Full name Mark Snijders 1996–1997 AZ Position Defender Years Team Height 1.85 m | Playing position Role Footballer Name Mark Snijders | |
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Date of birth (1972-03-12) 12 March 1972 (age 43) | ||
Place of birth Alkmaar, Netherlands | ||
Mark Werner Snijders (born 12 March 1972) is a Dutch former footballer. He spent three years playing in the Football League with Port Vale.
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Playing career
Snijders left his home town club AZ for English First Division club Port Vale in the summer of 1997. He was one of a number of John Rudge's Dutch signings. He made his Vale debut in a 2–1 win over Stockport County at Vale Park on 9 September 1997. He scored his first goal for the club eighteen days later, in a 2–0 home win over Queens Park Rangers. In all he made 25 appearances that season, picking up his second goal in a 3–2 win over Manchester City at Maine Road. His classy play and skilful reading of the game impressed the Vale faithful.
In 1998–99 the club were battling against relegation, Snijders played five games in August, but fell out of the first team and only made a total of twelve appearances. He had suffered with injuries and a loss of form.
The 1999–2000 season saw Vale suffer relegation and the departure of Rudge. Snijders was a semi-regular under both Rudge and his replacement Brian Horton, playing 22 games that season. He was sent off at the Alexandra Stadium, in a 2–1 defeat to near rivals Crewe Alexandra on 7 March. He was released by the club at the end of the season and joined his old amateur side AFC '34, back in the Netherlands.