Vale travel to Accrington Stanley on Saturday afternoon in Sky Bet League Two, but ahead of the fixture, make sure you take a read of all the important information below...
Competition: Sky Bet League Two
Fixture: Accrington Stanley vs Port Vale
Date: Saturday 20th January 2018
Venue: The Wham Stadium
Kick-Off: 3:00pm
Preview
The Valiants go into the clash with high-flying Accrington without a win in three games, but Neil Aspin’s men will be hoping to end that run on Saturday afternoon.
Last weekend’s draw with Yeovil Town ensured Vale held their position of 18th in the division, with nine points still separating them from the bottom two.
Victory this time out could result in the Valiants climbing three places in the standings, depending on other results, and that is something the squad will have their eyes set on.
The Opposition
Having just missed out on promotion to Sky Bet League One during the 2015/16 campaign, Stanley are now in their twelfth consecutive season in the fourth tier, but that could soon well change.
With over half of the fixtures in Sky Bet League Two now played this term, John Coleman’s side occupy the third and final automatic promotion slot.
Despite their budget being one of the smallest in the division, they continue to defy the odds and promotion looks to be a realistic ambition this season.
They are in fine fettle having won their last three games, scoring nine goals in the process, and they will be looking to continue that on Saturday.
Talk
Neil Aspin: “We’re always ready for the games and this is no different, they’re all difficult fixtures and Accrington are doing very well in this league.
“They’re always up there challenging and it will be a tough test. We certainly know that we need to be better than we’ve played over the last few games.”
John Coleman: "We have to try and make it harder for Port Vale than they will for us, but that's not a given, they're a big club and a good side, they will have a big following backing them here on Saturday, it should be a good game.
"They've had a great result, beating Luton 4-0 and they will be looking to come here and pick up another big result, we know we have to be at our best and we'll try to do that."
Team News
Vale’s could hand a debut to Luke Hannant after he made the move from Gateshead on Thursday, with the 24-year-old joining up with his new teammates prior to the game.
Long term absentee Kjell Knops still remains sidelined as he continues his rehabilitation, whilst Adam Yates is the only other absentee after he suffered serious facial injuries during a reserve game in November.
Accrington will be without Seamus Conneely after he had an operation on his groin recently, but Erico Sousa is back in training after an ankle injury that's kept him out for over a month, so he could be in contention.
Coverage
Follow 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 and Instagram accounts: officialpvfc.
Reaction will be available on the official website post-match, as well as on YouTube, iFollow and social media.