After beating Exeter City on Saturday, Vale are back for midweek Sky Bet League One action as we travel 91 miles north to Lancashire to face Morecambe on Tuesday night.
The Shrimps currently sit in the relegation zone on 29 points after a run of four matches without a win.
The latest of those matches was a 3-0 home defeat to Peterborough United, despite a strong display from the Shrimps.
However, fortunes for the Valiants improved on Saturday as we came away with all three points against Exeter City thanks to Will Forrester’s first goal for the club, moving us up to 12th.
It’s sure to be an interesting clash on Tuesday night, and before we get to matchday, here is what you need to know about Morecambe.
ONE TO WATCH: Jensen Weir
Morecambe’s star man in the middle, Jensen Weir, will be one to keep an eye on when we travel to Lancashire on Tuesday night.
The 21-year-old is currently on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion, and so far, he has impressed in red, netting eight league goals in 28 appearances from the middle of the park.
Born in Warrington, Weir came through the academy at Wigan Athletic before signing a senior deal at the Latics in 2017.
Unfortunately for the young starlet, he only made four appearances for the Lancashire side before moving down south to Brighton in 2020.
Weir is yet to make an appearance for the seagulls, but he did spend last season on loan at fellow League One side, Cambridge United, scoring one goal and providing one assist in over 20 appearances.
Brighton decided the 20-year-old needed some more time on loan this campaign, and in July of this year, he joined Derek Adams’ side on a season-long loan deal.
As previously stated, Weir has shone at the Mazuma Stadium, and Vale will want to make sure they keep the youngster quiet when we face them on their soil.
THE MAN AT THE HELM: Derek Adams
Derek Adams is currently enduring his second spell in the dugout at Morecambe after previously leading the Shrimps between 2019 and 2021.
Morecambe re-appointed the Scotsman in February 2022, only nine months after leaving the club to become the manager at Bradford City.
Adams started his career as a player, making over 300 appearances in the professional game for a total of six clubs, including the likes of Burnley, Motherwell, and Aberdeen.
The 47-year-old spent most of his playing days at Motherwell, making over 150 appearances for the club in a six-year spell.
In 2006, Adams took on his first coaching role when he joined Ross County as a player-coach before being promoted to player-manager a year later.
The Glaswegian coach retired from playing in 2009, and in two spells at County, managed to gain a number of promotions whilst also guiding them to the 2010 Scottish Cup final.
After his second spell at the Staggies ended in 2014, Adams spent four years at Plymouth Argyle, guiding them to League One during his time at the club.
Morecambe appointed the former midfielder for the first time in 2019, and during his first tenure at the club, Adams led the Shrimps to their first-ever promotion to the third tier.
Adams decided that his career needed to go in another direction after his success in Lancashire, but he came back to Morecambe after his tenure at Bradford City did not turn out as planned.
The Shrimps succeeded in staying afloat last campaign, and although they are in the relegation zone this time round, Adams knows what it takes to get this team firing again.
STADIUM: Mazuma Stadium
The Mazuma Stadium has been the home of the Shrimps since 2010 when construction was complete, and it can hold up to nearly 6,500 fans.
Morecambe’s old ground, Christie Park, was their home for 89 years, and after the construction of the new Mazuma Stadium, it was demolished.
HEAD-TO-HEAD LAST FIVE:
Vale wins: 3
Draws: 0
Morecambe wins: 2
After beating Morecambe back in December, the Valiants have now won three of our last five meetings with the Shrimps, with our last two clashes ending in 1-0 wins for Vale.
Darrell Clarke will be hoping to make it three wins on the bounce against the Lancashire side when we take to the pitch at the Mazuma Stadium on Tuesday night.