Port Vale are back for our first official game of the 2020/21 season, as we travel to Glanford Park to take on Scunthorpe United in the First Round of the Carabao Cup. You can find all of the key information regarding the game, below.
Fixture: Scunthorpe United vs Port Vale
Competition: Carabao Cup
Date: Saturday 5th September 2020
Kick-Off: 3:00 pm
Venue: Glanford Park
Referee: Neil Hair
Port Vale
Manager: John Askey
Pre-Season Form: LWWW
Top Pre-Season Goal Scorer: Conlon (3 Goals)
The Vale will be hoping to kick-start our new campaign with a win and carry on their form from the end of last season which saw the Valiants go eight games unbeaten before their impressive campaign was brought to a premature halt by Covid-19.
The odds may appear to be stacked against John Askey’s men however, as the Vale have failed to pick up a win inside 90 minutes on the road against The Iron since 1973, although we have triumphed in two penalty shootouts in the trophy during that time. Vale will also be looking to reach the Second Round of the Carabao Cup for the first time since the 2015/16 season.
Askey’s side come into this fixture off the back of a strong pre-season showing which saw us end on three straight wins against sides plying their trade in higher divisions. Prior to the lockdown the Valiants were in the midst of an eight-game unbeaten run, finishing just one point outside the play-off places when the 2019/20 season was subsequently suspended in March.
The Gaffer will have almost all of his squad available for this fixture as all players have returned to training, although some may be unable to start due to a lack of match fitness. The only two definitely set to miss the clash are James Gibbons, who is back in training but still sidelined with a leg injury, and Tom Pope who is suspended.
“I think we’re a little bit stronger than we were last year, but only time will tell.”
John Askey, Port Vale Manager
Scunthorpe United
Manager: Neil Cox
Form: LWWLL
The Iron will be looking to start their season in a positive manner as they seek to have a stronger league showing than last season, which saw them finish 20th in League Two.
Their lowly finish last season saw a change in management as Neil Cox has taken charge at Glanford Park, with the former Notts County assistant manager no doubt hoping to get off to a winning start.
Cox has had a busy transfer window, with nine new faces arriving at Glanford Park, including former Tottenham and Leicester City forward Ryan Loft, Frank Vincent and Tyler Cordner on loan from Bournemouth as well as German striker Kenan Dünnwald-Turan.
One to watch: Kenan Dünnwald-Turan
The 24-year-old German forward is the latest addition for Neil Cox’s Scunthorpe and will provide a powerful option up top for The Iron, standing at 6’2”.
Dünnwald-Turan began his career in the youth system with Fortuna Düsseldorf before also featuring for SG Unterrath and Rot-Weiß Oberhausen at youth level in his native Germany.
He then would make transfers to both MSV Duisburg II and TSG Sprockhövel, before moving to England in 2017, where he became part of the Bristol Rovers development squad.
Dünnwald-Turan went on loan from the Pirates to Weston-Super-Mare, before representing FC Kaan-Marienborn, Wuppertaler SV, SC Fortuna Koln and Bonner SC before making a permanent move to Scunthorpe just a few days ago.
Talk:
John Askey: “Everything’s unusual at the moment, but it’s nice to go into a competitive game before we actually start the season in the league.”
Neil Cox: “We’re going to be positive, we’re going to get a lot of positive thoughts, we’re going to get everybody on our side and try and get the town back together.”
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.