Port Vale v Swindon Town preview – back to the League for Valiants after long break
Port Vale v Swindon Town: after a lengthy break it’s a return to League football for Darrell Clarke’s side as they take on high flying Swindon Town. Who will prevail? Here’s our preview…
Match details
Details:
Port Vale v Swindon Town
League Two
Vale Park stadium
Saturday January 15th, 2022, 3pm
Last time we met?
The two sides last met back in September when two Ben Garrity goals earned Vale a valuable 2-1 away victory
Overall record:
32 Vale wins, 20 draws and 35 defeats.
Pre-match quotes
They are right up there and in the mix and they certainly did themselves justice against Man City. They will be working hard. They have one of the best away records in the league, we are well aware of that. They are a good possession-based team and we are going to have to be right at it on Saturday. But it is a good game. I am sure the fans will be right behind us and it is one we really look forward to…
Port Vale manager Darrell Clarke
Valiants team news
Well, where to start after so much transfer activity? Perhaps with who won’t be involved… defender Dan Jones is still serving a suspension while veteran Leon Legge, defender Danny Amos and midfielder Danny Whitehead have all departed the club. Darrell Clarke has also confirmed that Jake Taylor and Devante Rodney are both injured.
As for who will be involved… well Kian Harratt won’t have done his chances any harm after scoring but Vale may want to keep him on the bench as an impact sub for now. Vale may keep faith with starting duo James Wilson and David Amoo with Harratt and fellow loanee Ryan Edmondson on the bench.
New signing Connor Hall will be hoping for a start in defence. Nathan Smith and Lewis Cass look likely to start so if Hall does play it may be in place of veteran Aaron Martin.
Opposition team news
The Robins will be missing loanee Romoney Crichlow as the defender has been recalled by Huddersfield Town and subsequently joined Plymouth. The player is the third loanee to be recalled from the club during the transfer window.
Man in charge: Ben Garner
- Age: 41
- Games in charge: 31
- Win ratio: 48%
The former Bristol Rovers manager was appointed in the summer.
Recent form…
Port Vale
The Valiants exited the FA Cup at the weekend and will be looking to turn their League form around after a defeat to Newport in their last game.
Form (all competitions):
Top scorer (all competitions):
Proctor, Wilson, Garrity (7)
The opposition
Swindon lost in mid-week to Mansfield which makes it just one win in their last six League Two fixtures. Their last away win was back in November.
Form (all competitions) :
Top scorer (all competitions):
McKirdy (12)
Current connections
Harry McKirdy
24 Swindon appearances / 12 goals
12 Port Vale appearances / 2 goals
A lot of attention will land on Harry McKirdy after an impressive start to his Swindon career. McKirdy’s stay in Burslem was less productive with the winger excluded from the Vale squad at one stage. After just one season at Vale Park, he was released in the summer of 2021.
However, he has completely turned his form around at the County Ground and comes to Vale Park after scoring six times in his last three games.
There may be another familiar face in the Swindon ranks in veteran midfielder Anthony Grant. Now 34, Grant hasn’t played in a League game for the Robins since late August.
Vintage connection
Billy Paynter
139 Swindon appearances / 51 goals
158 Port Vale appearances / 34 goals
Currently professional development lead coach at Vale Park, Billy Paynter progressed through the junior ranks to make his debut aged just 16. He was the club’s player of the year in 2005 and was top-scorer at the end of the 2004-05 season. He was sold to Hull City alongside Sam Collins in November 2005 as the cash strapped club tried to raise some cash.
In August 2007, Paynter signed for Swindon Town on transfer deadline day on a three-year contract. He had a strong spell at Swindon particularly during the 2009–10 season when Paynter formed a formidable partnership with Charlie Austin – with Paynter netting 29 times.
From the archives – photos
Match action from a 2018 fixture
From the archives – videos
Potted history
Founded as Swindon AFC in 1879, the club became Spartans the next year, before finally settling on the name Swindon Town in 1883. They were elected into the Football League in 1920 after considerable success in the Southern League. They won the League Cup in 1969 and earned promotion to the top-flight in 1993 although they lasted a solitary season in the Premier League. They won promotion to League Two in 2020 before being relegated back to League Two in 2021.
Were you paying attention?
Here’s a quick quiz on the opponents:
- What was the score the last time the two met?
- Who is the current Swindon Town manager?
- In which year were the club founded?
- Which current Port Vale coach has played for both sides?
Quiz answers (no cheating):
- Swindon Town 1-2 Port Vale
- Ben Garner
- 1879
- Billy Paynter