Rochdale v Port Vale preview – will it go ahead and if so what team will Vale put out?
Rochdale v Port Vale: if the game does take place then it would be Vale’s final game of 2021. Who will prevail? Here’s our preview…
Match details
Details:
Rochdale v Port Vale, League Two
Spotland Stadium
Wednesday 29th December, 7.45pm
Last time we met?
The two sides last met in October in the Football League Trophy. The Valiants won 1-0 thanks to a last minute Max Taylor own-goal. In the League, it finished 3-2 to Rochdale at Vale Park back in September.
Overall record:
24 Vale wins, 23 draws and 12 defeats.
Pre-match quotes
Rochdale is scheduled and we are preparing for that game. Normally it is weather issues that we are faced with, this year it has been totally different for so many clubs with the Covid situation and the Omicron variant…
Port Vale CEO Colin Garlick
Valiants team news
In two words – who knows! Vale have had their last two games postponed through positive COVID results so it’s unknown who is available and who is ruled out.
What we can say with reasonable confidence is – defender Dan Jones (pictured) is suspended while strikers Jamie Proctor, James Wilson and George Lloyd are all on the long-term injured list.
Loanee Danny Whitehead has been recalled from a spell at Rochdale to bolster the Vale ranks and it’s entirely possible that youngsters Eden Bailey and Ellis Jones could be in the matchday squad.
Opposition team news
Joel Coleman is expected to be in goal after returning to the side against Newport. Jimmy Keohane is ruled out for this match.
One to watch: striker Jake Beesley netted twice against the Valiants earlier this season and has twelve goals so far.
Man in charge: Robbie Stockdale
- Age: 39
- Games in charge: 30
- Win ratio: 30%
After caretaker roles for Sunderland and Grimsby, this is the 42 year-old’s first permanent managerial role.
Recent form…
Port Vale
The Valiants have had some patchy form which has been disrupted by the postponement of the last two games.
Form (all competitions):
Top scorer (all competitions):
Proctor, Wilson, Garrity (7)
The opposition
Rochdale ended a poor run of form with a eye catching 3-0 home win over Newport just before Christmas.
Form (all competitions) :
Top scorer (all competitions):
Beesley (12)
Connections
Port Vale Director of Football David Flitcroft spent four years as a player at Rochdale making 188 appearances. Otherwise, there’s no current players who have appeared for both clubs.
However, there have been several in recent years including full-back Scott Tanser, forward Calvin Andrew and striker Rekeil Pyke.
Vintage connection
Full-back Gerry Keenan joined Port Vale from Bury in 1978 for a £15,000 fee. A regular pick during his four year spell with the Valiants, he made 114 appearances for the club, scoring seven times. He was given a free transfer in 1982 and subsequently made 38 appearances for them.
After his playing career finished, Keenan spent many years working as part of the Vale hospitality team before he retired in 2019.
From the archives
A vintage programme with the cover showing star winger Mark Chamberlain being awarded with an award by manager John McGrath.
Potted history
Rochdale were founded in 1907 and were invited into the Third Division North in 1921. They reached the League Cup final in 1962 and won promotion from the Fourth Division in 1969. More recently, Rochdale won promotion to League One in both 2010 and 2014.
Were you paying attention?
Here’s a quick quiz on the opponents:
- What was the score when the teams last met?
- Who is the current Rochdale manager?
- In what year were Rochdale founded?
Quiz answers (no cheating):
- Port Vale 1-0 Rochdale
- Robbie Stockdale
- 1907
