Port Vale v Wigan Athletic preview – can Valiants put FA Cup upset behind them?
Will Port Vale bounce back from FA Cup heartache as they play their second, successive fixture at Vale Park this week? Here’s our preview.
PREAMBLE
- Opposition: Wigan Athletic
- Competition: League One
- Venue: Vale Park stadium
- Date: Saturday, 3pm
Well, that was a tough one to take in midweek… manager Andy Crosby said the team had “only ourselves to blame” after they conceded late on in normal time and extra-time in midweek. Vale’s League form is still poor so they badly need to bounce back on Saturday against Wigan.
TEAM NEWS
Line-Up
Will Andy Crosby make changes for this fixture or will he stick with the same starting XI that did well for the first sixty minutes of the FA Cup tie against Stevenage?
Forwards
One of the key decisions will clearly be who to start upfront. Ryan Loft finally got off the mark in midweek but surely Ben Garrity is favourite to remain in the central striking role after his two goals in the Cup. The converted midfielder is comfortably Vale’s top-scorer with nine this season.
Injuries
There now appear to be fresh injury concerns around Gavin Massey, Ollie Arblaster, Alfie Devine and Conor Grant. Josh Thomas is likely to remain sidelined for this one but fellow striker James Wilson has been training – so will he be able to make the squad? Wingback Mitch Clark remains in rehabilitation after surgery.
OPPONENTS
- League position: 14th
- Form: W-D-D-W-D
- Top-scorer: Stephen Humphrys (7)
- Manager: Shaun Maloney
Recent games
Opponents Wigan have won three out of their last four games although two of those came in cup competitions. They have to go back to October for their last League away win and the side also haven’t lost since October.
Man in charge
Shaun Maloney was appointed manager in January and has a 36% win ratio from 45 games in charge.
HISTORY
- Port Vale wins: 13
- Draws: 7
- Port Vale losses: 12
Fixture history
The two sides first met in an FA Cup tie in 1969 when it finished in a 1-1 draw with John James scoring. It took two more replays for Vale to beat their non-league opponents with James again scoring the winner in a 1-0 second replay win.
It’s been pretty even stevens in recent games with both sides winning two of the last four fixtures. The last time Vale played Wigan at home it was Uche Ikpeazu who was the hero with a last minute winner in a 2015 3-2 win.
Club history
Founded in 1932, Wigan have played at the DW Stadium since 1999, before which they played at Springfield Park. They won promotion to the top flight in 2005, were beaten finalists in the League Cup in 2006 and won the FA Cup in 2013.
Predict the score
And finally
Discuss
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…
Quiz time
- Who is the current Wigan manager?
- Who scored a last-gasp winner at Vale Park in 2015?
- When were Wigan formed?
- When did they win the FA Cup?
Answers below (no cheating)
- Shaun Maloney
- Uche Ikpeazu
- 1932
- 2013