Port Vale will be hoping to build on two wins over Newport County and Colchester United last week, when we travel to The People’s Pension Stadium to take on Crawley Town in our aim to climb up the Sky Bet League Two table. You can find all of the key information regarding the game, below.
Fixture: Crawley Town vs Port Vale
Competition: Sky Bet League Two
Date: Saturday 27th March
Kick-Off: 3:00 pm
Venue: The People’s Pension Stadium
Referee: Chris Sarginson
Port Vale
Manager: Darrell Clarke
Form: LDLWW
Top Goal Scorer: Devante Rodney (11 goals)
The Valiants will be hoping to build on last weekend’s victory at Colchester United with another victory away at the The People’s Pension Stadium on Saturday.
A wonderful curling effort from Devante Rodney was the only goal in a solid 1-0 victory for the Valiants last time out, and Darrell Clarke will be hoping that his side can carry on our resilient performances at the back, whilst being efficient in taking our chances in front of goal.
Rodney’s goal earned him a spot in both the Sky Bet League Two and EFL Team of the Week, capping a fantastic week for the striker, who scored two winning goals in two games for the Valiants.
On Saturday, we face a Crawley Town outfit who still harbour an outside chance of reaching the play-offs come the end of the season, whilst the Valiants will be aiming to put on a performance which could move us up a place into 18th, ahead of Mansfield Town.
The last time we faced the Red Devils in the league, a Mark Cullen brace earned all three points on the opening day of the season in a 2-0 win at Vale Park, and we will be hoping for a similar performance this weekend.
Saturday’s game is a great opportunity for the Valiants to win a third match on the bounce, and generate some momentum ahead of the final run-in to the end of the campaign.
“I can’t speak highly enough of the club if I’m honest, speaking to fans, people on the training ground and the owners, they’re just really good people who you want to do well for.”
Darrell Clarke, Port Vale Manager
Crawley Town
Manager: John Yems
Form: WWWDL
Top Goal Scorer: Tom Nichols and Max Watters (15 goals)
A recent run of strong results for John Yems’ side has put them in contention for a play-off spot, sitting six points outside the final position, but having a game in hand over seventh placed Newport County.
The Red Devils’ fire power up top has been a major factor in their successful season, with both Tom Nichols and Max Watters sharing 30 goals between them equally.
The club made headlines this season after beating Premier League side Leeds United in the FA Cup third round in January, but Yems will not let his side live off that success for the rest of the campaign, as they aim to secure a spot in Sky Bet League One next season.
One to watch: Tom Nichols
The 27-year-old striker has been tough to split with fellow goalscorer Max Watters for Crawley’s Player of the Season, but Nichols has the advantage of also adding 10 assists to his 15 goals so far this season, and has been critical to Crawley’s recent play-off push.
Nichols started his career at Exeter City making his professional debut for the club in May 2011.
During his time with the Grecians, he went out on loan a number of times including two spells at Dorchester Town, a two-month loan period at Hereford United and a one-month loan spell at Bath City.
He would make 97 appearances during his time at Exeter City, scoring 32 goals between 2011 and 2016 before permanent spells at Peterborough United and Bristol Rovers before eventually signing for current side Crawley Town in September 2020, where he has quickly become a fans favourite.
Talk:
Darrell Clarke: “We’ll analyse the good bits and the bad bits from the Colchester game, but the main focus this week has been for Crawley away. It’s been nice to have a free week.”
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.