Opinion: what a difference a year makes for Port Vale
Rob Fielding compares contrasting FA Cup first round fortunes for Port Vale FC for this season and the previous campaign.
Rob Fielding writes…
This period of last season and the current season have a strange symmetry albeit with entirely different results…
It’s been generally felt that the wheels fell off Port Vale’s 2020-21 season at the beginning of November and early November last season and the current season have a strange symmetry of fixtures albeit with entirely different results.
In 2020, following a series of good results, Vale had an FA Cup first round tie followed by a Football League tie against Liverpool B – just like this season. However, Vale’s poor home loss to Kings Lynn in 2020 saw the club end an impressive start (the club having won five of the last seven games) and embark of a run of five straight League defeats. The club recorded just one League win before a run of six more winless games saw the end of manager John Askey. That FA Cup defeat could therefore be seen as the precursor to a huge change in Port Vale’s fortunes – from promotion contenders to relegation scrappers.
It’s not happened so far this season and shows little sign of doing so. Vale have had a similarly impressive start to the season but they look to be carrying that form on with Darrell Clarke’s squad strength at the fore. Wheras the 2020 Valiants saw key performers Leon Legge, Luke Joyce and Scott Brown all have blips in form, the side of 2021 thrashed League One opponents Accrington despite top-scorer Jamie Proctor and fellow striker Devante Rodney both being ruled out and Leon Legge only fit enough for the bench.
This revamped Port Vale side looks an entirely different outfit from that of last season. The Vale teams of John Askey used a set formation and a spine of Brown, Legge and Joyce – this season’s side has enough flexibility to see regular formation and personnel changes – often in mid-game. The goals have been shared around and there have been plenty of them – it’s now twelve in three games – while players have seamlessly adapted to new positions (James Gibbons at left wingback being a prime example) allowing Darrell Clarke to (using his own words) chop and change to “pick the best starting eleven to beat the current opponents.”
One year on from that FA Cup embarrassment against Kings Lynn, Vale fans are instead basking in the glory of putting League One opponents to the sword. The club are too cautious to play it any more than one game at a time, but everyone must be delighted with how the Valiants have performed so far and be excited as the prospects for this season.
What a difference a year makes!