Stevenage v Port Vale preview – back after the break can Valiants regain early form?
Port Vale travel to Steve Evans’ Stevenage on Saturday afternoon – will they turn their recent poor League form around? Here’s our preview.
MATCH PREVIEW
Stevenage v Port Vale: Saturday October 21st, Lamex stadium, League One
PREAMBLE
It’s been a quiet International break for the Valiants with little news of note coming out of the club. However, after the penalty shootout win over Newcastle B in the Football League Trophy, Andy Crosby suggested that the break would allow the club time to bring back some players from injury. We therefore guess there will be a lot of interest in the 2pm team news announcement.
TEAM NEWS
So let’s get those injury doubts out of the way shall we?
At the back, Vale have looked unbalanced with no natural left-footed defender while Kofi Balmer and Jesse Debrah are still acclimatising to League One football. It will therefore be a huge boost if the strapping Alex Iacovitti (pictured) returns. Dan Jones could be another left-sided option.
On the flanks, Vale will likely be missing Conor Grant. Mitch Clark looked to put forward a decent case to start on the left with Tom Sang on the right.
Upfront, James Wilson limped off in the Football League Trophy game. Josh Thomas played for Wales U21 and is fit but doubt remain over recent signings Ryan Loft and Uche Ikpeazu. Of those two, Ikpeazu is the most likely to make the matchday squad.
OPPOSITION
Stevenage will have surprised one or two with their strong start to their League One campaign. They sit in fifth place in the table albeit they have only won one of their last five games in League and Cup.
Following their promotion, the club added a host of players in the summer including striker Aaron Pressley and three players from Peterborough (Dan Butler, Nathan Thompson and Ben Thompson). This season’s top-scorer is Jamie Reid with eight goals.
MAN IN CHARGE
Love him or loathe him, it’s fair to say most people have strong opinions on Steve Evans. Convicted of tax evasion while at Boston United, Evans has bounced back to get three promotions and manage a host of clubs. He was appointed Stevenage manager in March 2022 and has a 51% win ratio from his 84 games in charge.
PAST MEETINGS
The two sides last met in the 2021-22 season. Vale won the home 2-0 thanks to an own-goal and another from loanee Ryan Edmondson while the away game ended 1-1 with Devante Rodney scoring his final Vale goal.
The two sides first met in a competitive fixture in 2009 for an FA Cup tie, which Vale won after a replay. The first League meeting took place the following year.
BRIEF HISTORY
Stevenage Borough were founded in 1976 following the demise of the town’s former club. They reached the Conference in 1994 but were denied promotion in 1996 after failing to meet ground requirements.
However, the club did eventually win promotion in 2010. After promotion, the club dropped “Borough” from their name and won promotion to League One in 2011 before being relegated back to League Two in 2014.
CONNECTIONS
Former Vale captain Tom Conlon made his professional debut while on the books at Stevenage. He’s unlikely to feature today due to injury but he made 56 appearances for Stevenage before a move to Vale where (to date) he’s made 179 appearances and scored nineteen goals.
Other players to appear for both sides in recent years include forward David Amoo, midfielder Tom Pett and forward Harry McKirdy.
OVERALL RECORD
4 Port Vale wins
8 draws
5 Port Vale losses
THE QUIZ
Our now traditional match preview quiz. How many will you get. Answers below (no cheating!)…
- Who is the current Stevenage manager?
- When was the club enter the Football League?
- Which current Vale player also played for Stevenage?
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…
GO'ARN THE VALE!
Quiz answers:
- Steve Evans
- 2010
- Tom Conlon