After such a poor performance at Grimsby, the under pressure Port Vale side desperately need an uplift in form. Here’s our match preview…
The Essentials
- Opposition: Cheltenham Town
- Kick-off time: New Year’s Day, 3pm
- Venue: Vale Park stadium
- Competition: League Two
Trivia: last season, the Valiants lost their New Year’s Day fixture
The Vale view
Form
FormDire. The Vale last won in early November and it’s only the inconsistency of the teams around them that has stopped the side sinking further down the League table. After two away losses, Moore’s men really need a result and a performance back in Burslem.
Fitness
FitnessJayden Stockley has added to Vale’s concerns by picking up an injury at Bradford City. The targetman is therefore unlikely to feature. Other players likely to miss out include Ben Garrity, George Byers and Rakeem Harper. Tom Sang remains suspended.
Team selection
Team selectionFirst the easy bits… we expect Mitch Clark to continue at right wingback and Kyle John to start on the left. Will the out of form Jesse Debrah be dropped for Nathan Smith at the back? Ryan Croasdale is courageously playing through injury but will this prove to be a game too far? If so, who the heck do Vale play in central midfield?
Possible line-up
Formation: 3-4-3
Starting eleven: Ripley – Smith, Heneghan, Hall – Clark, Croasdale, Lowe, John – Hackford, Paton, Curtis
Trivia: Grimsby marked the 50th League game of Jesse Debrah’s Vale career
Viewing guide
Viewing guideThis game will be shown on Sky Sports+ in the UK and so Vale fans in the UK unable to attend will be able to watch. Viewers outside of the UK can see the game on the PVTV service.
Guide to the opposition
Club factfile
- Team: Cheltenham Town
- League: League Two
- Manager: Michael Flynn
Trivia: Cheltenham won on their last visit to Vale Park
Man in charge
Man in chargeFormer Newport County, Walsall and Swindon Town boss Michael Flynn has been in charge since May. The 44 year-old has won 13 of his 29 games in charge of Town. Flynn has also won four manager of the month awards during his seven years as a manager.
Form
FormCheltenham lost a thriller 3-5 to Notts County in their last match. However, ominously for Vale their recent form has been reasonably decent. The Robins have won two of their last four League games.
Squad and injuries
Left-back Ryan Haynes is definitively ruled out with a long-term knee injury. However, they’ve been boosted by the return of Scott Bennett who returned to squad recently after injury.
One to watch
20 year-old Joel Colwell has been in fine form since joining on loan from Cardiff City. He has nine goals already this season. The youngster may be playing one of his final games as rumours of a return to Cardiff are rife.
History
Current Connections
There are two former Port Vale players in the Cheltenham squad in well regarded midfielder Tom Pett and loan striker Matty Taylor. Pett, now 32, captained the side at Wembley for the play-off final win over Mansfield Town. On the Vale side, utility player Tom Sang had a spell on loan at Cheltenham earlier in his career.
Former Connections
Former ConnectionsThere have been a number of players to appear for both clubs over recent years. The list includes winger Ashley Vincent, central defender Ryan Inniss, goalkeeper Rob Lainton, striker George Lloyd and defender Charlie Raglan.
Featured connection
Featured connectionGoalkeeper Scott Brown is still fondly remembered at both clubs. The stopper had undertaken a nine year spell at Cheltenham (plus a spell on loan) before joining Vale in 2018. His Cheltenham record stands at 303 games while he also managed 144 for the Valiants as well as picking up a player of the season award.
Overall record
Overall record- Port Vale wins: 7
- Port Vale losses: 10
- Draws: 11
Trivia: Vale last won at home against Cheltenham three games ago
Last time we met
Last time we metSubstitute Ronan Curtis scored a dramatic 90th minute equaliser to make it 1-1 earlier this season. Striker George Miller had given the home side the lead.
Fixture history
Fixture historyThe two sides first met in 2002 in a League Two fixture. The Valiants won 1-0 with the club’s first scorer against Cheltenham being midfielder Marc Bridge-Wilkinson. Cheltenham got their revenge in the return fixture winning 2-1 on their first visit to Vale Park. It’s now been five games since Vale’s last win over Town.
Archive
This website has been around for nearly 30 years so has a pretty extensive archive. Here’s some dramatic shots of a rain drenched clash from back in 2017…
Brief history
Brief historyCheltenham Town were formed in 1887 but they didn’t reach the Football League until 1999 when they were promoted from the Conference. They were relegated back to the National League in 2015 only to return in 2016.
Club records
- Highest attendance: 10,389 v Blackpool, FA Cup 3rd round, 1934
- Biggest win: 12-0 v Chippenham Rovers, FA Cup 3rd qualifying round, 1935
- Biggest defeat: 1-10 vs Merthyr Tydfil, Southern League, 1952
Your views
Discuss the game
Discuss the gameWant 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 Cheltenham match thread
Predict the score
Quiz
Have you been paying attention? Here’s our traditional preview quiz
- Who is the current Cheltenham Town manager?
- In what year was the club formed?
- What was the score the last time we met?
(answers below – no cheating)
Quiz answers
- Michrl Flynn
- 1887
- Cheltenham Town 1-1 Port Vale
How do you think the match will go? Scroll down and post a comment…
The omens are not good for this match the defence is shaky, the patched up midfield will struggle and I can’t see where the goals are going to come from since they are starved any decent passes to them.
The team is in crisis and Darren Moore gives no confidence that he can turn things around. A poor performance tomorrow could mean we’re looking for a new manager on Thursday.
I will be there tomorrow after and hopefully halt this dreadful slide of matches and we need to be more positive and assertive and attack rather than defend and this is down to the manager; Smith is not a right back and we have to nullify Pett and their attack to achieve a win; a defeat will not placate anyone
The headline reads unacceptable performance but should read a string of unacceptable performances.DM standard comment after each poor performance, we will learn from this. Hate to be the one to point this out to DM but we aint learning anything and as the old saying goes, more of the same gives more of the same. The last thing we need.
Over the moon Smith is back, a tint of desperation bringing Garrity back, but he is usually the fittest lad in the squad, and I’m happy Curtis is playing instead of Hackford. Chislett is a strange one again, personally I would always choose him. Ripley being left out to me is to keep in with the fans his actual goalkeeping has not been to bad. Stop playing out from the back when you’re boxed in and he wouldn’t be caught in possession, that’s an easy decision for the manager to make!