Tomorrow the Valiants look to make it two wins away from home in a row, having defeated Macclesfield Town on Tuesday in the Leasing.com trophy. With a trip to Leyton Orient just a day away, we look back on two classic matches that the Vale have played against Orient at Brisbane Road.
League Division 2, Brisbane Road, Saturday 20th March 1993: Leyton Orient 0-1 Port Vale
The game took place as a key fixture in the promotion battle as the Vale were in second place and Leyton Orient were fifth heading into the game.
The Valiants handed a debut to their newly signed striker, Bernie Slaven, the vastly experienced former Middlesbrough and Republic of Ireland goalscorer.
In the second half though, Slaven marked the event as one he would like to forget when he was sent off for the first time in his career for violent conduct after an altercation with Adrian Whitbread.
The Vale then had 10 men as they competed in what was a tight game, but the Valaints would take the lead in the 67th minute, after Dean Glover played a free kick down the left, where Robin Van Der Laan played it to Ian Taylor and his ball inside was dummied by Paul Kerr allowing Ray Walker to score with a shot into the bottom corner of the net from the edge of the box.
Port Vale were then able to see out the remainder of the clash and the win helped them achieve a play-off spot at the end of the season.
Leyton Orient – Heald, Bellamy, Howard (Kitchen), Carter, Whitbread, Achampong, Ryan, Harvey (Okai), Hackett, Otto, Taylor.
Vale – Musselwhite, Kent, Sulley, Walker, Billing, Glover, Slaven, Van der Laan, Kerr (Porter), Jeffers, Taylor.
Sub not used – Houchen
Att. 5,950
League Division Two, Brisbane Road, Monday 4th April 1994: Leyton Orient 2-3 Port Vale
Vale entered the Easter Monday game in 4th place in the table, but were in a poor run of form having not won for three games, and Orient had also entered a similar patch of form which had seen them drop to mid-table after a seven game winless run.
In a must win game for both sides, Martin Foyle put the Vale ahead in the 20th minute only for Martin Thomas to level just twelve minutes later for Orient.
Foyle went on to again find the back of the net though and restore Vale’s lead three minutes before the half-time whistle.
Orient again were able to equalised in the 55th minute, this time through Mark Cooper, but that man Foyle again popped up to ruin the hosts day, completing his hat-trick to win it for Vale in the 78th minute.
The result kickstarted a run of eight wins in nine games that took Vale to automatic promotion.
Leyton Orient – Newall, Ryan, Ludden, Hackett, Austin, Bellamy, Thomas, Barnett, West, Cooper, Bogie.
Subs not used – Okai, Turner
Vale – Musselwhite, Aspin, Stokes, Porter, Swan, Glover, Kent, Foyle, Allon (Lowe), Cross, Taylor.
Sub not used – Wood
Att. 3,412