Port Vale are back for our first competitive game at Vale Park of the 2020/21 season, as we entertain Tranmere Rovers in the EFL Trophy group stage. You can find all of the key information regarding the game, below.
Fixture: Port Vale vs Tranmere Rovers
Competition: EFL Trophy
Date: Tuesday 8th September
Kick-Off: 7:00 pm
Venue: Vale Park
Referee: Declan Bourne
Port Vale
Manager: John Askey
Form: W
Top Goal Scorer: Zak Mills & Theo Robinson (1 Goal)
The Vale will be hoping to push on following our victory at Scunthorpe United on Saturday in the first round of the Carabao Cup, by kicking off our EFL Trophy group stage campaign with three points against fellow League Two opposition Tranmere Rovers.
We last faced the Rovers in the EFL Trophy back in September 2012 when Vale secured a 2-0 victory at Vale Park, to secure a safe passage to the next round.
The Gaffer will have a strong squad at his dispense for this clash, with Cristian Montano and Manny Oyeleke both set for a possible return to action, however James Gibbons is set to sit out this EFL Trophy encounter.
“Hopefully tonight we can get another decent result and go into the first league game of the season with more or less a full squad to pick from.”
John Askey, Port Vale Manager
Tranmere Rovers
Manager: Mike Jackson
Form: L
Top Goal Scorer: James Vaughan (1 Goal)
Tranmere will be looking to respond to Saturday’s Carabao Cup defeat on penalties against Harrogate Town with a strong showing this evening as they seek out their first win of the season.
The Rovers felt unjustly done last season after they were relegated from League One on an unweighted points per game system following the early conclusion of League One and Two after the Covid-19 outbreak in March.
Mike Jackson has signed seven players for the club so far this summer including the acquisition of former Liverpool midfielder Jay Spearing alongside Celtic right-back Lee O’Connor.
One to watch: James Vaughan
The former Everton and Leicester striker will be hoping to continue his blistering 2019/20 form after scoring 35 goals across all competitions for both Tranmere and Bradford City.
Vaughan started his senior career at Everton, where he became the youngest ever Premier League goalscorer (a record which still stands today) when he scored for the Toffee’s against Crystal Palace in April 2005 at just 16-years old and 270 days.
He has successful spells across the EFL in his career, most notably at Huddersfield and Bradford City.
He moved to current side Tranmere in January 2020 on loan before signing for the club on a permanent deal in August 2020.
Talk:
John Askey: “It’s unusual to start with two cup games, but we’ve used it as a pre-season and hopefully we’ll be ready to kick off our league campaign on Saturday.”
Mike Jackson: “We know where we need to improve, so we know where we are at.”
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.