Big derby game on Saturday
It’s a big game for us tomorrow, the derby against Crewe, or the A500 derby as it has become known. It’s not our main derby as every Vale fan knows, but it’s near enough and means plenty.
It’s a typical derby results wise in that the away team invariably does better. We have only lost 3 of our last 18 visits to Gresty Road whereas Crewe have won 6 of their last 9 visits to Vale Park. The latter record needs changing and I hope that Micky Adams gets the players fired up enough to make it happen. I’m sure he will, especially after the last two games.
I know the proverbial ‘form goes out of the window’ for derby games but the fact that we are in the top ten whilst Crewe are in the bottom four surely counts for something. It does – it means our players are better than theirs overall. That doesn’t always guarantee anything (Brentford’s last defeat was against Stevenage of all people) but it must help.
It will be strange in the Davis household as Joe and Harry come face to face on the pitch for the first time. Maybe Joe should make his own breakfast tomorrow morning, we don’t want anything unusual appearing in it, do we! It could well be time for Joe to score his first senior goal, what a story that would make if it was the winner!
Phil Sherwin