Port Vale v Wycombe Wanderers preview – finally, a Saturday home fixture for Vale!
Port Vale v Wycombe Wanderers preview – after a long gap, it’s a 3pm on a Saturday afternoon game at Vale Park for the Valiants…
Predict the score
Preamble
It’s been an age since the last Saturday afternoon game at Vale Park (the last one was the 19th November!) and it’s time to welcome Vale legend Gareth Ainsworth back to Burslem once again.
Pre-match comments
I have played Port Vale previously they [(the fans) were making good noise and getting behind the team. With the successes of last season and how well they were doing in the league and into this year I just want to get started and see what the rest of the season brings.
Port Vale striker Matty Taylor
There’s nobody in this League that you can look at and think ‘that’s three points’. Anybody who comes here has got really good players and good squads.
Port Vale striker Jamie Proctor
Massive belief in the whole squad. We’re looking forward to this – seven games this month – but we’re looking forward to it.
Port Vale manager Darrell Clarke
Port Vale team news
It was a relatively quiet window for the Valiants but both new faces could well play a part in this match. Defender Aaron Donnelly had a solid debut and may continue at the back in place of the injured Dan Jones.
Meanwhile, veteran Matty Taylor is a welcome addition to the forward ranks and it’s likely he will start this game as the focal point of the attack. Vale also have fit again Jamie Proctor, who will probably be left on the bench but the participation of James Wilson and Ellis Harrison is unlikely.
Youngsters James Plant and Tommy McDermott (subs for the last game) have both gone out on loan to gain experience so there could be changes on the subs bench too!
Opposition team news
The 2023 January Transfer Window saw nine players leave Wycombe Wanderers either permanently or on loan. Of the moves, the loss of leading scorer Anis Mehmeti to Bristol City will be a huge loss for Wanderers. New arrivals include Wolves striker Chem Campbell and Hull goalkeeper Harvey Cartwright.
Form guide
After two defeats at home Vale at least got a point at Cheltenham and will be keen to build upon it on Saturday. Wycombe’s last outing ended in an impressive 3-0 win at Peterborough.
Port Vale: L-W-L-L-D
Wycombe: W-L-W-L-W
Man in charge
Valiants legend Gareth Ainsworth needs no introduction to Vale fans. After ending his illustrious playing career, Ainsworth took over at Wycombe in 2012 and has been in charge for over 500 games. He’s pictured here with Vale fans after the Valiants promotion in 2013.
Familiar faces
The Valiants could line up against a former loanee in Scottish full-back Jack Grimmer. Grimmer played for the Vale in 2014 while on loan from Fulham. He made fourteen appearances and scored a solitary goal. After spells with Shrewsbury Town and Coventry City, he joined Wycombe in 2019 and has now made almost 100 appearances for the club.
Vintage connections
In addition to Mr Ainsworth, there’s another Vale wing wizard who is also connected with Wycombe. Left winger Steve Guppy spent a five year spell with the Wanderers before a lucrative move to Newcastle Utd.
Through the years…
The two sides first met in 2000 when it finished in a 1-0 home defeat for the Valiants. However, the last game at Vale Park ended in disappointment. In 2017, Vale trailed 3-0 after 25 minutes. They nearly snatched a dramatic draw with two goals from Ben Whitfield and Dan Turner but the visitors held on for a 3-2 win.
Last time we met…
It finished in a creditable 2-2 draw at Adams Park earlier this season. Vale’s goals both came in the second-half through James Wilson and captain Tom Conlon.
From the archives
Images from Port Vale’s 2013 promotion including the celebrations at Adams Park during the season’s final game…
A brief history of…
Wycombe Wanderers were founded in 1887 and entered the Southern League in 1896. They won promotion into the Football League as Football Conference champions in 1992–93 under Martin O’Neill’s management. Wycombe made an immediate impact in the Football League, winning promotion out of the Third Division via the play-offs in 1994. They spent a decade in the third tier and reached the FA Cup semi-finals in 2001. The club secured promotion out of League Two in 2017–18 under the stewardship of Gareth Ainsworth, who then took the club to the Championship for the first time in the club’s history. They returned to League One in 2021.
Were you paying attention?
Our traditional quiz…
- Who is the current Wycombe manager?
- What was the score the last time the two teams met?
- In which year were the club formed?
- Which former Vale loan defender is in the Wycombe squad?
Answers below (no cheating)…
Quiz answers…
- Gareth Ainsworth
- Wycombe 2-2 Port Vale
- 1887
- Jack Grimmer