Scunthorpe Utd v Port Vale preview – will good run continue for Valiants?
Scunthorpe Utd v Port Vale preview: it’s been a good run away from Vale Park for the Valiants – will it continue at Scunthorpe? Here ‘s our preview…
Match details
Details:
Scunthorpe Utd v Port Vale, League Two
Where:
Glanford Park stadium
When:
Saturday 25th September, 3pm
Last time we met?
It ended in a disappointing 2-0 away defeat in January earlier this year. Ryan Loft scored both of the home side’s goals. It was a similar story at Vale Park when the Valiants lost 1-0. It was better news in the League Cup where Vale won 2-1 thanks to goals from Zak Mills and Theo Robinson.
Overall record:
Fourteen Vale wins, seventeen draws and sixteen defeats.
Valiants team news
It’s highly likely to be “same again please” for the Valiants after their win over Harrogate Town. If so, that would mean fit again James Gibbons playing on the left and captain Tom Conlon in the midfield engineroom. Leon Legge and Brad Walker remain on the injury list but otherwise manager Darrell Clarke looks to have a full squad to choose from.
Opposition team news
Lewis Thompson could return but Harry Bunn (hamstring), Alex Kenyon (thigh), Ryan Loft and Harry Davis (both head injuries) are all set to miss out.
One to watch:
Vale fans will remember loanee Jake Scrimshaw’s contribution as a half-time sub during Walsall’s dramatic 4-3 win last season.
Man in charge: Neil Cox
- Age: 41
- Appointed: August 2009
- Games in charge: 61
- Win ratio: 22%
Season so far…
Port Vale
It was a disappointing start as they lost 1-0 to Northampton Town. In their second match, Vale were held at home by Tranmere Rovers. After two goalless games the Valiants finally scored in the League Cup but lost 2-1 to Sunderland. In their third League game they were held 0-0 by Carlisle Utd at Vale Park and they picked up yet another draw with a 1-1 result at Stevenage.
The winless streak was ended with a fine 2-0 away win against leaders Forest Green Rovers. In the Football League Trophy, Vale lost an entertaining 3-2 game with Bolton. They then lost at home to Rochdale and won away at Swindon and last weekend they broke their home duck with a win over Harrogate to make it two games unbeaten.
The opposition
It’s been a dreadful start to the season so far for Scunthorpe. They have just one win from eight games and lost 4-0 to Exeter City in their last home outing. It’s been three games since that victory – a 1-0 win over Tranmere Rovers back in August. They also exited the League Cup at the hands of League Two rivals Barrow.
There’s been a number of new arrivals this summer including former Crewe defender Harry Davis, former Huddersfield striker Harry Bunn and Jake Scrimshaw on loan from Bournemouth.
Current connections
Jake Taylor returned to first-team action after injury on Saturday and could get minutes against a former club. Taylor is likely to be on the Vale bench after completing a permanent move to the Valiants in January. The former Nottingham Forest player had a loan spell at Scunthorpe from October 2020 to January 2021. He made fourteen appearances without scoring.
Vintage connection
Goalkeeper Paul Musselwhite had lengthy spells with both sides. John Rudge signed the keeper from Scunthorpe in 1992 for £17,500, a fee which remains a club record for a goalkeeper. It turned out to be a wise move as Musselwhite set a new record for goalkeeping appearances with 367 and also played his part in a promotion and the Autoglass Trophy final win. He left in 1999 and rejoined Scunthorpe in 2004 for a spell which took his total appearances for the club to 245.
From the archives
A few matchday programmes…
Potted history
Formed in 1899, the side turned professional in 1912 and were elected to the Football League in 1950. They secured their first promotion in 1958.
From 1968 the side spent 34 of the next 37 seasons in the basement tier, punctuated by one-season stays in the third tier after they secured promotions in 1971–72, 1982–83 and 1998–99. Their last promotion was 2014 before they returned to League Two in 2018.
Were you paying attention?
How well do remember our Scunthorpe Utd v Port Vale preview piece? Here’s a quick quiz on the opponents – with the answers on the right
- In what year did Port Vale sign Paul Musselwhite?
- Who is the current Scunthorpe United manager?
- In which year were the club founded?
- Who are the only side to lose to Scunthorpe this season?
Quiz answers (no cheating):
- 1992
- Neil Cox
- 1899
- Tranmere Rovers