Port Vale v Sutton Utd preview – can the Valiants make the fourth round?
It was a creditable performance on Saturday – can Vale now follow that up with progress in the cup against League Two Sutton?
PREDICT THE SCORE
MATCH PREVIEW
Port Vale v Sutton Utd: Tuesday September 26th, Vale Park stadium, Football League Cup round three
PREAMBLE
It’s only early doors this season but this will be Vale Park’s fourth cup match of the campaign after two against Crewe and another against Fleetwood. Vale will be extremely keen to reach the fourth round and a potentially lucrative draw but they need to concentrate on beating Sutton first. They may also need to do it with only one fit striker after the injury news about Ryan Loft.
TEAM NEWS
Vale are almost certain to start with James Wilson upfront but will be conscious of the workload on the striker as this could be his fourth game in nine days. For that reason, Vale will be keen to see Josh Thomas recovered from illness so he can act as cover for Wilson.
Ryan Loft has joined Tom Conlon on the sidelines after the striker suffered a calf injury.
OPPOSITION
Sutton reached the third round thanks to wins over League One sides Cambridge United and Wycombe Wanderers so Vale will need to be cautious that they don’t make it a hat-trick. The side’s cup form is in marked contrast to their form in League Two where they have only recorded one win so far this season.
MAN IN CHARGE
Matt Gray was appointed in May 2019 making him one of the longest serving managers in the League. He’s been in charge for 209 games with a 33% win ratio.
PAST MEETINGS
The two sides have only met competitively on two occasions.
The first game took place in 2022 with James Wilson and Jamie Proctor (pictured) scoring the goals in a 2-0 Vale win.
However, the game at Sutton was another affair as the Valiants lost 4-3 in a thriller. Nathan Smith, Jamie Proctor and Tom Conlon were the Vale goalscorers that day.
OVERALL RECORD
1 Port Vale win
0 draws
1 Port Vale loss
BRIEF HISTORY
Founded in 1898, this is Sutton’s third season in the Football League. The club first reached the Conference in 1986 and received nationwide attention during the 1988-89 season when their FA Cup exploits included knocking out holders Coventry City. They were at it again in 2016-17 when they reached the fifth round beating three League teams in Cheltenham, AFC Wimbledon and Leeds United.
ARCHIVE
Slim picking to be honest… but here’s the highlights of the first meeting between the two sides.
FAMILIAR FACES
Sutton United wingback Sam Hart may be familiar to Valiants as he spent a loan spell with the club back in 2016. Hart made sixteen appearances scoring once. He joined Sutton in 2022.
Other players to appear for both sides in recent years include strikers Richie Bennett and Donovan Wilson as well as winger Rhys Browne.
JOIN THE DEBATE
Our dedicated match thread on the forum is the place to go to discuss the match before, during and after the action. View the thoughts of fellow fans and add your comments…
THE QUIZ
Our now traditional match preview quiz. How many will you get. Answers below (no cheating!)…
- Who is the current Sutton United manager?
- What was the score when the sides last met?
- When was the club formed?
- When did the two sides first play a competitive match?
GO'ARN THE VALE!
Quiz answers:
- Matt Gray
- Port Vale 2-0 Sutton Utd
- 1898
- 2022