The Valiants will be backed by a sold out away end this weekend when we make the trip to Fleetwood Town
Over 1,000 away fans will make the trip to the seaside this weekend as Vale look to get back to winning ways.
Andy Crosby’s side come into the game off the back of a narrow defeat against Portsmouth on Saturday. The league leaders took all three points thanks to Colby Bishop’s 88th minute penalty.
With the transfer window closing yesterday, the Vale bought in two players on loan. Alex Mighten joined the club from Nottingham Forest and Kacpar Lopata arrived at the Vale from fellow League One side, Barnsley.
Crosby’s comments
Here’s what the gaffer had to say about our deadline day signings:
Alex Mighten
“Alex is an exciting young player and I am delighted that he will be spending the remainder of the season with us here at Port Vale. Whilst he is with us, Alex will have all of the tools he needs to make his mark and we will work with him on his development on and off the field. I look forward to working with him closer and seeing him excel in the environment.”
Kacpar Lopota
“Kacper is a commanding unit of a defender who comes in to immediately bolster our options within that department. He has a determination to come in and really make the most of the opportunity that he has been presented with here at Port Vale. He already has a number of appearances at this level under his belt and has an understanding of the physical demands of League One football.”
Here’s what the Gaffer had to say ahead of our trip to Fleetwood Town:
“We’re expecting a tough game. Since Charlie’s gone in, he’s’ changed a few little things. We’ll go there and be respectful of Fleetwood but we’ll focus on what we need to do and what we need to do to play well for us and how we play well. That was one of the most disappointing things about last Saturday is that I didnt really see an identity about us certainly with the ball, there was a lot of long ball randomness which isn’t us and I don’t want it to be us going forward.
“We have to play the game on our terms, we have to have an identity of us, of what we’ve tried to do so far, we’re always trying to add to that and we don’t want to take away from that.”
The Opposition
The Cod Army have picked up three points in the last eleven games and come into the game off the back of a 2-2 draw with Wycombe Wanderers at Adams Park. Fleetwood were 2-0 up at half time but Wycombe came back into the game and earned a share of the points when Richard Kone levelled the scores in the 83rd minute.
The Cod Army had a busy deadline with five players joining the club yesterday. Bournemouth's Gavin Kilkenny, Everton teenager Elijah Campbell and Brighton and Hove Albion full-back Imari Samuels have all joined on loan. They also signed St Pats striker Tommy Longergan on a two-and-a-half-year deal. Finley Potter also joined the club from Sheffield United on an 18-month deal.
Who’s in charge?
Fleetwood are managed by former Premier League midfielder, Charlie Adam. The Scotsman joined the club on the 31st December 2023 after Lee Johnson was sacked. This is his first senior management role since retiring from football in September 2022 after an illustrious career for club and country.
Player to watch - Jayden Stockley
After Jack Marriot left the club on deadline day, Jayden Stockley is now Fleetwoods leading scorer with four goals. Stockley has made 22 appearances, 12 of which have been off the bench.
Another player to keep an eye on is Danny Mayor. The midfielder has played twenty games so far this season, scoring five goals. Mayor has had a good career in the EFL and has come up against Vale several times over the years.
Last time we met
Port Vale 3-2 Fleetwood Town, Tuesday 8th August 2023.
The sides met earlier in the season in the first round of the Carabao Cup and it was the Valiants who progressed into the next round.
Fleetwood took the lead in the 5th minute when Cian Hayes curled an effort into the top corner from just outside the area. Thirteen minutes later, Ethan Chislett scored a carbon copy of Hayes’ goal after he found the top corner with a curled effort from the left side of the box.
The sides were level at the break, but two minutes into second half, Fleetwood regained the lead when Ryan Graydon powered home a header at the near post. This lead only lasted ten minutes as Vale levelled through Josh Thomas. The Welshman picked up the ball on halfway before driving into the Fleetwood box and calmly slotting past the onrushing keeper. The winning goal came in the 72nd minute when Gavin Massey’s close range cross was headed home by Ethan Chislett who grabbed his second goal of the game and started what was a memorable Carabao Cup campaign for the Valiants.
Match Officials
The match officials for this weekend's fixture against Reading FC have been confirmed.
Peter Wright will take charge of the match and will be assisted by Darren Williams and Johnathon Bickerdike. Lewis Raper will be on the touchline as the fourth official.