Port Vale v Lincoln City preview – can Vale build on promising Ipswich performance with a win?
Port Vale v Lincoln City preview – the Valiants will be hoping to secure all three points against the Imps on Saturday afternoon…
Match Info
Venue: Vale Park stadium | Date: 29th October 2022, 3pm | Competition: League One
Predict the score
Any other business?
The Fielding family will be matchball sponsors for the home game against Lincoln City on Saturday – in honour of much missed Vale fan Gerry Fielding. The family would like to invite all fans to join in a minute’s applause to remember Gerry. It will be held during the 76th minute – to mark his 76 years of support for the club.
What they said…
We looked at this group of fixtures at the start of this month and thought on paper it would be really challenging with Sheffield Wednesday, Derby County and Ipswich Town, and Wycombe who were in the Championship last season. If we can get a good points return in the next couple of games, it would have been a really good month for us.
Port Vale assistant manager Andy Crosby on the October fixtures
We have won 1-0 in the last couple of away matches. In the last 20 minutes of those games, the opposition have been pushing hard, but we have dug deep and stayed strong – which is where we have earned our clean sheets. This season we have become a lot stronger defensively and seem to have conceded less goals. We work hard during the week and that has been good. Clean sheets are very important to us.
Lincoln City defender TJ Eyoma
Port Vale team news
After their encouraging performance against Ipswich Town, the chances are that Darrell Clarke may stick with the same starting eleven – but this is the Valiants and this season there has been chopping and changing galore.
One possible change could be the return of Jack Stevens in goal, if he manages to recover from the deadleg which forced him out of the Cambridge game last Saturday.
Brad Walker, Funso Ojo and Jamie Proctor all look likely to remain on the sidelines
Opposition team news
Lincoln could name the same starting XI that is used in midweek as they have no fresh injury concerns.
Meet (some of) the squad…
- Irishman Danny Mandroiu was signed in the summer from Shamrock Rovers
- The captain is experienced striker Tom Hopper
- Loanee Carl Rushworth is the regular goalkeeper
- Tashan Oakley-Boothe is on loan from our neighbours Stoke City
Form guide…
Lincoln are on a good run of form being unbeaten in their last five games with three wins and two draws. In midweek, they secured an impressive away win over Barnsley. Vale will need to be wary of Danny Mandroiu’s who has three goals in as many games.
Man in charge
Former Ireland International Mark Kennedy was appointed Head Coach in March 2022 on a four year deal. He has had spells as assistant manager at Birmingham City, academy manager at Ipsiwch Town and manager of Macclesfield Town. His win ratio at Lincoln is 42%.
Familiar faces
Port Vale midfielder Tom Pett has a chance of featuring against his former side. Pett had a two year spell with the Imps during which the side secured promotion to League One. He totalled 65 appearances and five goals for the club. Pett then joined the Valiants where he repeated his promotion achievement by helping Vale to promotion through the play-offs. To date, Pett has 57 Vale appearances, scoring twice.
Looking further back, there have been a number of players to appear for both sides. The list includes:
- Defender Adam Crookes who had loan spells with both clubs
- Striker Tyler Walker also had loan spells with both sides
- Experienced striker Roy Chapman played for both
- Valiants secured record signing Gareth Ainsworth from Lincoln City
Through the years…
The two sides first met in 1894 when it finished in a thrilling 4-3 win for Lincoln. However, Vale’s recent home record against Lincoln has been poor. They were thumped 6-2 in the last League meeting at Vale Park in 2018 and they also lost 4-0 at home in the League Cup during the same season.
Last time we met…
The last meeting was in 2018 when it finished 1-1 at Sincil Bank with Manny Oyeleke (pictured) scoring the Vale goal.
Overall record
32 Port Vale wins | 23 draws | 33 Port Vale losses
From the archives
A brief history of…
Founded in 1884, Lincoln became founder members of the Football League Second Division in 1892, remaining there until they failed re-election in 1908. They won immediate re-election after winning the next year’s Midland League, and would repeat this feat after failing re-election again in 1911 and 1920.
Founder members of the Football League Third Division North in 1921, they won promotion as champions in 1931–32, but were relegated two seasons later. Crowned Third Division North champions again in 1947–48, they were relegated the next year, but would remain in the second tier for nine seasons after again winning the Third Division North title in 1951–52. Two successive relegations left them in the Fourth Division by 1962, where they would remain until Graham Taylor’s title winning campaign of 1975–76.
Relegated in 1978–79, they secured promotion again two years later but suffered a double relegation to find themselves in the Conference by 1987. Lincoln made an immediate recovery however, regaining their Football League status with the Conference title in 1987–88. They were promoted again in 1997–98, but were relegated the next season. They reached the play-offs in five consecutive seasons, from 2002 to 2007, losing in the final twice (2002–03 and 2004–05) and the semi-finals three times, which is a competition record. However they exited the division at the other end when they were returned to the Conference after relegation at the end of the 2010–11 campaign. A six-season stay in non-league was ended when Cowley brothers, Nicky and Danny, led the club to the National League title in 2016–17, as well as a run to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup – this made them the first non-league side to reach that stage in 103 years. They won the Football League Trophy in 2018 and the League Two title in 2018–19.
Were you paying attention?
Our traditional quiz…
- Who is the current Lincoln City manager?
- What was the score the last time the two teams met?
- In which year were the club formed?
- Who was the record signing Port Vale signed from Lincoln City?
Answers below (no cheating)…
- Mark Kennedy
- Lincoln City 1-1 Port Vale
- 1884
- Gareth Ainsworth (of course)