Well, let’s look at it this way… after the defeats to Manchester City and Salford City, at least Vale won’t exit any cup competition at Stevenage. Yes, it’s back to the nitty-gritty of League Two for the Valiants.
Team news
Team newsThe Valiants rotated their squad for the game against Salford City but few players pushed their cases in a poor 3-0 Football League Trophy defeat. So, it’s highly likely that Vale will return to the same starting eleven that took on Manchester City last Saturday. That should mean another start for Tom Pope (pictured right) upfront while the young duo of Scott Burgess and Jake Taylor start in central midfield.
Other news
Other newsTalking of Jake Taylor (pictured right) the midfielder’s loan spell ends on the 14th January and after such a promising spell at the club, the Valiants will be keen to keep the Forest man either on a permanent basis or with an extended loan deal. Vale have also been linked with Taylor’s Forest team mate Jordan Gabriel with reports of the defender training with the club.
Pre-match Quote
Pre-match Quote“It’s great to have all these games, it’s great for the fans, it’s great for everyone involved, but we’re back to Saturday-Tuesdays now so I’m looking forward to getting back to a little bit of normality and hopefully pushing up that league…”
Port Vale midfielder Will Atkinson is happy to see the return of League football
Stats
StatsEven though the clubs have only met twelve times, it’s fair to say that Vale have a terrible record against Stevenage. The Valiants have won just twice and haven’t recorded a win in the last five fixtures. The last meeting was a 1-1 draw earlier this season with Jake Taylor netting for the Vale. The club’s last win came in the FA Cup in 2016 when defender Remie Streete (right) was the unlikely matchwinner in a 1-0 victory.
Opposition Guide
Opposition GuideIt’s fair to say that Graham Westley, the “David Brent” of League Two, isn’t that popular with the Vale fans. However, it seems Westley and Stevenage get on much better. This is Westley’s fourth stint at Stevenage having been appointed to replace Dino Maamria ahead of caretaker Mark Sampson. Westley has his job cut out at a club joint-bottom of the League Two table. Top scorer is the powerful Kurtis Guthrie, who scored against Vale earlier this season. Another familiar face is former Crewe defender Ben Nugent while veteran Tom Soares plays in the midfield. Stevenage’s Football League Trophy win this week was their first victory in eight games.
Trivia time: relative babies, Stevenage Borough were formed in 1976 following the demise of Stevenage Athletic. They dropped the “Borough” from their name when they entered the Football League in 2010.
Connections
ConnectionsIt’s not certain that Tom Conlon (pictured right) will make the Vale starting line-up against his former club. The battling midfielder spent three years with Stevenage making 71 appearances. On the opposite side could be former Vale loanee Tyler Denton. The left-back was signed by former manager Michael Brown but fell out of favour under Brown’s successor Neil Aspin.
Memory Match
Memory MatchThe first competitive encounter between the two sides took place in the FA Cup in 2009. It finished 1-1 with Vale’s goal coming from occasional goalscorer Adam Yates (right). The Valiants won the replay 1-0 thanks to a Louis Dodds goal in front of the TV cameras with the game being the first Vale match to be streamed live online.
Top image (c) Stevenage FC
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