Port Vale have the opportunity to guarantee top spot in their Papa John’s Trophy group this evening, when they welcome the Liverpool under-21’s to Vale Park. You can find all of the key information regarding the game, below.
Fixture: Port Vale vs Liverpool U21
Competition: Papa John’s Trophy
Date: Tuesday 10th November
Kick-Off: 7:00 pm
Venue: Vale Park
Referee: Thomas Bramall
Port Vale
Manager: John Askey
Form: LWWWL
Top Goal Scorer: Theo Robinson (4 Goals)
The Valiants will be looking to end their Papa John’s Trophy group stage unbeaten, and pick up a win over the Liverpool under-21’s to secure a top of the group finish.
Vale began their group stage with a goalless draw at home to Tranmere Rovers, where they won the resulting penalty shootout with Dino Visser the star, before winning 3-1 away against Wigan Athletic, leaving them top of the group heading into the final game.
John Askey may incorporate a number of changes into his side for the fixture after seeing Manny Oyeleke, Zak Mills and Harry McKirdy return to action over recent weeks, however is still without James Gibbons who has begun his rehab programme.
“Anybody that’s not been playing, it’s a great opportunity for them to play…hopefully we’ll get a decent result and one or two players can stake a claim for a place the following Saturday.”
John Askey, Port Vale Manager
Liverpool Under-21’s
Manager: Barry Lewtas
Form: LL
Top Goal Scorer: Longstaff, Cain, Clarkson (1 Goal)
The young reds had a difficult start to their time in the Papa John’s Trophy, suffering a heavy defeat on the road against an out of form Wigan Athletic, where despite taking the lead they went on to lose the game 6-1.
They had a more promising showing in the next fixture of the group stage when they travelled to Tranmere Rovers, where they once again took the lead before conceding a last minute goal to lose the game, leaving them without a point in the competition thus far.
One to watch: Jake Cain
The 19-year-old creative midfielder has scored three and assisted twice in seven Premier League 2 appearances so far this this campaign.
He also played a key role in helping Barry Lewtas’ Academy side to wins against both the Everton U23s and the Manchester United U23’s, whilst also scoring in their last Papa John’s Trophy game against Tranmere.
Cain made his first-team Liverpool debut in an FA Cup fourth-round replay with Shrewsbury Town in February and signed a long-term contract with the club in July.
Coverage:
iFollow The Vale will be providing full 90-minute coverage of the match for all domestic supporters, whilst the Port Vale Twitter and Facebook feeds will be providing live updates for the entirety.
To purchase an iFollow match pass click here.
There will also be the build-up to the game with the official Snapchat and Instagram accounts: @officialpvfc
Reaction will be available on the website post-match, as well as on YouTube, iFollow and our official social media channels.