Port Vale v Crewe preview – local rivals, television cameras and a top of the table clash

Three things to watch out for

1. A chance to impress on TV

It’s hard to recall a televised Vale League game of recent years that has lingered long in the memory. However, with Vale on such a long run of form surely this is a golden opportunity to impress in front of the cameras. However…

2. Beware an accomplished Crewe side

There’s been a lot of antipathy between Vale and Crewe in recent years. However, Lee Bell’s side has to be admired. Despite losing a number of higher profile players in the summer, the Alex are firmly in the promotion picture and could cause Vale one of their biggest challenges yet. They may be the subject of ridicule to some Valiants fans but the visitors should not be underestimated.

3. A chance to improve the home form

So bear with us here as we are being a tad picky. Vale have been in great form so far this season but it’s noticeable that their away form is better than their home. At time of writing, Vale have won six of their eight away games but only four of seven at home. So, a win over local rivals would not only be great for bragging rights but also to level the stats out a bit too!

The Vale view

Form

It’s now just the one defeat from the last twelve League games with the 1-0 win at Morecambe helping to ease any jitters. The win at the weekend ended a three game winless streak.

Fitness

Manager Darren Moore has said that defender Jesse Debrah should be fit for this game, but whether he starts is another matter. Captain Ben Garrity is out but defender Kyle John and midfielder George Byers are both nearing match fitness again.

Team selection

We’d expect Darren Moore to name something like his strongest team for this fixture. One question mark will be Ryan Croasdale’s partner in central midfield. Should Jesse Debrah return to the back three then it appears to be a choice between Tom Sang and Ethan Chislett in the middle. We suspect that if there is any doubt over Debrah then Sang will stay at the back and Chislett in the middle.

Possible line-up

Formation: 3-4-3

Starting eleven: Ripley – Sang/Debrah, Heneghan, Hall – Cover, Chislett/Sang, Croasdale, Grant – Paton, Stockley, Curtis

Trivia: Nathan Smith made his 403rd appearance last weekend, taking him to seventh in the club’s all-time appearance makers.

Viewing guide

As you will have gathered already, this game is being shown live on Sky Sports in the UK. It will be on the Sky Sports Football channel. Viewers outside of the UK can see the game on the PVTV service.

Guide to the opposition

Club factfile

• Team: Crewe Alexandra
• League: League Two
• Manager: Lee Bell

Trivia: John ‘Jackie’ Pearson is the only Crewe player to have been capped by England.

Man in charge

41 year-old former Crewe player Lee Bell has been in charge since November 2022 following the departure of Alex Morris. His record stands at 109 games with a win ratio of 39.4%.

Form

Crewe’s League form at the moment is good with three wins from their last four games. It includes victory over promotion rivals Notts County and a draw at Walsall. The visitors are unbeaten in their last three away fixtures.

Squad and injuries

The visitors will expect to see two players  return to their squad for this game. Jamie Knight-Lebel and Adrien Thibaut, were both on international duty at the weekend. Jack Lankester was back on the bench on Saturday after six weeks out with a hamstring injury. However, striker Chris Long was dismissed during that game and will be suspended.

One to watch

Striker Shilow Tracey is in good form at the moment with three goals in his last four games. It included a fine solo effort against Notts County.

History

Former connections

For the first time in a while there are no current connections between the two sides so we’re going to have go back a little bit to find players who appeared for both. The list includes forward David Amoo, striker Uche Ikpeazu, midfielder Michael O’Connor, winger Byron Moore and midfielder Anthony Grant.

Featured connection

OK, it’s obvious but allow us this one… we’re going to talk about striker Tom Pope of course! The Vale fan started his professional career at Crewe in 2005 making 64 appearances and scoring 17 times. He later had three spells with the Valiants, scoring 115 times to take him to second place in the all-time scoring charts and being named player of the season on three occasions.

Overall record

• Port Vale wins: 39
• Port Vale losses: 20
• Draws: 24

Trivia: Crewe have failed to score a goal against Vale in their last five encouters

Last time we met

An 18th minute strike from midfielder Ben Garrity gave Vale a 1-0 home win over Crewe in the group stages of the Football League Trophy. A youthful Vale line-up included midfielder Rhys Walters, defender Jack Shorrock and forward James Plant. The last League meeting between the two was in the truncated 2019-20 season when Vale won 1-0 at Crewe thanks to a goal from Jake Taylor.

Fixture history

The two sides first met in September 1892 when it ended in a thumping 4-1 win for the Valiants. Billy Beats (pictured) was the scorer of Vale’s first-ever goal against Crewe. The Alex got revenge in the return fixture winning 5-0 at home. It remains their best win over the Valiants. Vale’s best margin of victory is 5-1 – obtained in an 1996 League Cup win and a 1978 League game. Interestingly, both wins came away from home.

Memorable match

A stunning strike from veteran Antony Kay earned Vale a point in a dramatic game at the Alexandra stadium. The Valiants made a dreadful start when an error from keeper Ryan Boot gifted Crewe a goal. Boot was replaced soon afterwards. Vale drew level against the run of play from a Tom Pope penalty against his former club. However, Crewe took the lead through Bowery before Kay’s late stunner made it all-square.

Archive

This website has been around for nearly 30 years so has a pretty extensive archive. We’ve got two things in here for this game. Firstly, a feature relating to Vale and Crewe transfers and then we go all the way back to 1893 with a vintage match report (not from us, even OVF wasn’t about in 1893) but from the local press. Here goes…

Archive One: successful Vale signings from Crewe

Five of the best Port Vale signings from Crewe Alex

Port Vale signings from Crewe Alex: it’s a controversial move at the best of times, but here are five transfers from our near neighbours which have most benefitted the Valiants.

Read more

Archive Two: vintage match report from 1893

Brief history

Formed in 1877, Crewe joined the Football League Second Division in 1892. The club had to wait till 1963 for their first promotion. The club’s greatest period of success came under Dario Gradi, responsible for discovering the likes of David Platt, Danny Murphy and Rob Jones, and who managed the side for well over a thousand games.

Club records

• Highest attendance: 20,000 vs Tottenham Hotspur (FA Cup fourth round), 30 January 1960
• Biggest League win: 8-0 versus Rotherham United, 1932
• Biggest defeat: 1-11 versus Lincoln City, 1952

Your views

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