Colchester Utd v Port Vale preview – can Valiants make it ten unbeaten?
Colchester United v Port Vale preview – Vale have now recorded a nine game unbeaten run but can they extend it? Here’s our preview…
Match details
Details:
Colchester Utd v Port Vale
League Two
Jobserve Community Stadium
Saturday March 5th, 2022, 3pm
Last time we met?
The Valiants recorded a 3-0 home victory thanks to goals from James Gibbons, James Wilson and Aaron Martin.
Overall record:
23 Vale wins, 16 draws and 25 defeats.
Valiants team news
Vale will be hopeful that key players James Gibbons and Jamie Proctor are available to start this game. Gibbons looked to be carrying an injury in the closing stages of the draw against Harrogate while Proctor was rested for that game.
Aaron Martin also came on for Brad Walker in that game and it will be interesting to see which one Andy Crosby opts to start with in the back three.
Loan striker Ryan Edmondson is set to keep his place after two goals in his last two appearances.
Opposition team news
The home side could line-up with former Vale keeper Sam Hornby in goal. Colchester look set to have a fully fit squad with the exception of long-term absentee Ryan Clampin.
Man in charge: Wayne Brown
- Age: 44
- Games in charge: 10
- Win ratio: 30%
Now in his third spell as Colchester boss after two stints as caretaker, Brown was appointed in January.
Recent form…
Port Vale
Vale’s unbeaten run now extends to nine games and they are yet to lose away this year.
Form (all competitions):
Top scorer (all competitions):
Wilson, Proctor, Garrity (8)
The opposition
The home side are without a win in six games and are yet to record a home victory in 2022.
Form (all competitions) :
Top scorer (all competitions):
Sears (13)
Current connections
The Valiants will face former Luke Hannant who joined Colchester Utd from Cambridge in the summer. The winger helped Cambridge to promotion to League One last season.
A Neil Aspin signing from Aspin’s former club Gateshead, Hannant joined the Valiants in January 2018 for an undisclosed fee. He was a regular pick during his eighteen month spell in Burslem making 68 appearances and scoring five times before he was surprisingly released by Aspin’s successor John Askey in the summer of 2019.
Hannant subsequently joined Cambridge where he made 77 appearances and scored eight times.
The Valiants could also face former keeper Sam Hornby who has joined Colchester on loan from Bradford City. Hornby made eleven appearances for the club.
Vintage connection
Defender Liam Chilvers has strong connections with both clubs having had three spells with United and two spells with the Vale.
He started his career at Arsenal and was sent on loan twice to Colchester before he made a permanent switch to the club in 2004. In total, he made 139 appearances for the club, scoring three times.
He initially joined Vale on loan in 2012 which was made into a permanent deal. Chilvers played 21 times during Port Vale’s 2012-13 promotion season and made 50 appearances in total, scoring twice, before leaving in 2014.
He finished his playing career at Hyde having total more than 375 senior appearances.
From the archives
Images from our 3-0 victory back in 2020…
Potted history
The club was formed in 1937 and began playing in the Southern League before joining the Football League in 1950. One of their most memorable games was a 3-2 FA Cup victory over Leeds United in 1971.
They left Layer Road after a 71 year stay and relocated to their new stadium in 2008.
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 Colchester manager?
- When were Colchester formed?
- In what year did they beat Leeds in the FA Cup?
Quiz answers (no cheating):
- Port Vale 3-0 Colchester Utd
- Wayne Brown
- 1937
- 1971