Harrogate Town v Port Vale preview – Vale have now recorded a eight game unbeaten run but can they extend it? Here’s our preview…
Match details
Details:
Harrogate Town v Port Vale
League Two
Wetherby Road
Tuesday March 1st, 2022, 7.45pm
Last time we met?
The Valiants recorded a 2-0 home win earlier this season thanks to goals from David Worrall and James Wilson.
Overall record:
2 Vale wins, 1 draws and 0 defeats.
Valiants team news
The fitness of wideman David Worrall will be Vale’s chief concern after he looked in some discomfort after departing the Stevenage game early. Should Worrall not be fit, as is likely, then James Gibbons should line up on the right wing and Chris Hussey will return on the left wing.
Ryan Edmondson is likely to keep his place upfront after scoring against Stevenage. Captain Tom Conlon and midfielder Jake Taylor remain injured.
Opposition team news
Town are nearing a return to a fully fit squad, with just Rory McArdle and Simon Power as the only players on the injury list.
Man in charge: Simon Weaver
- Age: 44
- Games in charge: 611
- Win ratio: 41%
The long-serving Weaver was appointed way back in 2009, initially as player-manager.
Recent form…
Port Vale
Vale’s unbeaten run now extends to eight games with this Saturday’s win over Stevenage a welcome boost after three draws.
Form (all competitions):
W-D-D-D-W
Top scorer (all competitions):
Wilson, Proctor, Garrity (8)
The opposition
Harrogate are in a poor run of form with just one win in their last five games, however that run has encompassed four away games.
Form (all competitions) :
D-W-L-D-L
Top scorer (all competitions):
Armstrong (12)
Current connections
This game should see a player on each side face their former club. Recent Valiants signing Connor Hall will face Harrogate while on the other side will be former Vale veteran Leon Legge. Both players swapped clubs in January.
Defender Dan Jones also had a spell with the opposition. He faced the Valiants last season while on loan to Harrogate from Salford City. The left-sided defender made 25 appearances for Town scoring two goals before his move to Burslem in the summer.
Other players in recent years to appear for both clubs include defender Callum Howe, winger Brendon Daniels and defender John McCombe.
Potted history
Formed in 1914, Harrogate had to wait until 1919 and the end of World War One to play their first fixture. They were disbanded in 1932 before reforming as the nattily named Harrogate Hotspurs in 1935. They changed their name to the more demur Harrogate Town in 1946.
They won promotion to the National League in 2018 and earned promotion to the Football League through the play-offs in 2020.
Were you paying attention?
Here’s a quick quiz on the opponents:
- What was the score the last time the two sides met?
- Who is the current Harrogate manager?
- When were Harrogate formed?
- When did the club win promotion to the Football League?
Quiz answers (no cheating):
- Port Vale 2-0 Harrogate Town
- Simon Weaver
- 1914
- 2020
Add your first comment to this post