Newcastle Town v Port Vale preview – first friendly offers first glance of new-look Valiants…

Right, the playing break is over as the Valiants are back on the pitch with two friendly games in two days. Here is our preview of the Friday night game…

Preamble

So, that was quick wasn’t it? Football has returned and, as it customary, there are some new faces in the Vale line-up to look out for. Darren Moore has also suggested that trialists could feature. With back-to-back games, it’s tricky to know how many new boys will be involved in this fixture and which will play in Saturday’s game against Kidsgrove. We’ll have to wait and see.

The Opposition

The home side have recently brought back Joel Jones from Nantwich Town. The forward previously played for Newcastle back in 2022. Well-known in local non-league football, manager Neil Baker brings a wealth of experience after spells with Crewe Alex, Leek Town and Macclesfield Town. He was appointed Newcastle boss in December 2023.

Connections

Connections

The club was managed by former Port Vale midfielder Robin van der Laan (pictured) for six years and remains at the club as a director. There have been a host of players to appear for both clubs over the years with a steady succession of released Vale youth teamers moving over to Newcastle. The list includes midfielder Joe Berks, defender Lewis Bergin and Paul Donnelly. There have also been numerous loan moves from Vale Park to Newcastle Town.

Last time we met…

The two clubs met in the first Port Vale summer friendly of last season. It ended in a win for Darren Moore’s side thanks to goals from Lorent Tolaj and Ethan Chislett (2). The Valiants included summer signings Ben Amos, Ronan Curtis and Tolaj in their starting eleven.

We also have a couple of match galleries from that game which are here and here

Fixture history

A few images of previous meetings between the two sides.

Quiz

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

• Who is the current Newcastle Town manager?
• What was the score when Vale last played Newcastle?
• Who were Vale’s goalscorers?

(answers below – no cheating)

Quiz answers

Neil Baker
Newcastle 1-3 Port Vale
Lorent Tolaj and Ethan Chislett

How many did you score? Here’s our rankings…

0/3 – Exodus Geoghaghan
1/3 – Lawrie Wilson
2/3 – Neil Aspin
3/3 – Roy Sproson