Vale are back home this weekend as we take on former Valiant Gareth Ainsworth’s Wycombe Wanderers side.
The Valiants currently sit in a comfortable 13th position in league one whilst the visitors are five places above us in 8th.
Here is some interesting pre-match reading before the two sides lock horns on Saturday afternoon.
Fixture Flashback:
Sky Bet League Two, Vale Park, Saturday 20th November 2010: Port Vale 2-1 Wycombe Wanderers
Rewinding back to 2010, former Valiant John McCombe fired Vale to victory with a brilliant brace to secure a 2-1 win over this weekend’s opponents.
McCombe scored twice on either side of a David Winfield strike for the Blues, ensuring the Valiants lept up to second place at the time of this fixture.
The defender’s first of the match came via his head just 11 minutes into the match when he latched onto Marc Richards’ cross.
Only five minutes later, the Chairboys were level through Winfield after he rose highest in the area to head home Matt Bloomfield’s corner.
Vale pushed hard for a winner throughout the match, and they got what they deserved 16 minutes into the second half when McCombe bagged his second of the match via a fabulous looping volley.
We could have had the match wrapped up in the first half, but Wycombe shot-stopper Nikki Bull produced a brilliant save to deny March Richards from close range.
Unfortunately, Vale would just miss out on the playoffs in the 2010/11 campaign as the Chairboys would rally after this result and go on to finish at the top of the tree, gaining promotion to League One.
Last Time Out (League):
Sky Bet League One, Adams Park, Tuesday 24th January 2023: Wycombe Wanderers 2-0 Oxford United
First-half strikes from Sam Vokes, and Anis Mehmeti secured all three points for the Chairboys against an in-form Oxford United side at Vale Park.
The Chairboys got the job done in the first period with goals 16 minutes apart from Vokes and former player Mehmeti, firing Gareth Ainsworth’s side to just outside of the playoff places.
Wycombe struck first just 19 minutes into the match through their frontman Vokes when he expertly struck home Mehmeti’s cutback.
Mehmeti turned from provider to scored just over 15 minutes later, curling home a brilliant effort on the counterattack, after their other goal scorer sent him on his way.
The hosts should have added a third late on through Gareth McCleary when he went clean through on goal, but the forward took too long to pull the trigger before Oxford’s captain Elliott Moore denied him.
Reverse Fixture:
Sky Bet League One, Adams Park, Tuesday 1st November 2022: Wycombe Wanderers 2-2 Port Vale
Back in November, our skipper Tom Conlon netted a 76th-minute equaliser as Vale had to come from behind twice to earn a hard-fought point against Wycombe Wanderers at Adams Park.
Both James Wilson and Conlon netted equalisers for the Valiants after long-distance efforts from Anis Mehmeti and Lewis Wing had put the Chairboys in command twice.
Mehmeti, who has just completed a deadline-day move to Bristol City, gave the hosts the lead four minutes into the match when he fired past Jack Stevens from 25 yards out with a powerful strike.
Vale hit back in the final moments of first-half stoppage time through Wilson, who smashed home from close range after Connor Hall’s acrobatic effort was saved into his path following a corner.
The hosts regained the lead against the run of play through another brilliant strike from the edge of the box, but this time it was Wing who provided the effort, a well-struck half-volley.
Our captain grabbed the Valiants' second equaliser of the match, sending the away fans crazy, when he netted a free header from Mal Benning’s corner, his first goal of the season.
Ellis Harrison nearly gave us the lead with the first chance of the match after Gavin Massey flicked a header through to our striker, but after rounding Max Stryjek, he fired over from a tight angle.
Harrison came close once again for the Valiants with 28 minutes on the clock, heading wide with a low header after brilliant work from Sammy Robinson on the right-hand side to deliver the cross.
Only moments later, Massey narrowly missed the target with a powerful low drive across goal, as Vale pressed for an equaliser.
After Conlon’s equaliser, Danny Butterworth, came extremely close to giving Vale the lead with 10 minutes to go after he was sent through by our captain, but his shot dribbled narrowly wide.
Opposition Team news:
The Chairboys look like they will travel to Vale with a fully fit squad with new loanees Chem Campbell and Harvey Cartwright ready to make their first appearances for the club.
Form: WLWLW
26/12/22: Wycombe Wanderers 2-1 Bristol Rovers, Sky Bet League One
29/12/22: Plymouth Argyle 1-0 Wycombe Wanderers, Sky Bet League One
01/01/23: Peterborough United 0-3 Wycombe Wanderers, Sky Bet League One
14/01/23: Wycombe Wanderers 0-1 Sheffield Wednesday, Sky Bet League One
24/01/23: Wycombe Wanderers 2-0 Oxford United, Sky Bet League One