Port Vale v Exeter City preview – biggest game of the season for Valiants?
Port Vale v Exeter United preview – the Valiants take on their fellow promotion hopefuls at Vale Park. Who will prevail? Here’s our preview…
Match details
Details:
Port Vale v Exeter City
League Two
Vale Park Stadium
Tuesday March 22nd, 2022, 7.45pm
Last time we met?
Theo Robinson was an unlikely match winner last season as the Valiants secured a 1-0 home win
Overall record:
24 Vale wins, 11 draws and 19 defeats.
Valiants team news
What team will Andy Crosby select for this game? Defenders Aaron Martin and Chris Hussey both missed the away win over Bradford City so it’s likely the duo could also miss this midweek game. If so, Crosby is likely to select an unchanged side as replacements Mal Benning and Brad Walker both impressed at Valley Parade.
Otherwise, Crosby will be keeping his fingers crossed that the rest of his squad didn’t pick up any knocks. Both David Worrall and James Wilson received treatment on Saturday afternoon.
Opposition team news
Nigel Atangana was sent-off at the weekend while forward Kyle Taylor was stretchered off leaving Exeter with something of an injury crisis
Man in charge: Matt Taylor
- Age: 40
- Games in charge: 202
- Win ratio: 43%
The former Exeter City defender was appointed to his first managerial role back in 2018.
Recent form…
Port Vale
It’s three wins in a row and just one loss in 13 games for the Valiants as they continue to push for a place in the play-offs.
Form (all competitions):
Top scorer (all competitions):
Garrity (11)
The opposition
The visitors are also in fine form with just two losses in the League during 2022. They are unbeaten in their last four games.
Form (all competitions) :
Top scorer (all competitions):
Jay (14)
Current connections
If he recovers from illness, veteran Aaron Martin could line-up against a club where he made 72 appearances between 2018 and 2020. Martin is now closing on thirty appearances for the Valiants after joining the club in the summer.
In the opposition ranks is goalkeeper Scott Brown, although he is highly unlikely to face the Valiants. Brown had a successful three year stay in the Potteries making 144 appearances and being named the 2019 player of the year. After departing the club in the summer of 2021 he was named as Exeter’s goalkeeping player-coach.
Vintage connection
Former player Chris Banks returned to the Valiants in 2019 to take up the role of head physio. Banks had progressed through the club’s junior ranks to make 87 senior appearances between 1984 and 1987.
Upon his release he joined Exeter City where he made 50 appearances. He then moved on to Cheltenham Town where he had a lengthy spell and was named as one of the club’s fifty best players of all-time.
From the archives
Images from a dramatic draw at Vale Park back in 2018:
Potted history
The club was founded in 1901 and began playing games at St James Park, the same stadium that the side plays at today. After a tour of South America in 1914 to generate awareness of football in the continent, the club became the first side to play a national team from Brazil. The side were invited to join the newly formed Football League Division Three in 1920. They lost their Football League status at the end of the 2002–03 season. They spent five seasons in the Conference, and recovered from defeat in the 2007 play-off final to win promotion out of the play-offs the next year.
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 Exeter City manager?
- When were Exeter formed?
- Which current Exeter coach also played for the Valiants?
Quiz answers (no cheating):
- Port Vale 1-0 Exeter City
- Matt Taylor
- 1901
- Scott Brown