Port Vale v Nottingham Forest friendly match preview
Port Vale take on Championship side Nottingham Forest behind closed doors and here’s our guide to the action…
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Port Vale v Nottingham Forest
Vale Park stadium, Saturday 17th July, 3pm
This game is behind closed doors.
How can I see it?
The live stream is free and on YouTube. You can watch it below…
What happened last time we played them?
The two sides also featured in a pre-season friendly at the start of the 2020-21 season. The Valiants recorded a decent 2-1 win thanks to an own-goal and another from recent signing Theo Robinson. In terms of competitive fixtures, the sides last met in 2008 when it ended 2-0 to Forest. In fact, you have to go way back to 2006 for the last Vale scorer in a competitive fixture. That player was Michael Husbands during a 1-1 draw at Vale Park. You have to go back even further for a Vale win – which last happened in 1954! The Valiants won 3-2 thanks to goals from Albert Leake, Basil Hayward and Dickie Cunliffe.
What’s our overall record?
In competitive fixtures our record stands at:
- Thirteen wins
- Twenty five losses
- Eleven draws
What’s the Port Vale team news?
Well, skipper Tom Conlon and midfielder Jake Taylor both sat out the Fleetwood defeat. However, Conlon is near certain to feature while Taylor could also be fit. We’d expect to see new goalkeeper Lucas Covolan featuring too after he appeared in the closing stages of that Fleetwood game. There could also be a first appearance for Ryan Johnson, who like Covolan has been given a rest after his play-off exploits for his former club, and loan signing Lewis Cass.
The story of the summer…
Port Vale’s friendly games so far…
What about the opponents?
Managed by the experienced Chris Hughton, it’s been a quiet summer in terms of signings for Forest. The club have signed two goalkeepers – US national team goalkeeper Ethan Horvath and youngster Nicky Hogarth. The side also enjoyed a 2-1 friendly win over Lincoln City, their first game of the summer. A young Forest side featured with Josh Barnes and Dale Taylor the goalscorers. In their second friendly game, Forest ran out 2-1 winners over Alfreton with former Vale loanee Will Swan (pictured) scoring the winner.
Man in charge: Chris Hughton
Age: 62
Appointed: October 2020
Games in charge: 44
Win ratio: 29%
Any Vale connections?
Midfielder Jake Taylor is facing a fitness race to face his old side. Should he be fit, Taylor will face a side for whom he enjoyed a six year stay. He joined the Valiants for an undisclosed fee in January 2021. So far, in his Valiants career he has eight goals from 38 appearances.
Taylor is one of a steady supply of Forest players to the Vale in recent seasons, moves no doubt helped by agent Phil Sproson’s close connection to former manager John Askey. The list of loanees includes Swan, Adam Crookes and Tyler Walker.
And talking of Will Swan, he played in Forest’s last friendly game and is likely to face the Valiants.
Vintage Vale Connection
Goalkeeper Mark Goodlad is widely regarded as one of the club’s best keepers of the last thirty years. He turned professional at Nottingham Forest at the age of 19 but failed to make a first-team appearance for the club.
Port Vale manager Brian Horton brought in Goodlad in March 2000. The goalkeeper featured just one in the remainder of that season as Vale were relegated out of the second division. However, as first choices Paul Musselwhite and Kevin Pilkington were both released as cost cutting measures Horton showed remarkable faith in the untested 21 year-old by making him first choice keeper.
It proved to be a brilliant decision. Goodlad made fifty appearances in his first season as was on the pitch as the club lifted only its second domestic trophy – the LDV Vans Trophy. Highly regarded by Vale fans, Goodlad was linked with other club after a string of confident performances including saving three out of four penalties in the 2003-2004 season.
Sadly, Goodlad’s career was brought to an end through an Achilles injury which saw him retire at the age of 29. He had made 247 appearances for the club. He was recently named as the goalkeeper in the onevalefan viewers’ ultimate Port Vale XI.
Potted history
Founded in 1865, Nottingham Forest have played home matches at their City Ground stadium since 1898. Forest have won one League title, two FA Cups, four League Cups, one FA Charity Shield, two European Cups, and one UEFA Super Cup. Their most successful period was under the management of Brian Clough and Peter Taylor in the late 1970s and early 1980s, which included back-to-back wins in the European Cup in 1979 and 1980.
Quick stats
- Most appearances: Bob McKinlay (692)
- Most goals: Grenville Morris (217)
- Record win: 14-0 vs Clapton (FA Cup, 1891)
- Record buy: £13.2m for João Carvalho
- Record sale: £15m for Britt Assombalonga
Trivia: in its early days, Forest influenced Arsenal’s choice of team colours. Forest had already decided to opt for “Garibaldi red” during their foundation and when Arsenal were founded, Forest lent the fledgling club some red shirts – a colour Arsenal have adopted to his day.
From the archives…
Just the one article for this section – a Port Vale match programme from 1957. It marks a bitter-sweet moment for Valiants defender Frank Wintle. The locally born player had been at the club for eight years without making a senior appearance. Now aged 27, he finally made his debut in this game. Unfortunately what could have been a dream start turned into a nightmare as Vale lost 7-1. It was Wintle’s only appearance for the club.
Were you paying attention?
A quick quiz on the opponents – answers at the bottom of the page…
- When did Forest first start playing at the City Ground stadium?
- Who is the club’s record sale?
- Who is the current Forest manager?
- Which US International did they sign over the summer?
Quiz answers below:
- 1898
- Britt Assombalonga
- Chris Hughton
- Ethan Horvath