Vale return to the road on Saturday as we travel down to Gloucestershire for the second time this month to face Cheltenham Town.
This weekend’s hosts currently sit 18th in League One, whilst we are up in 14th position going into this fixture.
Before you Valiants travel down to the southwest, here is some interesting pre-match reading.
The view from Darrell Clarke:
Ahead of tomorrow’s clash with Cheltenham Town, Darrell Clarke said: “This club has come a hell of a long way in 23 months, and we are competing hard.
“We have been in most games, and we want to keep improving, that is always my question to my players, can they keep improving and getting better?
“We have had a couple of disappointing results but performance-wise – certainly against Derby – was a lot, lot better.
“We want to win; we want to focus on getting better, trying to improve, but effort, determination, and attitude, the lads are giving everything they can.”
Opposition Boss’ thoughts:
“I have seen a lot of Port Vale, with the way the games fall when watching opposition, I went to the [Derby] game and they were very good,” Wade Elliott stated.
“Darrell [Clarke] has done a very good job, getting them up last season and establishing them in League One this year. Good experience, energy and they'll be a real test.”
Fixture Flashback:
Sky Bet League Two, Vale Park, Tuesday 27th October 2020: Port Vale 2-1 Cheltenham Town
We travel back in time to when supporters were not watching from the stands, they were watching at home, and on this particular day, you would have been celebrating in front of your screens.
Back in October 2020, goals from then-captain Leon Legge and David Worrall, completed a second-half turnaround for Vale as we beat Cheltenham Town 2-1 under the lights at Vale Park.
The Valiants second-half comeback ensured Andy Williams’ 48th-minute strike counted for nothing, with all three points going the way of the boys in white.
It was Cheltenham who broke the deadlock early in the second half, when Will Boyle’s cross was flicked on by Alfie May, with Andy Williams on hand to give the visitors the lead.
However, the Valiants levelled the game just four minutes later through Legge, after Worrall’s corner found our former captain at the front post, who looped his header over Josh Griffiths.
Worrall then turned from provider to goal scorer when in the 67th minute he controlled a long ball from Luke Joyce, spun his man, and lashed the ball into the bottom left-hand corner.
The Valiants comfortably saw out the closing stages of the game, to secure another three points as we went on to finish 13th in League Two that season.
Last Time Out (League):
Sky Bet League One, Home Park, Saturday 21st January 2023: Plymouth Argyle 4-2 Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham suffered a fourth league defeat on the spin last Saturday as league leaders Plymouth Argyle netted four past the Robins to secure all three points in Devon.
Goals from Dan Scarr, Ryan Hardie, debutant Callum Wright, and Sam Cosgrove scored the goals for the Pilgrims to secure the points, with Taylor Perry and Alfie May on target for the Robins.
Argyle would take the lead in the 26th minute through Scarr, who turned home a cross at the back post, and only two minutes later they doubled their lead after Hardie drove the ball into the bottom corner from distance.
Perry pulled a goal back for the Robins just before halftime when he turned home Will Ferry’s inviting cross.
Wright netted on his first Argyle goal to add a third for the home side in the second half when he raced through on goal and finished in style for the Pilgrims.
However, not wanting to lie down, the Robins surged forward on a counterattack moments later, and none other than May was there to turn the ball home to give the away side a glimmer of hope.
That hope was soon dashed though, with Cosgrove netting the game’s final goal on the counterattack to seal the deal for the home side.
Reverse Fixture:
Sky Bet League One, Vale Park, Saturday 3rd September: Port Vale 2-2 Cheltenham Town
In our last encounter back in September, Charlie Brown scored in stoppage time to earn Cheltenham Town a point at Vale Park, despite Vale’s brilliant first-half turnaround.
Brown netted a scrappy goal to snatch a point for the visitors after Mipo Odubeko and an own goal had seen the Valiants overturn Dan Nlundulu’s opening goal.
24 minutes in, the visitors took the lead, after their now former striker, Nlundulu, managed to break free after his touch off of a James Olayinka pass before he slotted it calmly past Jack Stevens.
Just over 10 minutes later, the Valiants hit back through Odubeko, the striker found space in the box to head home from a brilliant David Worrall cross, despite the best efforts of Luke Southwood to stop it.
Just like in our opening match of the campaign, Vale turned it around moments later, with Taylor Perry deflecting Will Forrester’s cross-goal header toward goal, and then in an attempt to clear it, he smashed it into the roof of the net.
However, the visitors netted a scruffy goal in additional time to claim a point late on when Brown managed to bundle the ball home.
The Robins’ first goal scorer also had the first clear chance of the game when the ball fell at his feet, but his half-volley was smashed wide of the post.
The opening 30 minutes of the second half were quiet, but Vale sprung to life with 15 minutes to go and could have had a third through Harrison who headed on to the bar from a Dan Jones cross.
Chances then started to flow for the hosts, this time Ben Garrity did really well on the right-hand side, but with two options in the box, his cross-box pass could only find Southwood.
At the death, Vale nearly snatched all three points, but Jones’ free header was scrambled off the line by a Robins defender.
Team news:
This weekend’s hosts will be without Lewis Freestone and Dan Adshead due to injury, but Elliott will have the majority of his squad to pick from on Saturday.
Form: LLWLL
01/01/23: Bristol Rovers 2-1 Cheltenham Town, Sky Bet League One
07/01/23: Morecambe 2-1 Cheltenham Town, Sky Bet League One
10/01/23: Cheltenham Town 3-1 Salford City, Papa Johns Trophy QF
14/01/23: Cheltenham Town 2-3 Derby County, Sky Bet League One
21/01/23: Plymouth Argyle 4-2 Cheltenham Town, Sky Bet League One