Vale face another long journey this weekend as they head south to face Colchester United on Saturday, but you can find all of the important details ahead of the fixture below.
Competition: Sky Bet League Two
Fixture: Colchester United vs Port Vale
Date: Saturday 23rd December 2017
Kick-Off: 3:00pm
Venue: Weston Homes Community Stadium
Preview
Port Vale will be hoping to make it three wins in succession in Sky Bet League Two on Saturday as they travel to Colchester United.
Following the home success against Cambridge United and last weekend’s triumph over Carlisle United, Neil Aspin’s men will head to Essex in confident mood.
The Opposition
Colchester United have started the season brightly and only goal difference separates them and Coventry City who occupy the final play-off place in Sky Bet League Two.
The U’s come into this game in good form, winning three of their last five league fixtures. Wins over Lincoln City, Exeter City and Swindon Town have helped them climb the table, along with a draw at home to Morecambe.
Their last defeat came away to high-flying Notts County on the 25th of November, and similarly to Vale, John McGreal’s men are searching for a third straight win in the league.
Talk
Neil Aspin: “We’ve got a difficult run of fixtures but we can’t get ahead of ourselves. Our focus is on preparing for Saturday which will be a tough game.
“They come thick and fast over Christmas, we’ve just got to do what we’ve done since I’ve been here - we want the players to be organised and to make sure they’re working hard.
“If they do that, they will get chances to pick up points, but they certainly need to be at their best.”
John McGreal: “Neil has got them going really well and they’ve got back-to-back wins at the moment, so we know it’s going to be a really tough game.
“He’s got them organised and he’s got good players in there who have a wealth of experience. It’s fine margins in this division and Port Vale are proving that themselves.”
Team News
Cristian Montano will be available for the Valiants after serving a one-match suspension, but James Gibbons still has three games of his ban remaining following his dismissal during the Emirates FA Cup defeat to Yeovil Town.
Long term absentees Kjell Knops and Adam Yates remain sidelined, while Tyrone Barnett and Joe Davis will be in contention after they both recovered from injury problems.
Colchester are still likely to be without defender Ryan Inniss due to a shoulder injury, but Sean Murray is back in the frame for a start following his recovery from knee surgery.
Doug Loft hasn’t featured for three games because of a shoulder problem, while Kurtis Guthrie is still undergoing rehabilitation after an operation on his ankle. Brennan Dickinson, Luke Prosser and Courtney Senior all join them on the injury table.
Coverage
iFollow the Vale will be providing full 90-minute commentary from the match, while the Port Vale Twitter and Facebook feed will be providing live updates for the entirety.
There will also be build-up to the game with the official Snapchat account: officialpvfc.
Reaction will be available on the official website post-match, as well as on YouTube, iFollow and social media.