Vale do their homework on the Robins
Despite losing their last two league games, Swindon Town will prove to be a difficult obstacle to overcome on Saturday afternoon and Vale are fully aware of the problems they are likely to face.
Vale Assistant Manager Mark Grew says Vale have to stop them playing football and then concentrate on the things that have proved successful so far this season.
Grew says: “They have had a little bit of a stutter over the last two games. They were beaten by Walsall and were beaten by Oldham, but I have got a few friends who watched them at Wolves the other week and they said they are one of the best teams to have gone to Molineux.
“Apparently Wolves were very fortunate to win the game and they said they knocked it about well and created chance after chance and if it hadn’t been for Carl Ikeme they would have won the game.
“You know what it is like when you lose two games – they are wounded and we have got to be prepared to go there and battle like we have been.
“Also we have got to play when we can play because they play with a three at the back, five in midfield and two up front so they are very attacking minded, the wing backs push up and we are expecting a difficult game this week.
“We have watched their last two games and the Analyst will do pieces on them for Friday and we will make them aware of every set-piece, for and against.
“Our preparation is as good as I have seen for a long time, so every player who goes out on that pitch on Saturday will know their job, they will know which players are dangerous from set-pieces and that is as much as we can do.
“They play good football and I think if we go there on Saturday and stand off them and let them play, we will be in trouble. We have got to be right in their faces, like we did at Crawley last week.
“They hadn’t got beaten in seven league games, which is some feat – we’ve gone there, stopped them playing. The work-rate was fantastic but when we got the ball we produced the goods.
“We have got to go there on Saturday with the same attitude because if you allow footballers to play football, they will play, so we feel we have got to get in their faces and dictate to them, rather than them dictate to us.”