The Valiants return to league action as we travel to the One Call Stadium to face Mansfield Town.
Jon Brady's side comes into Saturday’s game with the Stags off the back of an impressive 1-0 away win over Bolton in the Vertu Trophy's Round of 16. Ben Waine's strike on the stroke of full-time ensured the Vale progressed to the Quarter-Final and picked up their third win in a row.
Post-Bolton Thoughts
Here’s what the Gaffer had to say after Tuesday's win:
“I thought it was a good performance from the team, and we wanted to have a look at the whole group with a live eye.
“I felt in the first half we had some good control in possession, and I felt that we had some chances as well.”
Press Conference Takeaways
Jon Brady gave his thoughts on Saturday's fixture:
“Everyone knows they’re a good side. They are 12th in the league for a reason; they’ve won 4 in a row, and they’re on a real high at the moment.
“We’re going there to really compete, do our best and see if we can stop their momentum.”
About Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town play their home games at One Call Stadium, which has a capacity of just over 9,000. Over a thousand travelling Valiants will make the 120-mile round journey to watch their side on Saturday. Mansfield were a mainstay in League Two for ten years, before they were promoted to League One in 2024 alongside Stockport, Wrexham and Crawley.
The hosts have had a fairly inconsistent first half of the season, picking up thirty-two points from twenty-three games. The Stags won three of their first five league games this campaign, but hit some tough form throughout September and October, where they only won one game in six league games.
However, Nigel Clough's side have won their last three league games and come into this game following a 4-3 win at Sheffield United in the Emirates FA Cup.
The Opposition Dugout
The man in charge at Town is Nigel Clough. Clough was appointed Mansfield manager back in 2020 and has gone on to lead 286 games for the club.
Nigel’s managerial career began at Burton Albion, where he was a player-coach for over ten years, before stepping into permanent management with Derby County. His spell at Derby was his second-longest spell as a manager at a club behind Mansfield, as he took charge of 233 matches with The Rams.
Clough also had a fantastic playing career between 1984 and 2009. A career in which he won three League Cups with Liverpool and Nottingham Forest and made fourteen appearances for England.
He made 475 appearances across his professional career, with 379 of those being in the First Division/Premier League.
Player to Watch
The Stags’ player to watch is striker, Rhys Oates. Rhys is currently Mansfield’s top scorer for the season and the club's highest goal contributor for the season, with six goals and one assist.
The thirty-one-year-old has already scored against the Valiants this season in his side's 2-1 loss at Vale Park in September.
Fixture Throwback
Mansfield 0-1 Port Vale, 31st October 2023
The last time Valiants travelled to the One Call Stadium, they came out 1-0 victors in the Carabao Cup.
It was a game that the travelling Vale fans will certainly remember as thick fog took centre stage, making it almost impossible for supporters to actually see what was going on.
Vale took control of the early stages of the game, forcing the Mansfield keeper into numerous smart saves, but the Valiants just couldn’t find the opener.
The winner was eventually scored five minutes after the second half restart. Alfie Devine picked the ball up on the halfway line before dancing through a challenge and unleashing a spectacular effort, finding the bottom corner and sending the travelling Valiants wild.
This Carabao Cup campaign would be a historic one for Vale as they reached the Quarter-Finals for the first time.
