Burton Albion v Port Vale preview – can Valiants build on first away win?

A chance for some of the cup team to stake a claim?

Vale are keen not to use the term “fringe players” but nine of those who started on Tuesday did not start the last League game. Moore is likely to ring the changes but will any of the players at Blackpool be in contention to play? We suspect the most likely would be defender Ben Heneghan who put in an outstanding display at Bloomfield Road. Goalscorer Mo Faal may also be on the lips of some fans but with the club saying they are still working on his fitness levels, he’s more likely to be a bench option.

Continue with two up-top?

Two upfront is certainly the choice of the majority of fans and allows Vale to select three central midfielders (an area where they have plenty of options). It would seem logical to do so for this game in what should be a keenly contested local “derby”.

Injuries

It was good to see Cameron Humphreys return and for Jordan Gabriel to make his first start of the season. Ben Amos and Ben Garrity both look long-term injuries. Meanwhile, Ruari Paton has been missing through injury and must be considered a doubt.

Possible Vale line-up (3-5-2)

Marosi – Debrah, Heneghan, Hall – Clark, Croasdale, Ojo, Byers, Gordon – Tolaj, Curtis

Darren Moore on Ben Heneghan – “he was a colossus”

Summer business

With so many signings before Gary Bowyer arrived, it’s been a busy summer for the club as they’ve tried to remove some unwanted players in while bringing in the manager’s targets. One key arrival has been striker Jake Beesley who has already found the target this season. The latest arrival is left-back Sebastian Revan on a season-long loan from Wrexham.

Meet the manager

The experienced Gary Bowyer has been in charge since December 2024 and steered Albion to safety last season. Bowyer has now managed over 400 games for seven different clubs. His win ratio from his 29 games at Burton stands at 34%.

Recent form

Burton started the League season with a good 2-1 win over Mansfield Town but were narrowly beaten 3-2 by Barnsley in their second game.

Team news

The home side will be without the services of Geraldo Bajrami with the centre-back not yet featuring this season due to an injury.

Last season

20th in League One.

Brief History

Burton Albion were formed in 1950 and initially joined the Birmingham & District League before switching to the Southern League eight years later. in 2001 and were promoted to the Conference and finally to the Football League in 2009. They won the League Two title in 2015 and then onto the Championship in 2016. They were relegated to League One in 2018.

Stadia

Burton began life at a ground called Wellington Road before moving to a stadium called Eton Park. They moved to their current stadium, now called the Pirelli stadium, in 2005. It has a capacity of just under 7,000.

Memorable match

In 1964, Burton celebrated winning the Southern League Cup. It was very much a major non-League upset as Burton were outside of the Southern League Premier League and were facing a heavily fancied Weymouth side. However, Burton, who were managed by former Vale goalkeeper Peter Taylor (who would later successfully partner with Brian Clough) won 5-2 on aggregate.

Trivia

Ironically, with the Valiants celebrating their 150th anniversary this season, Burton are celebrating an anniversary exactly half that size. Albion are celebrating 75 years this campaign.

Port Vale 7-1 Burton Albion, 2013

Fixture history

The two sides first met in 2010 when it finished in a 3-1 win for the Valiants. Marc Richards was the scorer of Vale’s first-ever competitive goal against Burton. The most recent meeting was in March 2023 when it finished in a disappointing 2-3 home loss for the Valiants. It ended a nine game unbeaten run for the Vale.

Classic clash

It’s a pretty obvious choice, but Vale’s spectacular 7-1 win back in 2013 was one of the highlights of Micky Adams’ promotion season.

Recent player connections

Burton forward Ben Whitfield will be well-known to Vale fans after a two-year stay in the Potteries. However, the 29 year-old is yet to feature for Albion this season. In recent years, striker Tyler Walker, winger Marcus Harness and striker Antwoine Hackford have had spells with both clubs. The most recent Vale player to appear for both was midfielder Rakeem Harper who played a part in Vale’s promotion campaign last season.

Vintage connection

Kris Taylor was a popular figure at Vale Park during a two year spell. Initially the club could not afford to sign him but such was Taylor’s form that the club turned to the Vale Volunteers group to fund the signing. Noted for some spectacular strikes, Taylor played 75 times and scored four goals. Earlier in his career, he had two loan spells at Burton – making a massive impact in his first spell with four goals in six appearances.

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 –

Match thread for the game

Quiz

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

Who is the current Burton Albion manager?
What is the name of the Burton stadium?
Who is Burton’s record appearance holder?
What was the score when the sides last met?

(answers below – no cheating)

Quiz answers

Gary Bowyer
Pirelli Stadium
Darren Stride
Port Vale 2-3 Burton Albion

Quiz ratings

Today’s theme is managers. How did you fare?

0/4 – Jim Gannon
1/4 – Bruno Ribeiro
2/4 – John Askey
3/4 – Freddie Steele
4/4 – John Rudge