Swindon Town v Port Vale preview – will Moore be merry after meeting with in-form Town?

After a chastening cup defeat to Wrexham… can the Valiants now put on a better performance away from home? Here’s our match preview…

The Vale perspective

Form

The Valiants are still not in top gear but, despite that heavy cup defeat, they remain in good form in the League and are currently the second-best in the division away from home.

Fitness

Loanee Rico Richards, who left the Football League Trophy game injured, is rated 50/50 for this game. Wingback Mitch Clark also left the pitch early on Tuesday but as he is suspended he wouldn’t have made this game anyhow.

Team selection

With Mitch Clark and Tom Sang both suspended, it means Kyle John is seemingly a shoe-in for the right wingback slot. Ronan Curtis put on a decent display in midweek but surely Moore will stick with Stockley and Tolaj upfront? George Byers probably isn’t fit enough to start in midfield but he should make the bench.

Viewing guide

This match has been selected by Sky+ and is an early kick-off so it can shown in the UK. Fans based overseas can also watch it via the PVTV service.

The opposition

Man in charge

Love him or loathe him, it appears that Ian Holloway is very much a marmite figure. However, to give him credit, the 61 year-old has turned the Robins’ form around since joining. The former Bristol Rovers, QPR and Blackpool (to name just a few) manager has a 47% win ratio from his 21 games in charge.

Form

The home side are bang in form with four straight wins including a thumping 5-1 away win over Carlisle United in their last game. After struggling in the lower reaches of the table, their form has now taken them to fourteenth.

Team news

There’s probably going to be a familiar face in goal for Swindon after the signing of Connor Ripley, but more on him later… it’s likely that the home side will have a fully fit side to select from. Former Valiant Dan Butterworth is expected to start after a fine showing against Carlisle which earnt praise from manager Holloway. The Swindon boss gushed “He’s so instrumental when we’re attacking.”

Connections

Current connections

The spotlight is certain to fall on Connor Ripley after his deadline day move from Vale to Swindon. The strapping keeper was first choice at Vale until losing his place to Ben Amos and that seems to have prompted his move away. Ripley is sure of a good reception from the travelling Vale fans. The Valiants will also come up against former loanee Danny Butterworth who joined Swindon on a permanent basis during the last transfer window.

Vintage connections

Over the years there have been a number of players to appear for both sides. The list includes midfielder Anthony Grant, defender Ben Purkiss, striker Billy Paynter and defender Ryan McGivern.

Featured connection

Yes, it’s an obvious one but we’re hardly going to pass up an opportunity of a re-run of THAT penalty miss. Yep, it’s Harry McKirdy. The forward joined the Valiants in 2020 but hardly got a look-in scoring just twice in 12 games. He turned things around at Swindon where he scored 24 times in the 2021-22 season including two goals in the play-off semi-final first leg win over Vale. However, arguably his most important chance – a penalty miss in the shootout in the semi-final second leg helped Vale reach the final and promotion to League One. And here’s a chance  to see it again…

https://twitter.com/Josh_pvfc/status/1659477291078909954

History

Last time we met

First Vale goals from George Byers and loanee Brandon Cover gave the Valiants a 2-1 victory at Vale Park earlier in the season. Will Wright scored what proved to be a late consolation for the visitors.

Fixture history

The two clubs first met in 1938 with Port Vale ending the first fixture as 2-0 winners. Local lad Harry Griffiths (pictured) was the scorer of Port Vale’s first competitive goal against the Robins.

Memorable match

We don’t want to be too repetitive, honest, but it was that dramatic play-off semi-final win at Vale Park. During play, it was striker James Wilson who levelled the scores on aggregate and then it was goalkeeper Aidan Stone who was the hero as the Valiants triumphed during the penalty shootout…

Archive

Some photos from our archive…

Brief history

Founded as Swindon AFC in 1879, the club became Spartans the next year, before finally settling on the name Swindon Town in 1883. They were elected into the Football League in 1920 after considerable success in the Southern League. They won the League Cup in 1969 and earned promotion to the top-flight in 1993 although they lasted a solitary season in the Premier League. They won promotion to League Two in 2020 before being relegated back to League Two in 2021.

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…

Swindon Town v Port Vale match thread

Predict the score

Quiz

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

(answers below – no cheating)

Quiz answers

1. Ian Holloway
2. Dan Butterworth
3. 1879
4. John Trollope

The tough one: 8,425

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