Vale viewpoint
Essentials
- Opposition: Cardiff City
- Date: Wednesday April 22nd, 7:45pm
- Competition: League One
- Viewing guide: Sky Sports+ in the UK, PVTV overseas
After so many games will the likes of Connor Hall be rested?
Talking points
Last chance saloon
While Vale still have a chance it’s not quite time for Jon Brady to give the youngsters a go. So, we expect a side broadly similar to that which took on Peterborough and Wigan in recent days. The selection is likely to be most influenced by fatigue with Brady having to rotate his side to prevent any injuries due to Vale’s heavy workload.
Known injury list
George Byers, Jayden Stockley, Andre Gray, Funso Ojo, Kyle John and Ben Heneghan are all expected to miss the remainder of the season.
Possible Vale line-up
Gauci – Magloire, Humphreys, Campbell – Gordon, Croasdale, Walters, Shipley, Gordon – Waine, Sherif
Opposition briefing
Essentials
- Name: Cardiff City
- Manager: Brian Barry-Murphy
- Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium
Need to know
Meet the manager
43 year-old Brian Barry-Murphy was appointed head coach of Cardiff City on a three-year deal in June 2025. His record stands at 31 wins from 53 games in charge.
Form
Moderate. Cardiff have won three of their last seven games. It’s of little consequence as the side have already secured promotion to the Championship.
Last game
A 3-1 win over Reading.
Manager Brian Barry-Murphy
Opposition history
Essentials
- Most goals: Len Davies (179)
- Most appearances: Billy Hardy (590)
- Biggest win: 9-2 versus Thames, 1932
The Cardiff City Stadium
Over the years
Brief History
Founded in 1899 as Riverside AFC, the club changed its name to Cardiff City in 1908 and entered the Southern Football League in 1910 before joining the English Football League in 1920. They were in the Premier League as recently as 2019. Cardiff are the only team from outside England to have won the FA Cup, doing so in 1927
Stadia
Cardiff’s first ground was at Sophia Gardens recreational park, where the team played from their founding in 1899 until 1910. They then purchased a former rubbish tip which was renamed Ninian Park. They played there until 2009 when they moved to the 26,000 capacity Cardiff City 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: 8
- Vale losses: 11
- Draws: 5
Previous games
Fixture history
The two sides first met in 1921 when it ended in a 2-1 away win for the Valiants. Vale’s winner came from Tom Page. The last League meeting was in 2003 when the Vale lost 2-0 at home. In fact, Vale have to go back to 1994 (a run of six League and Cup games) for their last win. That was a 3-1 away win thanks to goals from David Lowe, Kevin Kent and Ian Taylor.
Last time we met
Port Vale put on one of their better performances when they were unlucky to only draw 0-0 with Cardiff earlier this season.
The last meeting took place at the start of the season
Jak Alnwick – appeared for both
Played for both
Recent player connections
The most recent players to appear for both sides are striker Josh Thomas (who had a spell on loan with Vale in 2024), midfielder Tom Sang, released by Vale in the summer and goalkeeper Jak Alnwick, who played 79 times for Vale. Other players to appear for both in recent years include striker Jordan Hugill, striker Mark Harris and forward Uche Ikpeazu.
Vintage connection
Northern Irish forward Paul Millar was one of John Rudge’s “bargains” being signed for £20,000 from Portadown. A useful squad figure, he never nailed down a starting place in his three year spell. Nevertheless, Rudge, showing his transfer genius, managed to sell Millar for £60,000 (a profit of £40,000) to Cardiff City. He made over a hundred appearances for City and helped them win promotion to the second division in 1993.
Predict the score
Have your say
Discuss the game
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Join the debate:
The Cardiff City stadium
Test your knowledge
Have you been paying attention? Here’s our traditional preview quiz
Who is the current Cardiff manager?
What the score the last time we met?
How many times have Vale beaten Cardiff?
Which recent Vale keeper also played for Cardiff?
What the score the last time we met?
How many times have Vale beaten Cardiff?
Which recent Vale keeper also played for Cardiff?
(answers right – no cheating)
Answers
Quiz answers
Brian Barry-Murphy
Port Vale 0-0 Cardiff City
8
Jak Alnwick
Quiz ratings
Today’s theme is players to appear for both
0/4 – Josh Thomas
1/4 – Uche Ikpeazu
2/4 – Tom Sang
3/4 – Jordan Hugill
4/4 – Jak Alnwick
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