The Valiants return to Vale Park on Tuesday as we host Stevenage in our Emirates FA Cup Second Round replay.
Vale come into the game off the back of a 1-0 league win at Exeter City. Ollie Arblaster scored the only goal of the game when he fired home from close range following a corner from the right side to earn Vale all three points.
Crosby’s Comments:
When reacting to Saturday’s victory, Andy Crosby said:
“We knew the importance of the game. Positionally wise in the league, The run that we’ve been on, the run that they’ve been on. I think it’s a reward for the group, the players, the staff, the football club. It’s been a difficult period for obvious reasons, but we’ve stuck together and we’ve kept our beliefs.
“It wasn’t a vintage performance in terms of with the ball and we were under pressure most of the second half and we couldn’t quite get that last pass away or we missed an opportunity, block our own shot or whatever it was but we defended our box with so much courage and bravery and leadership.”
The Opposition
Stevenage come into the fixture off the back of a 2-1 win against Burton Albion at the Pirelli Stadium. Despite going a goal down inside seven minutes, The Boro fought back at levelled the score in first half added time when Kane Hemmings scored from close range. Five minutes into the second half they completed the comeback when Jamie Reid scored from the penalty spot. This win maintains their ten-game unbeaten streak that stems back to the 14th October.
On their way to the second round of the Emirates FA cup, they beat Tranmere Rovers in a thrilling game at the Lamex. Going into the 90th minute Stevenage led 3-2 but one minute into added time Kieron Morris levelled the scores for Tranmere who thought they had forced a replay. However, in the 100th minute, Jamie Reid scored to spark jubilant scenes and send his side into Second Round in the most dramatic of ways.
Player to Watch – Jamie Reed
The Stevenage forward has made a great start to the season, scoring 13 times in all competitions. Reid found the net in the original Second Round fixture when got on the end of a through ball before tucking under Connor Ripley in the Vale goal. Reid also scored in his last outing when his penalty earned his side all three points against Burton Albion.
Another player to watch is Carl Piergianni. The experienced defender is always a handful in both boxes and he has played a pivotal role in his sides promotions last season, and their positive start to their league one campaign.
This Season's Meetings
Stevenage 0-0 Port Vale, Saturday 21st October 2023:
After a two week international break, the Vale returned to league action with a trip to Lamex Stadium earlier this season.
Funso Ojo had the first effort of the game after a corner from the left fell to him, but his first time effort was tipped over the crossbar by Taye Ashby-Hammond. Soon after, Connor Ripley was forced into action when he made a good save following a low shot that came through a congested 18-yard box. In the second half, Kofi Balmer got up highest to meet Tom Sang’s corner and force a good save from Ashby-Hammond once again.
Moments later Stevenage broke following a Vale corner and came close to going ahead but Jamie Reed’s volley from outside the box whistled past Connor Ripley’s near post. In the final stages of the game, the hosts had a golden chance to take the lead when they won the ball outside the Vale box. Nick Freeman waited for the run of Reed and when he got into the box he was 1 on 1 with Ripley but the Vale keeper made himself big and saved well to earn Vale a valuable point on the road.
Stevenage 1-1 Port Vale, Saturday 2nd December 2023:
Port Vale and Stevenage lock horns again on Tuesday after a 1-1 draw when the sides met last month. The hosts took the lead in the second half Jamie Reid latched onto a through ball and slotted home to open the scoring in the 69th minute. Ten minutes later Vale were gifted the opportunity to level the scores when Uche Ikpeazu was fouled in the area and the referee showed no hesitation but to point to the penalty spot. Funso Ojo took responsibility and dispatched his spot kick into the bottom corner to level the scores and earn Vale a replay at Vale Park.