fee in June 1987. Manager Bruce Rioch played him as a ball-winning midfielder. "Boro" won promotion into the First Division in 1987–88; they had finished behind second place Aston Villa on goals scored, but managed to beat Chelsea 2–1 on aggregate in the play-off final. Glover played in both the 2–0 victory at Ayresome Park and the 1–0 defeat at Stamford Bridge. However the club struggled in 1988–89, and Glover was sold on before Middlesbrough were relegated back into the Second Division. He had been at Middlesbrough for just under eighteen months, and made a total of 61 appearances, scoring seven goals; during this time he played as a midfielder as Gary Pallister and Tony Mowbray were well established at centre-back. Port Vale Glover was signed by John Rudge in February 1989 for a then-club record £200,000 fee; Rudge intended him to be a replacement for injured defenders Phil Sproson and Bob Hazell. He became an instant hit with the Port Vale fans as he marked England international Steve Bull out of the game on his debut, a goalless draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers. He went on to play both legs of the play-off final victory over Bristol Rovers, as a Robbie Earle inspired Vale played their last game of Third Division football thanks to a 2–1 victory. Glover became a mainstay of Vale's defence throughout one of Vale's most successful periods, forming an excellent partnership with fellow centre half Neil Aspin. He was part of the Vale side that won the Football League Trophy in 1993; Vale beat Stockport County 2–1, and Glover played a major part in the buildup to Bernie Slaven's goal, the second of the match. He also helped the club to reach the play-off final that year by scoring against Stockport at the semi-final stage; Vale went on to lose 3–0 to West Bromwich Albion in the Wembley final. He was a big part of the promotion campaign of the 1993–94 season which saw Vale return to the First Division – he was an ever-present and was selected in the PFA's Second Division team of the year. He then had a spell battling injury as he ruptured his ankle ligaments in late 1994 and also suffered with back trouble which kept him out of action until April 1995; he faced further injury woes in January 1996, when his old ankle injury returned. He managed to recover