On Easter Monday, the Valiants make the trip to Sixfields Stadium to take on Northampton Town.
The Vale come into the game off the back of consecutive wins and clean sheets against Burton Albion and more recently Bristol Rovers.
On Saturday, Darren Moore’s side picked up a 2-0 victory at Vale Park against Bristol Rovers. Ben Garrity gave Vale the lead in the first half when he made the most of a defensive error before calmly slotting through the legs of the onrushing keeper.
In the second half, Baylee Dipepa capped off a whirlwind week for himself when he doubled Vale’s lead with an incredible solo effort in the 52nd minute.
Gaffer's Thoughts
Here’s what the gaffer had to say following his first win at Vale Park:
“A tremendous day for us all round. Three valuable points, our first win at home. I am just so pleased for everybody connected to the football club that they witnessed a real committed, team performance, in and out of possession. There was hard work and desire to get those three points, today was a continuation from last week at Burton.
“They were two good goals and it is our third clean sheet in four games. All those stats bode well for us and it gives us momentum going into Monday’s game.”
The Opposition
The Cobblers sit in 11th spot in League One. They come into the game with just one win in their last seven outings, this in was against Derby County where they ran out 1-0 winners thanks to Sam Hoskins first half strike.
In their most recent outing, they lost 1-0 against Reading at the Select Car Leasing Stadium. Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan’s second half curled effort helped the Royals to all three points.
Who’s in Charge? - Jon Brady
The Cobblers are managed by Jon Brady who has been at the club since 2016. The Australian joined Northampton as their under 16s coach after leaving the hot seat at Brackley Town.
One year later, he was promoted to Under 18s manager at the club. After a successful stint in the youth setup, Brady was then placed in temporary charge of the first team in 2021 following the sacking of Keith Curle. Despite his best efforts, Brady was unable to keep The Cobblers in League One as they were relegated on the penultimate day of the season. Despite the club's relegation, Brady was appointed as permanent manager in the summer of 2021.
On the final day of the 2021/22 season, Brady and his side were in pole position to get automatic promotion on the final day of the season. However, Bristol Rovers pulled off a miraculous 7-0 win over Scunthorpe United which saw them leapfrog Northampton and go into third on goal difference, meaning Brady’s side had to settle for the Play Offs.
The Cobblers were then subsequently beaten over two legs by Mansfield Town.
Despite the Cobblers' heartbreak in the 2021/22 season, the club earned automatic promotion in the 2022/23 season when they finished third in League Two after picking up 83 points over the course of the season.
Player to Watch – Sam Hoskins
Hoskins is the Cobblers' leading scorer this season with 15 goals in all competitions. The 31-year-old has made just under 400 appearances for Northampton Town, scoring 90 goals.
Another player to keep an eye out for is Mitch Pinnock, He has 13 goal involvements this season which comes in the form of seven goals and six assists.
Fixture Throwback
Northampton Town 0-1 Port Vale, Saturday 8th February 2020.
The Vale have won two of our last three visits to the Sixfields Stadium. Our most recent win came back in the 2019/20 season when David Worrall’s goal earned Vale all three points.
Former Valiant Mark Marshall had the first opportunity of the game when he rose highest to meet a cross with a header that was comfortable for Scott Brown in the Vale goal.
Following this chance, Vale couldn’t clear and Sam Hoskins forced a good save down low from Brown who gathered the ball at the second attempt.
In the second half, The Cobblers continued to push for the opening goal. Charlie Goode’s cross was cleared as far as Hoskins who saw his half volley tipped over the bar by Scott Brown who was at full stretch.
Despite the home side's dominance, it was The Vale who came away with the points thanks to a 72nd minute winner. Tom Conlon’s right footed cross from the left side was met by David Worrall at the back post who headed into the back of the net from close range.
