The Valiants return to Sky Bet League One action on Saturday as they travel to Greater Manchester to face Bolton Wanderers at the Toughsheet Community Stadium.
Vale come into Saturday’s fixture following a convincing 5-1 victory over Maldon & Tiptree in the First Round of the Emirates FA Cup. Two goals from Ruari Paton and Devante Cole, and one from George Hall, saw the Valiants come from behind to progress to the Second Round.
Post Match Reaction
Here’s what the boss had to say regarding the win in the Emirates FA Cup:
“It was a game where it was a banana skin for us today; it was all about just getting into the second round, and we’ve done exactly that.
“The response was swift, it was immediate, but the next 20-25 minutes after that were really decisive and settled the game very early."
Press Conference Takeaways
The Gaffer's thoughts ahead of the trip to Bolton:
“We’re competing against a team that is at the high end of the scale, a team that is looking to get out of this division.
“It’s a game we should be relishing, and it’s a game that we’re all looking forward to.”
Our Opponents
The Trotters were once a Premier League side in the early 2000s, before their relegation to the Championship in 2012. During this period, they also reached the FA Cup Semi-Final at Wembley Stadium.
Bolton did spend the 2020/2021 season in League Two, but won promotion back to League One at the first time of asking. Since then, they have remained in League One, finishing in the Play-offs on two occasions, but failing to secure promotion in both instances.
Wanderers currently sit in 7th position in the League, two points behind the play off spots. Bolton’s last defeat came in mid-October as Burton Albion beat them 3-0. Steven Schumacher’s side comes into Saturday’s clash off the back of a 2-1 victory over Huddersfield Town in the Emirates FA Cup First Round.
The Opposition Dugout
Steven Schumacher is the current manager of Bolton Wanderers following his appointment in January of this year. He took the reins from Ian Evatt after the latter was relieved of his duties. In the 37 games that Schumacher has taken charge of at Bolton, he has won sixteen of those, with a win percentage of 43%.
Before his move to Greater Manchester, Steven had managerial spells at Plymouth Argyle and, more recently, Stoke City.
Schumacher also had a successful playing career before his move into management. The former midfielder made over 460 appearances in his career for clubs such as Bradford, Crewe Alexandra and Bury. During his younger playing days, he made three appearances for the England U19 side.
Player to Watch
Amario Cozier-Duberry has been Bolton’s standout performer so far this season. Amario is on loan from Premier League side Brighton and currently has four goals and four assists to his name.
The midfielder has scored some vital goals already this season for his side, with three of his four league goals coming in stoppage time after the ninety-minute mark to earn his side seven points.
Fixture Throwback
Bolton Wanderers 3-6 Port Vale, 5th December 2020
The last time Vale were victorious at Bolton was during the COVID lockdown in a 9-goal thriller, which saw six different scorers for the Valiants.
John Askey’s Vale side raced into a 2-0 lead in the first ten minutes with smart finishes from Emmanuel Oyeleke and Leon Legge. Gethin Jones grabbed a goal back for the hosts shortly after, but an exquisite Tom Conlon penalty three minutes before half-time restored Vale’s two-goal advantage.
The Valiants started the second half in similar fashion with Cristian Montano scoring Vale’s fourth with a delicate chipped finish over the goalkeeper a minute into the restart. Four minutes later, David Worrall burst through the heart of the Bolton defence and slotted home at the near post to make the score 5-1.
Vale’s sixth and final goal scorer was Nathan Smith as he headed home a David Worrall cross with thirty minutes to play. Bolton would go on to grab two consolation goals, but Vale held on to secure the three points and pick up their first victory at Bolton since 1988.
