Port Vale v Ipswich Town preview – it could be one of the toughest tests of the season for Valiants
Port Vale v Ipswich Town preview – the Valiants take on one of the League One promotion favourites at Vale Park on Tuesday night…
Match Info
Venue: Vale Park stadium | Date: 25th October 2022, 7.45pm | Competition: League One
Predict the score
What they said…
They’ve done well. They’re going to be a difficult team, they have physicality, they press well and try to be aggressive, and doing really well on their set plays, so it’s going to be a good challenge. It’s a Tuesday night game up at Port Vale, we know we’re in for a fight and we’re going to have to be right at it to get a result. It’s up to us to fight and show the spirit required to get a result and to hopefully send the supporters home happy…
Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna
Port Vale team news
There will be a lot of attention on the Vale team news ahead of this game as there are several key players who are doubts. Goalkeeper Jack Stevens was forced off early on Saturday but was reported to be only suffering a “deadleg” so it’s probably touch or go whether he or Aidan Stone starts between the sticks.
Regular first-choice forwards Ellis Harrison and James Wilson both missed the win over Cambridge with what was described as minor injuries. Again, it’s tricky to know if they will feature against Ipswich and the same can be said of Dennis Politic, who was also rested because of a slight knock.
Brad Walker and Jamie Proctor both look to be longer-term absences but the likes of Rory Holden and Harry Charsley were in the squad on Saturday and could be again on Tuesday night.
Opposition team news
Ipswich will be missing former Valiant Sam Morsy as he is suspended after picking up his fifth booking of the season. Another regular midfield starter, Lee Evans is having scans on his injured knee and could also be a doubt. However, Panutche Camara and Cameron Burgess could both be involved.
Meet (some of) the squad…
- 26 year-old Christian Walton is the regular goalkeeper
- Former Barnsley forward Connor Chaplin is the leading goalscorer with six League goals
- On-loan Arsenal striker Tyreece John-Jules is the nephew of Red Dwarf actor Dan John-Jules
- Former Rotherham Utd forward Freddie Ladapo joined the club in the summer
Form guide…
Second placed Ipswich lost their last away game – against Cambridge in the Football League trophy – but their recent form has otherwise been good. In their last ten games they have recorded six wins, a draw and three defeats.
Man in charge
Former Spurs and Man Utd youth team coach Kieran McKenna was appointed on a three and a half year contract in December 2021. He has a 55% win ratio from 42 games in charge.
Familiar faces
Ipswich old boy Ellis Harrison will be no doubt to keen to play in this game. Harrison had an injury-plagued spell at Portland Road where he managed just one goal in seventeen appearances. In contrast, he already has seven in eleven for the Valiants.
As we’ve already mentioned, former Vale midfielder Sam Morsy will be missing this clash through suspension. Morsy progressed through the Vale youth system to make his debut in the 2009-2010 season. he became a regular starter in the 2011-12 season and also played a part in the club’s 2012-13 promotion. However, he fell out of favour with manager Micky Adams following a red card against Rochdale and he left when out of contract in the summer of 2013. He subsequently had spells with Chesterfield, Wigan Athletic and Middlesbrough before joining Ipswich in 2021.
However, one former Valiant who will be involved is former loanee Marcus Harness. Harness joined Vale on a season-long loan in 2017-18 and made 42 appearances, scoring twice. He moved on to Portsmouth before joining Ipswich during the summer.
Looking further back, some players to appear for both sides include multiple Vale loanee David Lowe, long-serving goalkeeper Ken Hancock and defender Freddie Veseli.
Through the years…
The two sides first met in 1938 when it finished in a 2-0 win for Ipswich. Vale’s first competitive win came in 1947 when they won 1-0 in the Division Three (South). They followed it up with a 4-0 victory in 1948 but the Valiants best performance was a 5-0 thumping in 1990. However, Vale have failed to win their last eight meetings with Ipswich. The last Vale player to net against Ipswich was Tony Naylor.
Last time we met…
The last meeting was back in 2000 when it finished in a 3-0 home win for Ipswich.
Overall record
6 Port Vale wins | 6 draws | 22 Port Vale losses
From the archives
Footage from a rare Vale victory – this time in the Anglo-Italian Cup…
A brief history of…
The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn professional until 1936 and two years later they joined the Football League. With Sir Alf Ramsey as managed, Ipswich won the English league title in 1961–62, their first season in the top flight. When Bobby Robson took over from Ramsey, they finished runners-up in 1980–81 and 1981–82, won the FA Cup in 1977–78 and the UEFA Cup in 1980–81. Robson is the club’s longest serving manager in terms of games managed, managing Ipswich for 709 matches between 1969 and 1982.
Were you paying attention?
Our traditional quiz…
- Who is the current Ipswich Town manager?
- What was the score the last time the two teams met?
- In which year were the club formed?
- In what year did they win the League title?
Answers below (no cheating)…
- Kieran McKenna
- Ipswich Town 3-0 Port Vale
- 1878
- 1962