Jon Brady’s injury-hit Port Vale side take on Blackpool in a midweek game. Here’s our preview.
Vale viewpoint
Essentials
- Opposition: Blackpool
- Date: Tuesday 17th March, 2026
- Competition: League One
- Viewing guide: Sky Sports in the UK, live on PVTV overseas
Talking points
Who will feature in Vale’s injury-hit side?
Vale had just one recognised defender in their side on Saturday. And that player Tyler Magloire nearly went off with a broken nose. So, it’s likely to be round pegs in square holes as Jon Brady’s side look to battle through this injury-hit spell.
Doubts?
Are you ready..? George Byers is definitely out after suffering a setback. Ben Garrity is nearing fitness. Kyle John has a calf issue and is doubtful. Connor Hall is suffering from fatigue. Ben Heneghan is definitely out for another week. Ryan Croasdale is three weeks away. Jayden Stockley is out for a “few weeks.” Cam Humphreys is a doubt with a hamstring issue.
Possible Vale line-up (3-4-3)
Gauci – Magloire, Campbell, Gordon – Gabriel, Ojo, Walters, Headley – G.Hall, Brown, Waine
Tyler Magloire – last recognised defender standing
Opposition briefing
Essentials
- Name: Blackpool
- Manager: Ian Evatt
- Stadium: Bloomfield Road stadium
Need to know
Meet the manager
44 year-old Ian Evatt took over following the dismissal of Steve Bruce. The former Barrow and Bolton manager has been in charge for 29 games, winning ten of them.
Recent form
Poor. Blackpool are five games since their last win and have won just once in their last ten games.
Last match
A 2-1 loss to Doncaster Rovers.
Manager Ian Evatt
Opposition history
Essentials
- Record appearance holder: Jimmy Armfield, 569
- Record goalscorer: Jimmy Hampson, 252
- Record win: 10-0 versus Lanerossi Vicenza, Anglo Italian Cup 1972
Over the years
Brief History
Founded in 1887, the club joined the Football League in 1896. Blackpool have worn tangerine strips from 1923 onwards. They first reached the top-flight in 1929 before a golden period which saw them win the FA Cup final in 1953. In 2010, they reached the Premier League for a season. However, the club – under despised owners the Oystons then plummeted to the fourth division. The Oystons were finally ousted in 2019.
Stadium
Bloomfield Road is the third stadium in the club’s existence, the previous two being Raikes Hall Gardens and the Athletic Grounds. The record attendance is 38,098 when Blackpool played Wolves in 1955.
Trivia
For the first and only time in the club’s history, four Blackpool players represented England in the infamous 6–3 defeat by Hungary at Wembley on 25 November 1953.
The Bloomfield Road stadium
Archive
This site is thirty years old and has thousands of posts. Here are a couple to feature the opposition.
Head-to-head
How it stands
- Vale wins: 36
- Draws: 11
- Vale losses: 33
Previous games
Fixture history
The two sides first met in 1898 when it ended in a comprehensive 4-0 away win for the Vale. James Peake was the scorer of the club’s first goal against Blackpool. Vale did even better in the return leg winning 6-1 at home with the prolific Peake netting four times.
Last time we met
A stunning 5-1 Port Vale win over Blackpool on New Year’s Day. The goalscorers for that game were Stockley, Byers, Headley, Cole and Curtis. It was all the more remarkable as Vale were without a manager at the time.
Ronan Curtis – the last Vale goalscorer against Blackpool
Jordan Gabriel – played for both
Played for both
Player connections
Vale have three former Blackpool men in their squad although two of them are ruled out through injury. Captain Ben Garrity, signed for an undisclosed fee from the Seasiders, is on the sidelines as is midfielder George Byers, who had a loan spell with Blackpool in 2024. However, summer addition Jordan Gabriel could start. Other recent players to appear for both include midfielder Jenson Weir, defender Rhys Williams and striker Uche Ikpeazu (with all three having loan spells at both clubs – and Ikpeazu subsequently rejoining Vale on a permanent basis).
Vintage connection
Defender Terry Alcock was born in Hanley and turned professional with Port Vale in 1964. A near ever-present from 1965 to 1967 his form attracted the attention of bigger clubs. He was subsequently signed by Blackpool manager Stan Mortensen for a fee of £30,000 in 1967. This was a then club record fee for the Valiants. Alcock helped his new side to promotion in 1970 as well as winning the Anglo-Italian cup competition. After almost 200 games for Blackpool he then rejoined the Vale in 1977. However, it was to be only a short second spell with Alcock chalking up just seven games before moving on to Halifax Town. In total, Alcock made 392 appearances, scoring 32 times.
Predict the score
Have your say
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
Join the debate:
Bloomfield Road stadium
Test your knowledge
Have you been paying attention? Here’s our traditional preview quiz
Who is the current Blackpool manager?
What the score the last time we met?
How many times have Vale beaten Blackpool?
Which three Vale players have had spells with Blackpool?
What the score the last time we met?
How many times have Vale beaten Blackpool?
Which three Vale players have had spells with Blackpool?
(answers right – no cheating)
Answers
Quiz answers
Ian Evatt
Port Vale 5-1 Blackpool
36
Ben Garrity, Jordan Gabriel and George Byers
Quiz ratings
Today’s theme is players to appear for both sides. How did you fare?
0/4 – Rhys Williams
1/4 – Jensen Weir
2/4 – Uche Ikpeazu
3/4 – Ben Garrity
4/4 – Terry Alcock
I like a lot of older supporters who attended in the days when most clubs had 5-6 hard men in their teams, and the rest were absolute nutters just can’t get their head round why we have so many injuries. I know we get told the game is faster and most injuries are pulls and strains, Vale like most teams spend a fortune on having an army of coaches, physios and medical staff to prevent these types of injuries. I just hope come next season when Brady has had the opportunity to bring in the squad he wants, lm hoping we can go back to having a first team of 9or10 permanent names on the team sheet every week, a solid dependable team. This nonsense of having a squad of 30-35 players of equal ability just weakens the team for me. Good teams pick themselves and how nice it would be to go back to that.
Hi Ian Mountford, I would completely agree with you on the squad. It’s the opposite of the Moore philosophy and just makes sense in so many ways. Rather than spread your costs across a number of mediocre (squad) players you could presumably afford to spend a bit more on some key players who would play all season. You probably do need a bit more squad depth than a few decades ago but not to the ridiculous lengths that Moore did (i.e. three senior keepers, seven left wingbacks and so on). Ideally, it’s as you say – a solid group of 8-9 regulars which, in an ideal world, are being pushed for their places by either some up and coming kids from the youth ranks or a few Rudge-esque punts from the non-league.