Cheltenham Town v Port Vale preview – back on the road again for Moore’s men

Three things to watch out for

1. A chance to brush aside late disappointment

While conceding late on at home to Crewe was obviously disappointing, it’s worth taking the positives – Vale netted a point despite playing with ten men for nearly half the match and continued their League form by making it just one loss in thirteen games.

2. Who to play in central midfield

Presumably the reason for bringing in Rakeem Harper was for him to fill a Ben Garrity sized hole (as the skipper is injured). It made sense as fellow midfielder George Byers was also injured. However, with Harper now suspended after his red card on debut against Crewe it somewhat puts Vale back to square one. We suspect Darren Moore may opt for Ethan Chislett alongside the often unsung Ryan Croasdale in the middle.

3. Will an extended break help Vale?

It will be eight days since Vale’s last game thanks to a blank Saturday schedule. This could give Vale the chance to bring back some injured players into the squad. Jesse Debrah is one who could benefit. He wasn’t quite ready for Crewe but the centre-half should be fit for this one. Another possibility is the return of George Byers. He’s back in training and if fit, could potentially be a solution to the central midfield situation.

The Vale view

Form

It’s now just the one defeat from the last thirteen League games for Darren Moore’s men. It’s easy to see negatives and positives from Monday’s home draw but looking at it positively, Vale’s ten men matched Crewe’s eleven for large periods and only conceded very late on. Perhaps eleven men will do better on Tuesday night?

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. There’s a chance both could be included in the match day squad.

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, Gran/Shorrock  – Richards, Stockley, Curtis

Trivia: should he play, this will be the 300th game of Connor Ripley’s career

Viewing guide

As it’s a midweek evening game, this game is being shown live on Sky Sports+ in the UK. Viewers outside of the UK can see the game on the PVTV service.

Guide to the opposition

Club factfile

• Team: Cheltenham Town
• League: League Two
• Manager: Michael Flynn

Trivia: Nicknamed the “Robins”, the club have played at Whaddon Road since 1932

Man in charge

Former Newport County, Walsall and Swindon Town boss Michael Flynn has been in charge since May. The 44 year-old has won ten of his 23 games in charge of Town. Flynn has also won four manager of the month awards during his seven years as a manager.

Form

After the disappointing defeat to Salford City, manager Michael Flynn didn’t mince his words telling the media he’d told his team –  “I’ve just told them if they play like that against Port Vale, you’ll lose 5-0 at home.” Cheltenham’s form has stuttered recently with just one win in their last four games.

Squad and injuries

Vice captain Scott Bennett will be a major doubt for this game after picking up an injury in the defeat to Salford City. Manager Michael Flynn said a “dangerous” pitch was a factor in the injury. Left-back Ryan Haynes and midfielder Harry Pell will miss the game with the pair expected to be out until March and April respectively

One to watch

Ethon Archer has been in good form this season. He has five goals so far with four of them coming in the League.

History

Current connections

There are two former Port Vale players in the Cheltenham squad in well regarded midfielder Tom Pett and loan striker Matty Taylor. Pett, now 32, captained the side at Wembley for the play-off final win over Mansfield Town. On the Vale side, utility player Tom Sang had a spell on loan at Cheltenham earlier in his career.

Historical connections

There have been a number of players to appear for both clubs over recent years. The list includes winger Ashley Vincent, central defender Ryan Inniss, goalkeeper Rob Lainton, striker George Lloyd and defender Charlie Raglan.

Featured connection

Goalkeeper Scott Brown is still fondly remembered at both clubs. The stopper had undertaken a nine year spell at Cheltenham (plus a spell on loan) before joining Vale in 2018. His Cheltenham record stands at 303 games while he also managed 144 for the Valiants as well as picking up a player of the season award.

Overall record

• Port Vale wins: 7
• Port Vale losses: 10
• Draws: 10

Trivia: Vale have to go back to 2006 for their last win at Whaddon Road.

Last time we met

There was a chastening 3-2 defeat for the Valiants back in February. Defender Nathan Smith had given the Vale the lead and despite a goal from former Valiant Matty Taylor, Vale were 2-1 ahead on 65 minutes thanks to an own-goal. However, two goals in four minutes for the home side saw them take all three points. It was manager Darren Moore’s first game in charge to boot.

Fixture history

The two sides first met in 2002 in a League Two fixture. The Valiants won 1-0 with the club’s first scorer against Cheltenham being midfielder Marc Bridge-Wilkinson. Cheltenham got their revenge in the return fixture winning 2-1 on their first visit to Vale Park. It’s now been five games since Vale’s last win over Town.

Memorable match

Cheltenham has been a happy hunting ground for Vale’s post-war record goalscorer Tom Pope. He netted a hat-trick in an FA Cup win but we’re going to feature another Pope hat-trick here. In 2013, Pope inspired his team to come back from 2-1 down with a hat-trick to seal a 3-2 win. His goals came on 19, 58 and 74 minutes and 5,867 were there to witness it.

Archive

This website has been around for nearly 30 years so has a pretty extensive archive. Here’s some dramatic shots of a rain drenched clash from back in 2017…

Brief history

Cheltenham Town were formed in 1887 but they didn’t reach the Football League until 1999 when they were promoted from the Conference. They were relegated back to the National League in 2015 only to return in 2016.

Club records

• Highest attendance: 10,389 v Blackpool, FA Cup 3rd round, 1934
• Biggest win: 12-0 v Chippenham Rovers, FA Cup 3rd qualifying round, 1935
• Biggest defeat: 1-10 vs Merthyr Tydfil, Southern League, 1952

Your views

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