Exeter City v Port Vale preview – not quite a Moore must-win but pressure is building on winless Valiants

What will the side be?

It’s an obvious question and one answer is we don’t know as there has been so much chopping and changing. Our calculations show that the Valiants have used 26 players in their seven League games so far. Surely this has to stop and a consistent starting eleven picked. It worked last season when Vale looked a tighter unit in the second-half of that campaign. But will Darren Moore stop the rotation? We don’t think so.

Who starts upfront?

Again, for many fans it’s another obvious question with the answer being new signing Devante Cole and Irishman Ruari Paton, who looked so impressive off the bench on Saturday. However, Moore has mixed and matched all season so again we can’t be sure who will play there.

Who starts in goal?

Darren Moore will have three senior goalkeepers to pick from after Joe Gauci’s return from International duty. The Australian is probably favourite after Marko Marosi’s jittery performances so far and with Ben Amos only just recovered from injury. We’ll wait and see…

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

Gauci – John, Humphreys, Hall – Clark, Croasdale, Walters, Ojo, Gordon – Paton, Cole

Opinion: 26 players used in seven League games – is it any wonder Port Vale haven’t found cohesion and consistency?

Meet the manager

43 year-old Gary Caldwell was appointed manager in October 2022 after previous spells at Wigan Athletic, Chesterfield and Partick Thistle. He has just reached 150 games in charge of City with a win percentage of 36%.

Recent form

Middling. Exeter have won three of their seven League games this season with two of those victories coming at home. They lost 0-1 at Rotherham United in their last fixture.

Transfer news

Exeter were busy on deadline day adding experienced defender Danny Andrew on a 12-month deal while West Brom forward Akeel Higgins and Bolton winger Carlos Mendes Gomes joined on season-long loans. The moves meant City brought in eleven new faces over the summer window

Team news

Attacker Reece Cole could return from injury but this game is too soon for the likes of Jake Doyle Hayes and Ed Turns.

Last season

16th in League One.

Brief History

Exeter City were founded in 1901 and played their games at St James Park, the stadium which they still play at till this day. They were invited to join the Third Division in 1920. They lost their Football League status in 2003 before returning in 2008. They have proudly been in fan ownership for over twenty years.

Stadia

The club was formed from the amalgamation of Exeter United and St Sidwell’s United. St James Park was the home ground for United and that was where the newly formed Exeter City opted to play. It has a capacity of just under 9,000.

Trivia

In a move reminiscent of legendary Vale chairman Bill Bell, Exeter have repurposed a stand from another ground. While Vale used the Chester City grandstand for the Hamil End roof, Exeter have used a couple of stands from Barnet to cover the away end. The stands do now give away supporters cover from the element. They were surplus to requirements when Barnet redeveloped a section of their Hive stadium and cost Exeter £300,000 to purchase.

“Brilliant form” – a report on Port Vale’s first-ever trip to Exeter City in 1938

Fixture history

The two sides first met in a competitive fixture in 1938 when it ended in a 3-1 win for the Valiants. In recent years, visits to Devon have been happy occasions for the Valiants with the side winning three out of the last four away fixtures.

Last time we met

The Valiants suffered a chastening 2-4 defeat at Vale Park back in April 2024. Ethan Chislett and Baylee Dipepa had put the home side into a 2-0 lead with just 40 minutes played. However, a second-half collapse saw Vale ship four goals including three in the final thirty minutes.

Player connections

Port Vale striker Jayden Stockley spent a spell on loan with Exeter City earlier in his career. Some other (note: not all) players to appear for both sides in recent seasons include goalkeepers Scott Brown and Dino Visser as well as defenders Aaron Martin and Richard Duffy.

Vintage connection

Defender George Pilkington was a reliable figure at Vale Park during a five year stay with the Valiants in the early 2000’s. However, before joining Vale he had spent a brief loan spell with Exeter. Pilkington played twelve games for City during the 2002-3 season. His final Vale tally was 253 games and 12 goals.

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 Exeter City manager?
When were Exeter City formed?
What was the score when the sides last met?
Who is Exeter City record scorer?

(answers below – no cheating)

Quiz answers

Gary Caldwell
1901
Port Vale 2-4 Exeter City
Tony Kellow

Quiz ratings

Today’s theme is John Askey signings for Port Vale (it’s slim pickings). How did you fare?

0/4 – Theo Robinson
1/4 – Zak Mills
2/4 – Alex Hurst
3/4 – Devante Rodney
4/4 – David Amoo