Fixture history: Port Vale v Macclesfield Town
It’s Macclesfield Town next up for the Valiants so we take a look at previous meetings between the two sides.
Last time we met
It was a pretty dour affair earlier in the season as it ended as a goalless draw back in December. Vale were indebted to goalkeeper Scott Brown (right) who pulled off some smart saves in the first period to help the Valiants to an away point.
Then Port Vale manager Neil Aspin admitted afterwards his team had been second-best telling the media: “I thought today they started the game really well. They were on the front foot, they were certainly the better team in the first half and our goalkeeper has kept us in the game with that save.”
Recent record
There was a seven year gap between that last game and the next competitive fixture.
It finished even in the 2011-2012 season with Vale winning 1-0 at home thanks to a strike by Adam Yates (pictured during that game at the top of this article) while Macclesfield won the return game 2-1 (with Marc Richards on target for the Valiants).
Home record
Vale have hosted Macclesfield on six occasions and have lost just once (a 3-1 FA Cup defeat in 2008). Their recent record is good with Vale unbeaten in their last three home games. The scorer of the first Port Vale goal against Macclesfield at Vale Park was midfielder Kevin Finney (right) in a hugely important FA Cup win. Vale would go on to beat Tottenham Hotspur in the next round.
Overall record
There have been twelve meetings between the two sides with Vale securing six wins to Macclesfield’s four.
Memorable victory
The very first competitive meeting between the two sides was in the FA Cup in 1984. The Valiants triumphed 2-1 thanks to goals from Ally Brown and Robbie Earle (right) but the game was memorable for a scary moment when the Moss Rose perimeter boards collapsed and Vale striker Eamon O’Keefe rushed into the crowd to rescue two children.