Our two minute guide to Colchester United versus Port Vale
Our guide to the first game of the new season.
Match Facts
Date: Saturday 3rd August 2019
Venue: Colchester Community Stadium
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OVF News Desk
Team news: The Valiants are set to be missing three players with Ryan Lloyd (right), Cristian Montano and Rhys Browne all injured. However, there’s likely to be a host of Vale debutants with David Amoo and Mark Cullen likely to start while the likes of Kieran Kennedy, Jonny Maddison and Richie Bennett should be in the squad.
Other news: Port Vale manager John Askey has indicated he wants to move Dan Trickett-Smith out on loan to gain experience while Vale could also move for Bradford Park Avenue midfielder Alex Hurst.
Fixture History
Last meeting: The two teams last met in January when it ended in a poor 3-0 home defeat for the Valiants. There was an attendance of 3,636 and the Colchester goals were scored by Senior and Pell (2).
Classic match: Vale turned in one of their most impressive away wins in years when they ran out 4-1 winners at Colchester in February 2004. The Vale goalscorers were Steve Brooker, Micky Cummins and Marc Bridge-Wilkinson while a Wayne Brown own-goal only rubbed in for the U’s.
Overall record: The Valiants have won twenty games compared to Colchester’s twenty five while there have been fourteen draws.
Caught on video: Our last game against Colchester…
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Players
Connections: Colchester club captain Luke Prosser (right) is a former Port Vale youth team graduate. The central defender made 36 appearances for the Valiants, scoring once.
Opposition player to watch: Former Cheltenham Town man Harry Pell is fully fit and will be a huge threat. Pell was forced to miss the final three months of last season, watching on from the sidelines as his team-mates narrowly missed out on the play-offs. The midfielder had made a big impact in his first year at Colchester before his campaign was cruelly cut short by a hamstring injury in February.
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Trivia
Until 1937, Colchester Town were Colchester’s main club and were the original tenants of Layer Road. Fans were convinced that the club should turn professional but club officials were against the idea. So, a new professional club was formed in March 1937, Colchester United, which would also play at Layer Road. The professional United thrived as crowds for Town matches dwindled.