Two minute guide to: Huddersfield Town v Port Vale
It’s Michael Brown’s third game in charge and his first cup game – here’s our brief guide to the action…
In the picture:
The story behind our choice of image we’ve chosen to lead the article with…
We’ve taken a step back to 1998 and a memorable last game of the season. Midfielder Jan Jansson was the hero as Vale thrashed Town to secure their second tier status while relegating neighbours Stoke City. Here’s a match report…
The two sides
Port Vale
- Manager: Michael Brown (caretaker)
- Last match: 0-0 vs Oldham
- Top scorer: Alex Jones (9)
Huddersfield Town
- Manager: David Wagner
- Last match: 1-0 vs Wigan
- Top scorer: Kachunga (8)
Match details
Venue:
John Smith’s Stadium
Date:
7th January 2017
Tickets:
Online Port Vale ticketing website
Pre-match thoughts
Here’s defender Kjell Knops…
Vale team news
Following the exit of loanee Alex Jones, Vale are desperately short of numbers upfront. It’s likely that makeshift duo Jerome Thomas (right) and Rigino Cicilia will continue as forwards but with even rookie reserve Dan Turner is cup-tied, there is no recognised forward cover for the pair.
Last time we met…
The clubs last met competitively in the League Cup in 2014 when Town comfortably beat Vale 4-2. The last FA Cup meeting was back in 2009 when Nathan Clarke’s goal gave Huddersfield a 1-0 win at Vale Park. However, the game we’ve chosen for our video clip is a memorable FA Cup tie from November 2008 when Vale recorded a remarkable 4-3 victory.
Overall record
Port Vale wins: 18
Port Vale losses: 18
Draws: 11
Could an upset be on the cards?
Long-standing Vale fans will be well aware of the club’s capacity to deal up a giantkilling. Over the years Vale have memorably disposed of Stanley Matthews’ Blackpool side, Terry Venables’ Spurs side and cup holders Everton. Those exploits have meant that our friends at FA Cup Giantkillers have placed the Valiants 47th in an online list of FA Cup giantkillers. The score is calculated by taking the final league position of each team that made the Third Round, finding the differences in positions and thus discovering which teams caused the biggest upsets.
Find our where every club is ranked at – www.facupgiantkillers.com
Club connections
In other circumstances, Martin Paterson (right) would have been facing his former club. However, the striker’s disappointing spell at Vale came to an end in the festive period. Paterson made 29 appearances and scored six goals for Huddersfield. His spell at Vale Park yielded two goals in eighteen appearances.
Other players to appear for both clubs include:
- Defender Sam Collins
- Midfielder Malvin Kamara
- Midfielder Terry Armstrong
- Striker Bob Mountford
- Defender Mark Smith
- Winger Lee Ashcroft
- Striker Ronnie Jepson
Did you know…
- Port Vale forward Simon Eldershaw (right) scored his only Vale senior goal in a game against Huddersfield in 2004.
- The two sides have met four times in the FA Cup with both sides managing two wins.
- Port Vale first faced Huddersfield back in the 1919-20 season.
- The fixture has often been one for goals. In the twenty meetings since 1997 there has been scores of 4-1, 4-0, 5-1, 4-3 and 4-2. And one 0-0 draw.