Ipswich Town v Port Vale preview – can manager change reap instant rewards? It’s a huge ask…
Andy Crosby takes the reigns as an out of form and depleted Port Vale side face an enormous challenge away in Suffolk…
Match Info
Venue: Portman Road
Date: 18th April, 7.45pm
Competition: League One
Predict the score
Preamble
His final words in the post-match interview were that “sometimes football really kicks you in the teeth” and Darrell Clarke wasn’t wrong as he was surprisingly shown the door after Vale’s defeat to Lincoln. In the hours following the news of Clarke’s departure there was a real “Sliding Doors” moment as the FA announced that captain Tom Conlon’s red card had been rescinded. Conlon was dismissed with Vale 2-1 up and with eleven men versus the host’s ten. Arguably had the card not been given Vale could have got something out of the game and Clarke would still be in a job. Those are the fine lines.
Pre-match comments
We have to keep our focus because we know every game in this league is difficult and that Port Vale will be the same. We know they are still fighting for points and will be coming here to make it difficult.
Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna
We have just got to keep believing in ourselves; there are four games left, you have to stay mentally strong and stick to the task at hand. You learn a lot from these types of games, collectively we will move on and try and get a result on Tuesday.
Port Vale striker Matty Taylor
Port Vale team news
Away from the changes on the bench, there won’t be many on the pitch itself as Vale are considerably weakened through injury and suspension. Trio Dan Jones, Lewis Cass and Ben Garrity are all expected to miss out through injury while Funso Ojo, Dennis Politic and Sammy Robinson are all suspended. Even though Tom Conlon is set to play after his red card was overturned, Vale are likely to be particularly thin in central midfield and that could mean a chance for youngster Tommy McDermott. It will be interesting to see what other changes Andy Crosby brings in – the personnel may be much the same but could a change in formation be on the cards?
Opposition team news
Town’s side is settled at the moment with Harry Clarke the only slight doubt.
Form guide
It’s, ahem, slightly contrasting fortunes for the two sides. Ipswich are on a fourteen match run since their last loss. Their last home defeat was back in October.
Port Vale: L-L-D-L-L
Ipswich: W-W-D-W-W
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 54% win ratio from 75 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.
Meanwhile, former Vale midfielder Sam Morsy is in the Town squad. 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.
Another former Valiant who could 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.
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. The last Vale player to score at Portman Road was defender Dave Barnett in 1999 (in a 5-1 loss)
Last time we met…
Goals by Gavin Massey and Nathan Smith proved to be in vain as the Valiants lost 3-2 to promotion chasing Ipswich earlier this season.
Overall record
6 Port Vale wins
6 draws
23 Port Vale losses
From the archives
Footage from a rare Vale victory – 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 manager?
- What was the score the last time the two teams met?
- In which year were the club formed?
- Which former Vale midfielder is in the Ipswich side?
Answers below (no cheating)…
Quiz answers…
- Kieran McKenna
- Port Vale 2-3 Ipswich Town
- 1878
- Sam Morsy