Port Vale v Northampton Town preview – can Valiants make it four in a row against in-form opponents?

Wingback crisis easing?

The Valiants have struggling on the flanks recently but the welcome return of Kyle John will give them a welcome boost. John offers cover on both flanks and with Mitch Clark and Liam Gordon both facing spells out injured the former Everton man’s availability after injury is a welcome one. It means Vale can potentially still start with Jordan Gabriel and Jaheim Headley but have John and youngster Jack Shorrock as cover.

Stockley adds another dimension

As we’ve mentioned before, Vale have no-one who offers what Jayden Stockley does upfront. The targetman has experience, aerial prowess and good link-up play. His return from injury is also welcome.

Strike force?

And on that note, who does Darren Moore pick upfront? It’s arguably two from four with Devante Cole, Dajaune Brown, Ruari Paton and Stockley all in contention. Brown and Cole did well at Barnsley but Paton has impressed while Stockley’s qualities are well-known. It’s a welcome selection dilemma for the Valiants.

Possible Vale line-up (3-5-2)

Gauci – Humphreys, Debrah, Hall – Gabriel, Croasdale, Byers, Headley – Garrity – Cole, Brown

Darren Moore given triple injury boost ahead of Northampton test

Meet the manager

43 year-old Kevin Nolan is in his third managerial role after previous spells at Leyton Orient and Notts County. The former West Ham and Bolton Wanderers midfielder was appointed at Northampton in December 2024 and has twelve wins from 36 games in charge.

Recent form

The visitors sit in 13th place in League One after beating Bolton 2-0 at the weekend. Northampton are in good form having won four of their last five games.

Team news

Max Dyche, Lee Burge, Elliott List and Jack Burroughs could all be back in contention after the quartet missed Northampton’s win over Bolton.

Brief History

Founded in 1897, the club competed in on-league before being admitted into the Football League in 1920. They spent the next 38 years in Division Three before three promotions under Dave Bowen took them into the First Division. However, after one season they were promptly relegated down to Division Four. They returned to League One after promotion in 2023.

Stadium

Sixfields has been Northampton’s home following their move from the County Ground in October 1994. It has a 8,203 capacity.

Trivia

The then non-league Northampton Town shipped 103 goals during the 1920-21 season. Surprisingly, despite their leaky defence, they were invited to join the Football League in the summer of 2021.

Watch a vintage video of Port Vale’s 4-2 win over Northampton Town from 1993

Fixture history

The two sides first met back in 1938 when the first game ended in a 2-0 win for Northampton. Vale’s first goalscorer against Northampton was Colin Lynam who netted in a 1-1 draw in 1946. It took Vale until 1948 to get their first win – a 1-0 victory thanks to a goal from Alf Bellis.

Last time we met

The Valiants suffered a disappointing 2-0 home defeat back in April 2024.

Player connections

The most recent players to appear for both are striker James Wilson and winger Liam McCarron. Other players to appear for both sides in recent seasons include midfielder Sam Foley,  the late Lee Collins, striker Marc Richards and fellow forward JJ Hooper

Vintage connection

Lucien Boullemier is one of the more fascinating characters in Port Vale’s early history. The son of the French-born ceramic artist Antonin Boullemier, he originally moved to the Potteries to take up work as a pottery decorator. However, he was spotted in the local leagues by Stoke City for whom he made a handful of appearances. He then moved onto Port Vale in 1897  where he made over 150 appearances, with over a hundred coming in the Football League. After a short spell with Northampton Town in 1905 he returned to the Potteries for a brief second spell. Following retirement, he then produced an acclaimed range of pottery  called “Boumier Ware”.

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 –

Match thread for the game

Quiz

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

Who is the current Northampton Town manager?
When were Northampton Town formed?
What was the score when the sides last met?
Who is Northampton’s record scorer?

(answers below – no cheating)

Quiz answers

Kevin Nolan
1897
Port Vale 0-2 Northampton Town
Jack English

Quiz ratings

Today’s theme is central midfielders. How did you fare?

0/4 – Exodus Geoghaghan
1/4 – Mark Innes
2/4 – Micky Cummins
3/4 – Marc Bridge-Wilkinson
4/4 – Ray Walker