defeat of manchester united. he subsequently moved on to port vale in november 1994 for £225,000. vale was a step down, but another top manager - in the form of john rudge, helped him focus on being a first team performer again. he played in the 1996 anglo-italian cup final, as vale lost 5–2 to genoa. in nearly three seasons at the then first division club he became a firm fan favourite and is now classed a club legend after his memorable performances on the left wing.