Tomorrow the Valiants look to make it five games unbeaten at home in the league this season, as they take on Mansfield Town. With the fixture just a day away, we look back on two classic matches that the Vale have played against the Stags at Vale Park.
League Division 2, Vale Park, Tuesday 27th April 1993: Port Vale 3 – 0 Mansfield Town
Vale were in second place in the table and aiming for automatic promotion when they faced Mansfield Town in their final home game of the season, whilst Mansfield needed a win in order to avoid relegation.
In front of a crowd of almost 10,000, the Vale burst out the gates and took an early lead in the 7thminute via midfielder Paul Kerr.
Just a few minutes later, Vale’s leading scorer Ian Taylor added a second, bagging his 18th goal of the campaign in the 25thminute.
Mansfield, with former Port Vale winger Gary Ford and future chief scout George Foster in their side, had no answer to Vale’s dominance and Kerr would grab his second of the game to round it all off two minutes from time.
Vale – Musselwhite, Aspin, Porter, Kent, Swan (Jeffers), Glover, Slaven (Foyle), Van der Laan, Cross, Kerr, Taylor
Mansfield – Pearcey, Hodson (Clarke), Withe, Foster, Gray, Fairclough, Ford, Holland, Wilkinson, McLaughlin, Stringfellow
Sub not used – Castledine
Attendance – 3,938
League Division Two, Vale Park, Saturday 30th November 2002: Port Vale 4 – 2 Mansfield Town
Vale entered the game in 16th place in the league, whereas Mansfield were rock-bottom of the division.
Despite that, the Stags caused an early surprise by taking the lead after just 28 seconds, as former Vale winger Wayne Corden made it 1-0.
The Vale drew level on the half hour mark when Micky Cummins headed a Phil Charnock corner past former Vale goalkeeper Kevin Pilkington, and just three minutes later took the lead when Cummins scored again, this time from a Billy Paynter pass.
Cummins turned provider five minutes into the second-half, when he sent a cross into the box that Ian Armstrong headed home.
Another Cummins pass led to Paynter scoring the fourth goal in the 66thminute, but only 60 seconds later Iyseden Christie scored his ninth goal in five games for Mansfield but Vale were able to see out the game as out comfortable winners
Port Vale – Goodland, Brightwell (68’ McClare), Burns, Collins, Boyd, Charnock, Cummins, Armstrong, Durin, McPhee, Paynter
Subs not used – Delaney, Brooker, Byrne, Birchall
Mansfield – Pilkington, Clarke, Day (45’ Hassell), Lever, Gadsby, Corden, Disley, Lawrence, Williamson, Christie, Little (44’ Larkin).
Subs not used – White, Moore, Mackenzie
Attendance – 3,880