Tomorrow the Valiants will aim to get back to winning ways and pick up their first away league win of the season when travelling to Bradford City’s Utilita Energy Stadium. With the trip just a day away, we look back on two classic matches that the Vale have played against the Bantams.
League 2, Valley Parade, Saturday 4th September 2010: Bradford City 0-2 Port Vale
Vale travelled to Bradford having won two games on the bounce and looking to move into fourth place in the League Two table with another win under their belts.
Vale took the lead in the 33rd minute when a corner from Gary Roberts, the player who Tom Pope still says is the best footballer he has ever played with, was headed home by Marc Richards.
Bradford came close to equalising when Jake Speight, who a month later joined Vale on loan and became the 1,000th player to represent the club in the Football League, broke through but was pulled back for a hand ball.
Vale doubled their lead 15 minutes from time when Bradford goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin failed to control a back pass from Tommy Docherty and Justin Richards pounced and was able to tap the ball into an empty net.
Bradford C – McLaughlan, O’Brien (Osbourne 67), Oliver, Hunt, Duff, Threlfall, Docherty, Adeyemi (Moult 67), Syers, Evans, Speight
Subs not used – Saxton, Rehman, Williams, Bullock, Chilaka
Port Vale – Tomlinson, Yates, McCombe, Owen, Collins, Fraser (Sutton 90), Roberts, Griffith, Rigg (Bell-Baggie 88), M.Richards (Dodds 83), J.Richard
Subs not used –Malbon, R.Taylor, K.Taylor, Martin
Att. 10,834
League Two, Valley Parade, Saturday 29th September 2012: Bradford City 0-1 Port Vale
Vale sat second place in the league when they travelled to Valley Parade to face a tough task against sixth placed Bradford, who had a 100% win record at home.
The Vale had been beaten in their previous home game by league leaders Gillingham but were able to produce a resolute defensive performance to keep Bradford at bay.
Eight minutes before the break Vale burst into the attack and were able to find a goal to put them in front when Gary Jones attempted a back header to Jon McLaughlan it was intercepted by leading scorer Tom Pope who stroked the ball into the net past the stranded goalkeeper to score his fourth goal in three games.
Nahki Wells and James Hanson, both went close for the hosts but the Valiants were able to hold on for the victory on their march to promotion.
A couple of days later Micky Adams was named manager of the month whilst Pope was named player of the month.
Bradford C – McLaughlan, Meredith, Davies, Oliver (Connell 80), McArdle, Reid (Thompson 87), Atkinson (Hines 62), Jones, Doyle, Hanson, Wells
Subs not used – Duke, Darby, McHugh, Ravenhill
Port Vale – Neal, Duffy (Yates 74), McCombe, McDonald, Taylor, Myrie-Williams, Burge, Loft, Vincent (Morsy 84), Dodds, Pope
Subs not used – Owen, Shuker, Lloyd, Williamson, Johnson
Att. 11,030