The Valiants return to Vale Park this coming weekend and Exeter City are the visitors, with kick-off scheduled for 3pm.
Vale come into the game off the back of a narrow 1-0 defeat on the road against Salford City, still in search of a first league win of the season.
Our Opponents
Currently sat in sixteenth place, Saturday’s visitors have had an indifferent start to life back in League Two with one win, two draws and two losses to their name so far.
Despite boasting an unbeaten start at home, Exeter have found points on the road hard to come by. Both of the Grecians’ away games so far have ended in closely fought defeats at the hands of Grimsby Town (1-0) and York City (2-1).
The Devon-based club have been active in the summer transfer window too, with eleven new faces coming through the door at St. James Park. Exeter City academy graduate Harry Kite rejoined the club following two years away alongside the arrivals of experienced names such as Danny Rose, Gwion Edwards and Josh Gordon.
Opposition Dugout
Matt Taylor is the man in charge of Exeter City. He rejoined the club back in March of this year following the tenure of Gary Caldwell, who left the club after three years in Devon to take up the managerial role at his former side, Wigan Athletic.
Since his return to the Grecians, Taylor has managed nineteen games across all competitions, picking up two wins, seven draws and ten losses.
One to Watch
Experienced winger, Gwion Edwards, has been at the heart of most of Exeter’s creative play so far this season with two assists to his name across six appearances.
Edwards, 33, joined Exeter City this summer following the conclusion of his contract with now National League North side, Morecambe. Across his two and a half years with the Shrimps, he chalked up twelve goals and four assists across 85 appearances.
Landmark Appearance
Should he be involved in this weekend’s squad, right back Jordan Gabriel could make his 200th career appearance.
Gabriel, 27, is into his second season with the Valiants and has recently been voted for by supporters as our August Player of the Month, powered by IronMarket, for a number of impressive displays in the opening few weeks of the season.
Fixture Throwback
Port Vale 3-1 Exeter City | 28th January 2020
The visitors took the lead in the 22nd minute through a Nicky Ajose header from point-blank and took a 1-0 lead into the break.
Following a quick start to the second half, the Valiants were awarded a penalty after David Amoo was brought down inside the area. Richie Bennett stepped up and made no mistake from twelve yards, finding the goalkeeper’s bottom left-hand corner.
Vale then took a deserved lead fourteen minutes later when David Worrall’s cross from the left was bundled home by Leon Legge, who claimed his third goal of the season from close-range.
The comeback victory was rounded off with seventy minutes on the clock when a looped Scott Burgess cross from the right was headed into the back of the net by Bennett for his second goal of the night and fifth of the season to claim all three points for John Askey’s side.
