Port Vale v Shrewsbury Town preview – can Valiants build on Barnsley point?
Port Vale v Shrewsbury Town preview – after a valuable point against Barnsley can the Valiants go one better at home to Shrewsbury?
Match Info
Venue: Vale Park stadium | Date: 17th September 2022, 3pm | Competition: League One
Predict the score
Any other business?
The Valiants will pay tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II before the game. There will be a minute’s silence prior to kick off which will start and end on the referee’s whistle. The silence will be followed by the National Anthem.
Pre-match quote
We are in a new division, a higher division. We will keep adapting and improving and keep the foundations strong, we will keep the character in the changing rooms strong….
Port Vale manager Darrell Clarke
Port Vale team news
Hmm, what side will the Valiants pick after their substitutions changed the game in midweek? It’s a tricky one as one can see the logic behind leaving the likes of James Wilson, Gavin Massey and Dennis Politic on the bench as they have lacked match fitness and bringing them in too early could be disastrous.
So, what to do? Arguably, Vale can afford to be more adventurous at home so the likes of Wilson and Massey could come into contention possibly at the expense of David Worrall and Mipu Odubeko. There’s an interesting selection choice at left wingback too. Clarke made no bones that Mal Benning was dropped for his recent poor form but Benning offers a far greater attacking threat than Dan Jones so will Clarke decide on a recall?
Otherwise, the likes of captain Tom Conlon, Brad Walker and Jamie Proctor all appear to be injured and out of this one.
Opposition team news
It’s two League wins in a row for Shrewsbury after they followed up an away victory at Forest Green Rovers with a dramatic 3-2 home win over Exeter City.
It was a busy summer for the club with ten players departing, four permanent signings and five loan signings coming in. Those signings include Chey Dunkley (Sheff Wed) and Aiden O’Brien (Portsmouth).
However, they have been rocked by the news that last season’s top-scorer Daniel Udoh could miss the rest of the season through injury.
Meet the squad…
- The club captain is 29 year-old defender Luke Leahy
- Goals have been hard for the Shrews with top-scorer the two goal defender Matthew Pennington
- The club boasts five loanees Taylor Moore (Bristol City), Carl Winchester (Sunderland), Rob Street (Crystal Palace), Christian Saydee (Bournemouth) and Julian Dacosta (Coventry)
Man in charge
The well-travelled Steve Cotterill took over in November 2020. Cotterill has a win ratio of 32% with Shrewsbury and has managed over 750 games in a career that has taken in spells at Stoke City, Bristol City and Cheltenham Town.
Familiar faces
The Valiants have a former Shrewsbury player in their ranks in Brad Walker. The midfielder made fifty appearances for the side, scoring four times during a three year spell. He left the club in the summer of 2021 to join the Valiants where he has now made 41 appearances, scoring once.
In the Shrewsbury ranks is former Port Vale loanee Rekeil Pyke. The then Huddersfield Town striker had a largely uneventful loan spell with the Valiants in 2017 when he made nine appearances and failed to score. He moved to Shrewsbury in 202o and now has three goals from forty appearances.
Face from the past
Promotion-winning goalkeeper Chris Neal made almost 150 appearances for the Valiants. He joined the Vale in 2012 after a three year spell with Shrewsbury Town.
Through the years…
The two sides first met in 1958 when it ended in a 2-0 away defeat to the Valiants. However, things have been better at Vale Park in recent years with Vale losing just once in their last six home fixtures.
Last time we met…
The Valiants recorded a 2-1 Football League Trophy win back in 2019 thanks to goals from Jordan Archer and David Amoo.
Overall record
17 Port Vale wins | 18 draws | 20 Port Vale losses
From the archives
In this feature, we leaf through the pages of a 1968 FA Cup programme and a rare goalkeeping appearance for a player who would find fame elsewhere…
READ IT HEREA brief history of…
The club was founded in 1886 and after a period in non-league they joined the Football League in 1950. They suffered relegation out of the League in 2003 only to regain it in 2004. The club has reached the semi-finals of the Football League cup as well as winning the Welsh Cup on six occasions.
Were you paying attention?
Our traditional quiz…
- Who is the current Shrewsbury manager?
- What was the score the last time the two teams met?
- In which year were the club formed?
- In what year did they return to the Football League?
Answers below (no cheating)…
- Steve Cotterill
- Port Vale 2-1 Shrewsbury
- 1886
- 2004