Port Vale v Stevenage preview – can Valiants progress in the FA Cup?
Any game against a Steve Evans team is going to be a tough ask but can the Valiants build on their long-awaited League win at Exeter City on Tuesday evening? Here’s our preview…
MATCH PREVIEW
Port Vale v Stevenage: Tuesday December 12th, Vale Park stadium, FA Cup second round replay, 7.45pm.
PREAMBLE
We all know how we got here. Funso Ojo’s late penalty earned Vale a 1-1 draw at Stevenage and now we meet again to find out who will travel to Maidstone in the next round.
Vale will surely have renewed optimism after their away win at Exeter City at the weekend while Stevenage’s fine form continues as they won 2-1 at Burton. The away side are unbeaten in eleven games in League and Cup competitions and will prove a real test for the Valiants.
TEAM NEWS
Vale started the game at Exeter with their occasional “striker-less” formation – midfielder Ben Garrity instead starting up top. Uche Ikpeazu came on for the second-half and could have scored but for a good save – but was it enough to oust the ever willing Garrity from the centre forward role. Or will Andy Crosby switch it around anyhow with such a busy League and Cup schedule?
Alfie Devine missed that game at Exeter and this may be a game too soon for the Spurs loanee to come back. James Wilson is also back in training and may be an outside bet to make the squad.
However, Mitch Clark, Josh Thomas and Dan Jones are all likely to miss this one through injury.
OPPOSITION
Steve Evans hailed the club’s win at Burton as an “outstanding performance” and his team travel to Burslem full of confidence.
They may have to manage without injured duo Harvey White and Finley Burns who both missed the game at the weekend. Evans confirmed that “Harvey should OK to train on Monday and Finley was feeling his Achilles after training on Thursday.”
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 53% win ratio from his 95 games in charge.
PAST MEETINGS
The two sides last met ten days ago in the original second round fixture with Funso Ojo netting from the spot for Vale. The Valiants have also visited Stevenage in the League producing a 0-0 draw.
The two sides first met in a competitive fixture in 2009 for an FA Cup tie with Adam Yates scoring Vale’s first goal against Stevenage. 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
10 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…
PREDICT THE SCORE
GO'ARN THE VALE!
Quiz answers:
- Steve Evans
- 2010
- Tom Conlon