Two minute guide to: Coventry (A)
Can Port Vale bounce back from Tuesday’s home loss with a win on their first visit to the Ricoh Arena?
Port Vale
Manager: Rob Page
Last match: 0-1 v Oldham
Form guide: L-W-W-W-L
Coventry
Manager: Tony Mowbray
Last match: 0-1 vs Barnsley
Form guide: L-W-D-D-L
Team news
Louis Dodds: could be back in the starting eleven
Rob Page is expected to make changes after naming the same starting eleven for four games in a row. Probably the favourite to come in is Louis Dodds, a regular starter under Page until he got injured. Dodds is likely to partner Tom Pope upfront. Chris Lines could also come into contention in midfield and Ryan McGiven may be pushing Chris Robertson for a role in central defence.
Coventry defenders Reda Johnson and Jordan Willis plus midfielder James Maddison are injured and new boss Tony Mowbray could make further changes in an attempt to curb the side’s poor run.
Possible Vale starting XI:
Neal
Veseli – Inniss – McGivern – Dickinson
Marshall – Brown – O’Connor – Moore
Dodds
Pope
Pre-match quote
“We’ve had three fantastic results, three clean sheets and one little blip against Oldham on Tuesday night. We didn’t turn up. In the first half especially, too many were off their game. It was a little reality check maybe. There’s a few things that need tweaking, but if we can recreate the sort of performances we put in at Notts County and Walsall, we stand a good chance of winning…”
– Rob Page
Last time we met
Ben Williamson: scored Vale’s last goal against Coventry
Vale slumped to a 2-0 home loss back in December. The last time Vale were away at Coventry it was in Northampton (at the Sixfields stadium) last season where the two sides were involved in a dramatic 2-2 draw. A first minute opener by Doug Loft and another by Ben Williamson seemed to be enough for an away win but two late goals from the home side helped them earn a share of the points.
Overall record
- Vale wins: 10
- Coventry wins: 8
- Draws: 9
Trivia
Vale’s biggest away victory is… not very much. The Vale have won 1-0 on a couple of occasions but a 3-1 win back in 1924 remains the Valiants’ most comprehensive away win. The Vale scorers were Arthur Bridgett (with a brace) and all-time record goalscorer Wilf Kirkham (right). Kirkham was playing in his first season for the club. He would go on to net 153 goals including 13 hat-tricks for the club. A crowd of 8,000 watched the game.
Vale’s last away win over Coventry occurred towards the end of the 1962-63 season when prolific striker Tony Richards earned Vale a 1-0 win in front of 18,307.
They played for both…
Mark Marshall: set to face former club
Well, this section has quite a few entries from the Vale perspective…
Manager Rob Page made 70 appearances for the Sky Blues from 2005 to 2008.
Midfielder Chris Birchall was purchased by Coventry from Port Vale for £325,000 in 2006.
Defender Richard Duffy had four loan spells with the Sky Blues.
Recent signing Alex Nimely was under contract with Coventry last season.
Last and by no means least, winger Mark Marshall spent last season with the Sky Blues.