Last-Place Team Stuns Premier League in Historic FA Cup Win

When you're 57 places below your opponent in the football pyramid and sitting at the bottom of your own league table, nobody expects you to win. Port Vale didn't get the memo.

The League One basement dwellers stunned Premier League side Sunderland 1-0 on Sunday at Vale Park, advancing to the FA Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 1954. Ben Waine, a New Zealand international and Newcastle fan, headed home the winning goal in the 28th minute to send the home crowd of 10,685 into delirium.

The matchup looked like a formality on paper. Sunderland fielded a squad featuring over $150 million in talent, while Vale entered the game 11 points adrift at the bottom of the third tier. But the FA Cup has never cared much about paper predictions.

Waine kept a corner alive and looped his header past Sunderland's goalkeeper, giving Vale their first victory over top-flight opposition since beating Everton 30 years ago. Just five days earlier, he'd scored the goal that knocked Bristol City out of the competition.

From the moment they took the lead, Vale's players threw their bodies on the line. Goalkeeper Joe Gauci made crucial saves, blocking headers and tipping shots over the bar as Sunderland pressed for an equalizer that never came.

Why This Inspires

Port Vale's season has been anything but easy. Their top scorer was sold to Luton Town in January, and 55 percent of their goals and assists walked out the door during the transfer window. Injuries ravaged their backline, leaving manager Jon Brady scrambling to field a competitive side.

Yet in their last 14 games under Brady, Vale has won six times. The turnaround stems from something money can't buy: belief. Brady worked to change the players' mindset and rebuild their connection with fans who had booed the team earlier in the season.

Owner Carol Shanahan captured it perfectly when she told Brady before the match that football is a game of snakes and ladders. Today, Vale climbed the biggest ladder of all.

Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris admitted his team "wasn't at the level" needed to compete with Vale's hunger and intensity. Sometimes heart beats talent, and Sunday was one of those magical days.

The FA Cup quarter-final draw takes place Monday, and Port Vale will be in it for the first time in seven decades.