Port Vale v Swindon Town preview – Valiants need ninety minute display after Accrington late show

It was good in the closing stages at Accrington – can the Valiants now put on a better performance for the whole ninety minutes at home? Here’s our match preview…

The Vale perspective

Form

The Valiants still need to win fans over after their largely unimpressive showing against Accrington. Vale looked at sixes and sevens for much of the game and were only rescued by two late goals. It was a disappointing result after Vale looked to have found form and a settled formation with successive wins over Newport County and Chesterfield.

Fitness

The main concern will focus around Jesse Debrah and Connor Hall with the first-choice central defensive pairing both looking to be carrying injuries. Loanee Benicio also still seems to be struggling with match fitness.  The other absentees are all long-term with full-backs Mitch Clark and Sam Hart both still sidelined.

Team selection

There are personnel and formation choices for Darren Moore to make. In terms of defence, he has Ben Heneghan and Nathan Smith as central defensive cover, although neither are particularly blessed with pace. He could also opt to switch to a back three. If he does then it will be interesting to see the midfield and forward line selection. Central midfield looks to be three from Croasdale, Byers, Garrity and Chislett while a front two would mean one of Tolaj, Paton or Hackford partnering Stockley.

Viewing guide

This match has not been selected by Sky+ and is not being broadcast in the UK. Fans based overseas can watch it via the PVTV service.

The opposition

Man in charge

After a protracted managerial search by the club, Mark Kennedy was appointed in the summer. Now 48 years of age, Kennedy is a former Republic of Ireland International. The former Macclesfield Town and Lincoln City manager has won one of his nine games in charge of the club.

Form

It’s been a poor start to the season for Swindon as they’ve recorded just one win so far. It comes after a period of turmoil at the club with increasing numbers of  fans upset with owner Clem Morfuni. In May, Trust STFC wrote an open letter that said it had “lost confidence and trust” in the club’s leadership and called for Morfuni to sell.

Summer signings

The headline signings of the summer were both upfront. Peterborough Utd striker Kabongo Tshimanga joined on loan while Harry Smith joined on a permanent basis. The latter will miss out on a warm reception after his previous antics at Vale Park as he is suspended. Other signings include defenders Rosaire Longelo, Jeff King, Grant Hall and Will Wright, midfielder Gavin Kilkenny and on loan goalkeeper Daniel Barden.

Connections

Current connections

The Valiants will come up against former loanee Danny Butterworth who joined Swindon on a permanent basis during the last transfer window. Butterworth joined Vale on loan from Blackburn Rovers and although not a guaranteed starter, he showed some flashes of skill with the highlight being a solo goal which earned Vale a 1-0 win over Charlton Athletic.

Vintage connections

Over the years there have been a number of players to appear for both sides. The list includes midfielder Anthony Grant, defender Ben Purkiss, striker Billy Paynter and defender Ryan McGivern.

Featured connection

Yes, it’s an obvious one but we’re hardly going to pass up an opportunity of a re-run of THAT penalty miss. Yep, it’s Harry McKirdy. The forward joined the Valiants in 2020 but hardly got a look-in scoring just twice in 12 games. He turned things around at Swindon where he scored 24 times in the 2021-22 season including two goals in the play-off semi-final first leg win over Vale. However, arguably his most important chance – a penalty miss in the shootout in the semi-final second leg helped Vale reach the final and promotion to League One. And here’s a chance  to see it again…

Happy McKirdy skied his penalty day 🤪 pic.twitter.com/lYc5vBgEOA

— Josh Green (@Josh_pvfc) May 19, 2023

History

Last time we met

We don’t want to be too repetitive, honest, but it was that dramatic play-off semi-final win at Vale Park. During play, it was striker James Wilson who levelled the scores on aggregate and then it was goalkeeper Aidan Stone who was the hero as the Valiants triumphed during the penalty shootout…

Fixture history

The two clubs first met in 1938 with Vale ending the first fixture as 2-0 winners. Harry Griffiths (pictured) was the scorer of Port Vale’s first competitive goal against the Robins. Vale’s last home win in the regular League season was back in 2019 when goals from Scott Burgess and Jake Taylor gave the Valiants a 2-0 home victory

Recent memorable matches

That play-off victory aside, many of the memorable games in recent years have been heavy Vale defeats with Swindon thrashing the Valiants 6-0, 5-0 and 5-2 in three successive away fixtures between 2007 and 2013. You have to go back to 1960 for a similar Vale scoreline with the Valiants triumphing  6-1 at home thanks to four goals from Harry Oscroft.

Archive

Some photos from our archive…

Brief history

Founded as Swindon AFC in 1879, the club became Spartans the next year, before finally settling on the name Swindon Town in 1883. They were elected into the Football League in 1920 after considerable success in the Southern League. They won the League Cup in 1969 and earned promotion to the top-flight in 1993 although they lasted a solitary season in the Premier League. They won promotion to League Two in 2020 before being relegated back to League Two in 2021.

Opinion and quiz

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…

Port Vale v Swindon Town match thread

Predict the score

Quiz

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

(answers below – no cheating)

Quiz answers

1. Mark Kennedy
2. Dan Butterworth
3. 1879
4. John Trollope

The tough one: 8,425

How do you think the match will go for the Valiants? Share your thoughts and post a comment below.IVE