Two minute guide to Port Vale versus Crewe Alex
Can Port Vale secure bragging rights over near neighbours Crewe? Here’s our brief guide…
A week of renewed hope at Vale Park
It’s been a week of celebration after encouraging news of a possible takeover plus the celebrations of a century of goals from Tom Pope. As a result of the takeover talks, protests have been suspended.
In other news, in-form winger David Worrall has been praised for his impact recently while fans have been urged to show restraint during this fixture.
Vale manager wants to earn bragging rights
“It’s all about the bragging rights, but they’ll be up for it just as much as we will. We have a little bit more riding on it, but hopefully we can continue doing what we have been doing and that’s playing good football. We want to play at a good tempo so that we give our supporters something to cheer about. If we start thinking that we’re safe then that’s when you can have problems, so we just want to finish the season off as strongly as we can…”
Port Vale manager John Askey
Valiants in the lead historically
Over the years, Vale have created a healthy lead with 36 wins to Crewe’s 20. The Valiants are unbeaten in their last three games against the Alex.
The last meeting was earlier this season when Leon Legge (right) capped a monumental game with the winner, prompting an always sporting David Artell to growl that “he got away with murder.”
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David Artell – not a favourite at Vale Park
38 year-old Crewe manager David Artell seems at times to be on a one-man mission to upset Vale fans. As a player he turned down a Vale contract to join Northampton while as Crewe boss he was labelled bitter after criticising Leon Legge earlier this campaign. Last season he was called a disgrace after calling Vale fans “uneducated” – a remark he was forced to clarify as meaning in the rules of the game. Nevertheless, as the club tries to encourage diversity let’s hope the Vale win the battle on the pitch and that fans concentrate on that rather than on abusing the Alex boss from the sidelines.
Will Pope haunt his former club?
Tom Pope has scored three times against Crewe since joining the Valiants and the striker will doubtless be keen to increase that tally against his former club. Pope started his League career at Crewe making 64 appearances and scoring 17 times over a four year spell. Unusually for a Vale-Crewe game in recent years, Pope will be the only player to have appeared for both clubs.
Crossing the lines…
Other players to appear for both clubs in recent years include:
- Midfielder Michael O’Connor (right)
- Winger Byron Moore
- Striker AJ Leitch-Smith
- Striker Uche Ikpeazu
- Goalkeeper Stuart Tomlinson
- Midfielder Anthony Grant