Following back-to-back home fixtures in Sky Bet League Two, Vale are on the road this weekend as they travel to Cheltenham Town. We have compiled all the information you need below...
Fixture: Cheltenham Town v Port Vale
Competition: Sky Bet League Two
Date: Saturday 10th February 2018
Kick-Off: 3:00pm
Venue: Whaddon Road
Preview
Vale head to Gloucestershire still looking for their first win of 2018, but having came out on top in the reverse fixture, Neil Aspin's men will be confident of replicating this to secure all three points.
Tom Pope scored on two occasions in that encounter during a fine month of form in October, with Ben Whitfield also getting himself on the scoresheet. Kevin Dawson did grab a consolation for the Robins, but the Valiants ended a run of 11 games without a win in style.
With only two points separating the two teams in the Sky Bet League Two standings, Vale could leapfrog their opponents with a victory and that could potentially see them rise to 16th, depending on other results.
The Opposition
Cheltenham currently occupy 16th place in the division and they come into this fixture on the back of two draws, similarly to Vale, but they have not won any of their last four matches.
Their last triumph in the league came back on the 6th of January as they swept aside Colchester United at the Weston Homes Community Stadium, 4-1 being the final score.
You have to delve even further to find their last win on home soil. That was on the 9th of December 2017 as they edged past Crewe Alexandra at Whaddon Road, with Jamie Grimes scoring the only goal of the game.
One To Watch - Mohamed Eisa
After progressing through the non-league system, Eisa earned a move to Cheltenham in July 2017 and he joined the club with an impressive scoring record for Greenwich Borough, with 57 goals to his name from a century of appearances.
Now 23 years of age, the Sudan-born striker has settled in well during his first season in the Football League. He has been a key figure for Gary Johnson's men and he has signed a contract extension at the club, keeping him at Whaddon Road until 2020.
Eisa has made 35 appearances so far this term and he has scored 14 goals in all competitions, including 12 in Sky Bet League Two. He found the net in their last home fixture and he will be one to keep an eye on this weekend.
Talk
Gary Johnson: “We have got to stop conceding early on, of course,”
“If it is the first 10 or 15 minutes, and they have laid siege to your goal, you could say there is a massive problem.
“But the team come out the dressing room raring to go, they want to fight."
Neil Aspin: "Cheltenham have changed some personnel and they have switched formation from when we played them at home.
We are all desperate to get points and every game is difficult, but we have to be confident, play our own game and be brave."
Team News
Cheltenham will be without Taylor Moore and Danny Wright as both players will serve the final game of their three-match suspensions following their red cards against Mansfield Town.
Jordan Cranston (hamstring), Jordon Forster (Achilles) and Jaanal Gordon (knee) will also be unavailable as the trio are still recovering from long-term injury problems.
Neil Aspin will have food for thought following the reserves' win over Mansfield Town on Tuesday afternoon and Anton Forrester could feature after he scored a hat-trick.
Vale remain without Kjell Knops and Adam Yates, but other than that, they make the trip with a fully fit squad to choose from.
Coverage
Follow The Vale will be providing full 90-minute commentary from the match, while the Port Vale Twitter and Facebook feeds will host live updates throughout.
There will also be build-up to the game on our official Snapchat and Instagram accounts: officialpvfc
Reaction will be available on the official website post-match, as well as on YouTube and social media.