The Valiants make the trip up the M6 as they face Wigan Athletic at The Brick Community Stadium on Saturday
Darren Moore’s side comes into this weekend's clash following a 1-1 draw away at AFC Wimbledon in London. Despite being the better side in the first half, Vale found themselves 1-0 down with twenty minutes to play when former Valiant, Antwoine Hackford, gave his side the lead.
With five minutes remaining, Devante Cole followed in from a Jayden Stockley saved effort to equalise and ensure Vale left South-West London with a point and extend the unbeaten league run to five games.
Post Wimbledon Thoughts
The Gaffer's reaction to the draw at Wimbledon:
“I think it would have been a bit of a travesty had we not come away with something.
“The first half we had enough chances, we should’ve probably gone in a goal or maybe two to the good.”
Press Conference Takeaways
Here’s what the boss had to say regarding Saturday's clash with Wigan:
“A real tough test at Wigan, Ryan Lowe is somebody that knows the game inside out. The way he sets his team up, there’s a clear identity to them.
“We know we’ve got a difficult opponent that we’re going to be up against and a game we know we’ll have to be at our level best again.”
Our Opponents
There will be over 2,000 Vale fans making the near 100-mile round trip up North on Saturday to cheer on their side.
Wigan were a staple in the Premier League throughout the early 2000s before their relegation to the Championship in 2013. Even though they did get relegated this season, the Latics famously beat Manchester City at Wembley to lift the FA Cup thanks to a stoppage-time goal from Ben Watson.
This is Wigan’s third successive season in League One, and they currently sit below Vale in seventeenth place on goal difference. Ryan Lowe’s side haven’t picked up a league victory since mid-September when they beat Doncaster 3-0. They come into Saturday's game off the back of a 1-0 home defeat to Wycombe Wanderers.
The Opposition Dugout
Ryan Lowe was appointed Wigan manager in March of this year following the dismissal of Shaun Maloney. Ryan has taken charge of twenty-eight matches up to this point, winning seven of those games. The Englishman’s managerial career began with Bury, before moving to Plymouth and then Preston, and now at Wigan.
Prior to his managerial career, Lowe had a playing career from 2000 up until 2019 that began at Burscough FC and finished at Bury. Ryan played over 550 games during his career and scored on 181 occasions. The former centre forward was also awarded the League Two Player of the Year in 2011, following a stellar season where he scored twenty-seven goals for Bury.
Player to Watch
A player for Vale fans to keep an eye out for is Scotsman, Fraser Murray. Fraser is currently Wigan's top scorer in the league with four goals, whilst also contributing with one assist. Murray has predominantly played out on the right flank this season, but can play on the left or in the middle of the midfield.
Fraser has already beaten his goal tally of four from last season, where he played for Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership and also featured in European Competitions.
Fixture Throwback
Wigan Athletic 1-3 Port Vale, 8th October 2020
Vale hadn’t won away at Wigan since 2002, but John Askey's side changed this as they defeated the Latics in an EFL Trophy game during Covid-19.
Theo Robinson gave the Valiants the lead with thirteen minutes played at the DW Stadium. David Worrall played a fantastic ball across the box to Robinson, who slotted home from close range. Robinson doubled his and Vales' tally on the half-hour mark after a defensive error allowed the forward to be one on one with the keeper, and he made no mistake.
Ten minutes into the second hal,f Christian Montano added a third for Askey's Vale. Montano dribbled through the heart of the Latics' defence before placing the ball into the corner. Wigan did grab a goal back thanks to a superb Tom Pearce free kick, but Vale came away with all three points that evening.
