Port Vale have the chance to bounce back from our league defeat at Morecambe last weekend, when we face Carlisle United at Vale Park on Saturday. You can find all of the key information regarding the game, below.
Fixture: Port Vale vs Carlisle United
Competition: Sky Bet League Two
Date: Saturday 10th October
Kick-Off: 3:00 pm
Venue: Vale Park
Referee: James Bell
Port Vale
Manager: John Askey
Form: LWDLW
Top Goal Scorer: Theo Robinson (3 goals)
The Valiants sit in fifth place in the Sky Bet League Two table, heading into this weekend’s clash with Carlisle United, following two wins, one draw and one defeat from their opening five games of the league campaign so far.
They will be hoping they can bounce straight back to winning ways after suffering their first league defeat of the season away at Morecambe last Saturday, but Tuesday’s impressive 3-1 victory at Sky Bet League One side Wigan Athletic in the EFL Trophy will boost confidence ahead of the meeting with Carlisle United at Vale Park.
John Askey’s side suffered a blow in midweek when both David Amoo and James Gibbons had to be taken off in the EFL Trophy clash at Wigan through injury, whilst Zak Mills has returned to training following an injury picked up in the first half against Harrogate. However, the side has been boosted by the re-signing of Mitch Clark on loan until January, which adds an extra option within the squad.
“We’re going to have afternoon’s like last weekend, when teams sit in and make life difficult, but we need to come up with better solutions than we did on Saturday.”
Dave Kevan, Port Vale Assistant Manager
Carlisle United
Manager: Chris Beech
Form: LWLWL
Top Goal Scorer: Omari Patrick, Joshua Kayode and Jon Mellish (1 goal)
Carlisle’s last game ended up in a thrilling 5-3 defeat at Sunderland in the EFL Trophy, but the Cumbrian side did win their last league fixture, beating Barrow 1-0 at Brunton Park.
Carlisle’s form has been inconsistent since the restart of competitive football in September, with every loss being followed by a win in their league campaign.
It was Jon Mellish who scored the only goal of the contest in their victory over Barrow, and the Cumbrians held out for 80 minutes, despite having Aaron Hayden sent off, and having to play with ten men for the final 35 minutes of the contest.
One to watch: Lewis Alessandra
Alessandra is an experienced forward, who can play down the middle or out on the wing, and was signed from Morecambe in January of this year.
Alessandra started his professional career at Oldham Athletic in 2007 where he played 67 times over three years, scoring 8 goals in that time.
He then signed for Morecambe in June 2011, playing for the Shrimps for two years, before his most successful spell of his career, which came at Plymouth Argyle between 2013-15.
After scoring 18 goals in 86 appearances for Argyle, Alessandra played for five different clubs across the EFL before signing for Carlisle in 2020.
He has scored one goal in his 10 appearances for the Cumbrian side so far, and he brings a wealth of talent and experience to Chris Beech’s side.
Talk:
Dave Kevan: “They’ve got their threats in wide areas and in midfield, and we’re going to need to be at our very best like we need to be every week.”
Chris Beech: “They’re a very good team, very consistent and they’ve got people like Tom Pope who have won golden boots, a top winger in David Worrall and a great team.”
Coverage:
iFollow The Vale will be providing full 90-minute coverage of the match for all domestic supporters, whilst the Port Vale Twitter and Facebook feeds will be providing live updates for the entirety.
To purchase an iFollow match pass click here.
There will also be the build-up to the game with the official Snapchat and Instagram accounts: @officialpvfc
Reaction will be available on the website post-match, as well as on YouTube, iFollow and our official social media channels.