Port Vale v Stevenage preview – can Vale record three points at home?
Port Vale v Stevenage preview – Vale have now recorded a seven game unbeaten run but badly need a win at home. Here’s our preview…
Match details
Details:
Port Vale v Stevenage
League Two
Vale Park
Saturday February 26th, 2022, 3pm
Last time we met?
Devante Rodney scored his last goal for the club as Vale managed to scrape a 1-1 away draw earlier in the season.
Overall record:
3 Vale wins, 8 draws and 5 defeats.
Valiants team news
Andy Crosby is poised to take charge of his third game as Darrell Clarke takes bereavement leave. It will be interesting to see if there are any changes to the Vale line-up. One possibility could be a start for David Amoo upfront while there looks to be a choice between James Gibbons, forced off early against Rochdale and David Worrall in the right wing role.
Captain Tom Conlon and midfielder Jake Taylor are set to remain sidelined through injury.
Opposition team news
Former Valiants midfielder Chris Lines started the last game and could feature at Vale Park.
Man in charge: Paul Tisdale
- Age: 49
- Games in charge: 17
- Win ratio: 18%
The former Exeter, Milton Keynes and Bristol Rovers manager was appointed in November.
Recent form…
Port Vale
Vale’s unbeaten run now extends to seven games but how costly will those three consecutive draws prove at the end of the season?
Form (all competitions):
Top scorer (all competitions):
Wilson, Proctor, Garrity (8)
The opposition
Visitors Stevenage are without a win in their last five games. They last won away back in August against Bristol Rovers.
Form (all competitions) :
Top scorer (all competitions):
Norris (9)
Current connections
On the Vale side, captain Tom Conlon spent three years with Stevenage making 71 appearances and scoring twice. There’s also Tom Pett, who spent two spells with Stevenage making just shy of two hundred appearances.
In the Stevenage ranks are two veterans with Vale experience. 35 year-old Chris Lines is still going strong in the Stevenage midfield. The veteran spent two years at Vale Park making 71 appearances and scoring four goals. There’s also defender Luke Prosser, now 33. Prosser progressed through the Vale youth ranks and made 36 appearances for the Valiants.
Potted history
Stevenage Borough were founded in 1976 following the demise of the town’s former club. They reached the Conference in 1994 but were denied promotion in 1996 after failing to meet ground requirements.
However, the club did eventually win promotion in 2010. After promotion, the club dropped “Borough” from their name and won promotion to League One in 2011 before being relegated back to League Two in 2014.
Were you paying attention?
Here’s a quick quiz on the opponents:
- What was the score the last time the two sides met?
- Who is the current Stevenage manager?
- When were Stevenage formed?
- When did the club win promotion to the Football League?
Quiz answers (no cheating):
- Stevenage 1-1 Port Vale
- Paul Tisdale
- 1976
- 2010