Port Vale have the chance to make it back to back wins in the league, when we travel to the New Lawn to take on Forest Green Rovers tomorrow. You can find all of the key information regarding the game, below.
Fixture: Forest Green Rovers vs Port Vale
Competition: Sky Bet League Two
Date: Saturday 16th January
Kick-Off: 3:00 pm
Venue: The New Lawn
Referee: Kevin Johnson
Port Vale
Manager: Danny Pugh
Form: LLDLW
Top Goal Scorer: Devante Rodney (6 Goals)
Danny Pugh got off to a winning start in his first game as interim manager, with his Vale side securing an important 3-0 win over Grimsby Town at Vale Park, seeing Vale climb the table to 14th.
The Valiants will be hoping to repeat their success from last season’s trip to the Green Army, where a Tom Pope brace and Shaun Brisley close range strike saw us win 3-2, holding out against a late fight back with just nine men.
Vale have been dealt a major blow in our mid-week clash with Sunderland in the Papa John’s Trophy, as Tom Pope suffered an injury following a collision that has sidelined the striker, with Danny Whitehead also picking up an injury that will see him miss the game. Alex Hurst remains a possibility for the game after he was forced off the pitch with a knock on Tuesday also, however new signing Kurtis Guthrie is available for selection, after he joined the club earlier today.
“The result [against Grimsby] gave us a massive lift, it was a good performance and we felt solid as a team, but there’s also areas we thought we could improve, so hopefully we can maintain that compactness and hard to beat side of things but also add little bit more quality as well.”
Danny Pugh, Port Vale Interim Manager
Forest Green Rovers
Manager: Mark Cooper
Form: DWDLD
Top Goal Scorer: Jamille Matt (9 Goals)
The Green Army have had an excellent season so far, with their impressive performances and results leaving them currently sat 3rd in the table, just one point off the top spot.
It’s already been a busy January transfer window for Rovers, seeing three pieces of incoming business done, with Isaac Hutchinson, Baily Cargill and Odin Bailey signing. They have however also seen a number of outgoings, most notably centre-half Liam Kitching being bought by Championship Barnsley for Rovers’ club record sale fee.
Cooper may look to implement his new signings into his side for the fixture, but could be without captain Carl Winchester as Sunderland are rumoured to have struck a deal to sign the midfielder from the Green Army.
One to watch: Jamille Matt
Forest Green Rovers brought in the forward from Newport County in the summer and he’s had an excellent start to his time at the New Lawn so far this season, netting nine times and helping Rovers get into a strong promotion position.
The 6ft 4 front man had been a central part of County’s side, but the pandemic caused an enforced exit of players from Rodney Parade, with the Green Army capitalising.
The 30-year-old Jamaican-born striker featured for Fleetwood Town, Stevenage and Plymouth Argyle before being signed by Blackpool in 2016, where he also represented Grimsby Town whilst on loan.
In 2018 he joined Newport and formed a lethal partnership with Padraig Amond, scoring 20 goals in his first season in Wales, including a powerful header in their FA Cup win against Leicester City when he rose above Wes Morgan to find the back of the net.
Talk:
Danny Pugh: “They’re [Forest Green] a very good side, we know all about them, they play good football, they’ve got a very good manager who knows the league, so it’s going to be a big test for us and it’s a challenge we’re looking forward to.”
Udoka Godwin-Malife: “They [Port Vale] are a good team, we know their strengths so we’re working hard.”
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.