Match Preview: Port Vale v Newcastle United B, November 12th 2019
It may be pretty much a dead rubber so don’t expect a huge attendance at Vale Park for this fixture…
Team news
Understandably Vale are expected to make changes for this fixture. The Valiants are restricted by the number of players outside of the last matchday squad that they can bring in – so we expect subs Shaun Brisley , Jordan Archer, Rhys Browne and Callum Evans to all start this game as Vale look to rest some of their regulars. John Askey could also bring in the likes of Kieran Kennedy and Ryan Lloyd to play as well.
Other news
Don’t forget that if you can’t make tonight’s game (and unlike some local radio commentators, we realise people have childcare, work, health or financial issues – which prevent them attending every game) then you can subscribe to the iFollow service to watch a live stream of the action.
Stats
Well, obviously Port Vale have never played Newcastle’s junior side in a competitive fixture but if you’re talking about the senior side… the last time we met was back in 1993 when the Valiants lost an FA Cup fixture 4-0. Overall the two sides have met on eighteen occasions – Vale winning four, Newcastle winning nine and five draws. Vale’s last win over the Toon was way back in 1935 when the Vale won 3-0. The last Vale player to score against Newcastle was defender Dean Glover (pictured right) in a 2-2 draw back in 1991.
The overall record is: four wins, five draws, nine defeats.
Opposition Guide
It looks like coaches Ben Dawson and Liam Bramley will be in charge after the departure of U23 manager Neil Redfearn in November. Players in the Newcastle U23 squad include attack-minded full-back Oliver Walters, fellow defender Lewis Cass, who has been at the club since 12 years of age, USA U20 International Kyle Scott and Newcastle born forward Tom Allan.
Connections
The Valiants have had a couple of former Newcastle United players on their books in recent years. Among them are defender Remie Streete, midfielder Ryan Taylor and goalkeeper Jak Alnwick (pictured right). Other players to appear for both clubs include Kevin Scott, Steve Guppy and Ian Bogie.
Pre-match quote
“It’ll be a tough game. We’re expecting them to be very physical but if we can get the ball down and play our football then we’ll hopefully be able to pass them off the park…
Newcastle youngster Lewis Cass
Memory match
The first competitive clash between the two sides for sixteen years took place at the start of the 1989-1990 season. It ended in a decent away draw for the Valiants with Robbie Earle and Ron Futcher netting in a 2-2 draw. There’s a video of the game below: