The Valiants go head-to-head with Sky Bet League Two side Bristol Rovers in the Second Round of the Emirates FA Cup at Vale Park on Saturday
Vale beat non-league side Maldon and Tiptree 5-1 at Vale Park in the First Round to set up a second round tie with Bristol Rovers.
Darren Moore’s side comes into Saturday’s cup clash following a convincing 5-0 win over Barnsley in the Vertu Trophy Round of 32. Goals from Ruari Paton, Dajaune Brown, Ben Waine and Jesse Debrah saw the Valiants progress.
Post-Barnsley Thoughts
Here’s what the gaffer made of Tuesday's win:
“Really pleased with the performance and to score five goals. To make the nine changes that we did from the weekend and really pleased with the players that came in and performed the way they did tonight.”
Press Conference Takeaways
Here is what Ruari Paton makes of Saturday’s FA Cup game:
“In the FA Cup, it doesn’t matter what league you’re in. It’s a one-off game, and no one at our club should be looking at the levels of other clubs.
“It’ll be about who gets the better of each other on the day, and we should be bouncing into it with confidence after Tuesday”.
Our Opponents
The Gas have been an EFL side since their promotion from the National League in 2015, where they won promotion via the play-offs. The following season, they secured a back-to-back promotion, finishing third in League Two on goal difference. Since then, Rovers spent seven out of eight seasons playing in the third division, until they were relegated back to League Two last season.
They currently sit 21st in the league table, only winning five of their eighteen games this season. Despite losing their opening three games, Rovers picked up some form throughout late August and September, going a seven-game unbeaten run whilst winning five of those games. Since their victory over Salford in September, Bristol Rovers haven’t picked up any points in the league. In order to reach the Second Round of the FA Cup, they defeated fellow League Two side Bromley 2-1 away from home.
The Opposition Dugout
The man in the opposition is a familiar name for Vale fans. Rovers are currently managed by former Vale boss Darrell Clarke, who had a two-year spell at Vale Park between 2021 and 2023. Clarke secured promotion in 2022 through a historic 3-0 play-off final win over Mansfield Town at Wembley Stadium.
Darrell’s managerial career started with Salisbury City before moving to Bristol Rovers in 2014. Following a short spell at Walsall, Clarke moved to Port Vale, where he would go on to etch his name into the club's history. After his time with the Valiants, the Englishman had spells with Cheltenham Town, Barnsley, and is now in his second spell with Bristol Rovers.
Player to Watch
Fabrizio Cavegn is a player for Vale fans to look out for on Saturday. Cavegn is the Gas’ top scorer this season, netting on five occasions, one of which was in the last round of the FA Cup to help his side progress.
The 29-year-old is a player with experience on the European stage, with his former side FC Vaduz. Fabrizio featured five times in the Europa Conference League for his former side, scoring three goals.
Fixture Throwback
Port Vale 2-0 Bristol Rovers, 22nd April 2023
Vale have a decent record against Saturday's visitors, with one of these victories coming in 2023, where a goal and assist for current Rovers player Ellis Harrison guided Vale to three points.
The Valiants made a bright start to the game and took the lead midway through the first half. A corner into the box was kept alive by Will Forrester, who found Ellis Harrison at the back post, who then expertly converted with a sublime bicycle kick, firing an effort into the top corner.
The second goal of the game came just seven minutes later. After a cross into the box, Harrison controlled the ball into the path of Tom Pett, who smashed the ball into the bottom left corner to wrap-up all three points for Vale.
