Port Vale v Plymouth Argyle preview – a season of two halves ends with goodbyes
There will be a goodbye to the Bycars stand as a home end and a goodbye to promoted opponents Plymouth Argyle as the 2022-23 season draws to a close.
Match Info
Venue: Vale Park stadium | Date: 7th April 2023, 12noon | Competition: League One
Predict the score
Preamble
It’s been a topsy-turvy season for the Valiants. A decent start came apart in the new year after injuries to key players and during the poor run that followed there was the shock departure of Darrell Clarke. The club finally achieved safety last week and now we have a busy summer to look forward to. On the list will be – the movement of the home end to the Hamil End, other improvements to the stadium, the appointment of the new manager, the announcement of the player of the year, the retained list and then finally (and perhaps most important) the formation of next season’s squad.
Farewell to the Bycars
Vale fans will switch home ends next season. We produced a special feature showing some vintage images of the Bycars stand over the years and you can take a look through this link
Pre-match quote
We have to congratulate Plymouth and Ipswich, it is a fantastic achievement over 45 games so far to achieve automatic promotion.Personally, I think it is a fantastic game to finish the season, at home with a large away following.
They are chasing the title and we have to be just at the same level as them in terms of our preparation and application for the game, the basics of the game.
We have one final game to finish this season, in front of our home supporters, and to go and beat a team in the top echelons of the league…
Port Vale interim manager Andy Crosby
Port Vale team news
Striker Ellis Harrison has played his last game of the season and will sit this one out. Fellow striker James Wilson is also a doubt so it’s possible that Vale will start again with Jamie Proctor (pictured) upfront. With Vale safe for another season this could be a chance to give impressive youngster James Plant more gametime after he netted his first senior goal last weekend. Defenders Dan Jones and Lewis Cass along with midfielder Ben Garrity are all likely to miss out too.
Opposition team news
Expected to be at full strength, Plymouth are pushing for the League One title after an excellent season. The side are on a run of five straight wins and Vale defenders should be wary of Niall Ennis who has netted in their last three games. The away side are expected to be cheered on by a full away stand as around 4,000 supporters make the visit from Devon.
Man in charge
38-year-old Steven Schumacher was made permanent manager in 2021, after previously holding the position of assistant manager at the club. He had a 16 year-old playing career and this is his first managerial role.
Familiar faces
There are no players in either squad to have played for both sides but there have been several to appear for both teams in recent years. The list includes:
- Winger Byron Moore (pictured) spent two years at Vale Park and a subsequent two year stay at Plymouth.
- Will Atkinson had two spells with the Valiants as well as a loan spell with Plymouth.
- Striker Adrian Littlejohn also had spells with both clubs.
Through the years…
The two sides first met in 1930 when it finished in a 2-1 win for Plymouth. However, the Valiants got their revenge winning the return fixture by the same scoreline. Vale are slightly ahead in the overall head-to-head with 27 wins to Plymouth’s 21.
Last time we met…
The Valiants produced arguably one of their best results of the season as they stunned Plymouth at Home Park earlier this season. Vale’s hero was striker James Wilson whose double strike helped Darrell Clarke’s side win the match 2-0.
Overall record
27 Port Vale wins | 10 draws | 21 Port Vale losses
From the archives
Courtesy of our YouTube channel, here’s a thumping Vale win from 1992…
A brief history of…
Originally founded simply as Argyle in 1886, the club turned professional and changed their name to Plymouth Argyle in 1903. They entered the Football League in 1920. They frustratingly finished as Third Division South runners-up on six consecutive occasions before winning promotion under the long-serving management of Bob Jack in 1930. The club tended to alternate between the Third and Second divisions for some years. They secured a record fifth third tier league title in 2004, and would remain in the Championship for six seasons until administration and two successive relegations left them in League Two by 2011. In 2017 Argyle won promotion to League One, and again in 2020 following relegation the previous season.
Were you paying attention?
Our traditional quiz…
- Who is the current Plymouth manager?
- What was the score the last time the two teams met?
- In which year were the club formed?
- Which winger recently spent two year spells with both clubs?
Answers below (no cheating)…
- Steven Schumacher
- Plymouth Argyle 0-2 Port Vale
- 1886
- Byron Moore
Image: “Charlton Athletic” by foshie is licensed under CC BY 2.0.