Boss rallies his troops for Saturday
After long trips to League leaders Brentford last weekend and down to Devon to face Plymouth in midweek, it is important the players have prepared well for Saturday’s visit of Oldham Athletic.
Boss Micky Adams is responsible for making sure things are done in the correct manner after two long journeys in the space of a couple of days and he believes the players will be ready.
He said: “It is all about rest and recuperation. We arrived back in the early hours of the morning, as did our supporters and I am sure a lot of them went straight to work.
“But we have got to prepare correctly for another difficult game on Saturday. We want the three points so I think what we will do is look at the squad that we have got available to us and tinker with it a little bit and pick an eleven to go and win the game.
“Maybe we were doubting ourselves a little bit down at Plymouth but to be fair to them they showed great character and spirit.
“Particularly during the last twelve minutes, the way they were putting our bodies on the line for each other and the club and its supporters was creditable and I took my hat off to them.”
Vale must now forget all about their cup exploits and concentrate on the game against The Latics this weekend and the boss remembers only too well what happened the last time the two sides met.
“If I remember the game rightly we played particularly well. We went a goal down and got back into it and then Hughesy missed a penalty just before half time, which was probably the turning point.
“They are a youngish side with a young manager learning his trade. He will make mistakes, because we all make mistakes believe it or not.
“They have got a system of play that he is trying to implement, which is pleasing on the eye, a passing game. If we let them pass on our big pitch I am sure they will enjoy that.
“As I said before, he is a young manager learning his trade – he is one of my ex boys, I had him down at Brighton as a kid.
“He didn’t get too many games and he wasn’t happy about it at the time and he decided to move on and he had a very good career.
“He is a young manager learning his trade and he will want to do well, but it is not about them on Saturday, it is on about us turning up.
“I don’t want any excuses that we are tired. It may be a case that I do tinker with the side and try to get a fresh eleven out there that will have a go.
“Jack Grimmer will obviously come into that equation. Joe Davis will be fresh because he didn’t play the other night for whatever reason and we will add Flo Cuvelier.
“Rob Taylor, Liam Chilvers, Kaid Mohamed, Daniel Jones, Gavin Tomlin, Richard Duffy are all unavailable to us this weekend for various injury problems and Chris Lines has got a one-match ban for his sending off at Plymouth, so the squad is stretched but we will get on with it.”