Port Vale v Fleetwood Town: on a memorable weekend will Moore’s men give us another reason to celebrate?

On a weekend where thoughts will turn to celebrating a Port Vale legend, there’s now a chance for the in-form current team to entertain the home fans.

The Vale perspective

Other matters

There will probably be an air of celebration at Vale Park. Not only is the team celebrating going top of the table but Monday marks the unveiling of the John Rudge Statue – a tribute to the club’s greatest manager. You can read more about the great man in our dedicated section

Form

Fab. Top of the table. Manager of the month. Player of the month. Unbeaten in eight. A weekend of celebrating a legendary manager. What can possibly go wrong? Well, just remember this is Port Vale we’re talking about.

Fitness

The Valiants have confirmed that defender Kyle John and midfielder George Byers are both set for spells on the sidelines. Conor Grant is close to a return while Mitch Clark and Sam Hart are both back in training.

Team selection

After his assist on Saturday (plus an excellent last-gasp challenge in his own area) you’d expect 17 year-old Jack Shorrock to keep his place on the left. There’s a chance that Darren Moore may opt for an unchanged line-up but he has plenty of options. For instance, which of Lorent Tolaj, Ethan Chislett, Ronan Curtis and Antwoine Hackford should support Jayden Stockley?

Viewing guide

This game is not available on Sky+ in the UK so fans will not be able to watch live. Fans based overseas can watch it via the PVTV service.

The opposition

Man in charge

Former Stoke City midfielder Charlie Adam could get a “warm” reception from the Lorne Street on Saturday. the 38 year-old has been in charge for 37 games, winning thirteen of them.

Form

More than decent. Like Vale, Fleetwood are on a good unbeaten run. The visitors’ run stretches to seven games in League and Cup. They have also won their last three away games so should not be taken lightly.

Squad and signings

Having lost the likes of Jayden Stockley and Ben Heneghan (both at Vale) and forward Promise Omochere, Fleetwood have brought in seven new faces over the summer. They include former Everton midfielder Mackenzie Hunt, St Mirren defender James Bolton, Manchester United defender Rhys Bennett and former Vale duo Kian Harratt (on loan) and Mipo Odubeko.

Connections

Current connections

The Valiants could potentially line-up against an old boys forward line. Port Vale play-off final hero Kian Harratt joined the club on a season-long loan from Huddersfield where he linked up with another former Vale loanee in Mipo Odubeko.  There are also two Fleetwood old boys in the expected Port Vale starting eleven in defender Ben Heneghan and striker Jayden Stockley.

Vintage connections

Over the years there have been a number of players to appear for both sides. The list of recent players includes four forwards in Ellis Harrison, Ryan Edmondson, Dan Butterworth (both of whom had loan spells with the Valiants) and Jamie Proctor.

Featured connection

Chris Neal served both sides with distinction. The keeper is best remembered at Vale Park for his role in the 2012-13 promotion side. Seen as the best Vale goalkeeper since Mark Goodlad, he made 143 appearances. He spent a two year spell at Fleetwood where he made 36 appearances. He is currently the goalkeeping coach at AFC Fylde.

History

Last time we met

It ended in a 2-2 draw at Vale Park with Jenson Weir and Ethan Chislett scoring for the Valiants. Current Vale striker Jayden Stockley scored twice late on for the visitors. 4,358 people were in attendance.

Fixture history

The two clubs first met in 2012 when it ended in a memorable 5-2 win for the Valiants. More on that below. However, the Vale lost the return match 0-2 at Vale Park. In addition to their League meetings, the clubs have met once in the League Cup with it ended in a 3-2 win for Vale. Ethan Chislett scored the winner.

Memorable match

That first meeting between the sides was one to remember for the Vale fans. Tom Pope and Louis Dodds both scored braces with Ashley Vincent scoring the other goal. It was played in front of 3,392 fans.

Brief history

Fleetwood Town was established in 1997 and is the fourth incarnation of the club which was originally formed in 1908. The current incarnation of the club came into existence as Fleetwood Wanderers in 1997 and changed their name to Fleetwood Town in 2002, Under the ownership of Andrew Pilley they won promotion to the Football League in 2012.

Opinion and quiz

Discuss the game

Want to discuss things before, during and after the game? Our forum’s dedicated match thread is the place to be. Share your views with fellow fans…

Port Vale v Fleetwood forum thread

Predict the score

Quiz

Have you been paying attention? Here’s our traditional preview quiz

(answers below – no cheating)

Quiz answers

1. Charlie Adam
2. Kian Harratt and Mipo Odubeko
3. 1997
4. Nathan Pond

The tough one: 3,497

How do you think the match will go for the Valiants? Share your thoughts and post a comment below.