The Valiants head to South Wales this weekend to take on Newport County in Sky Bet League Two action.
Vale come into the game for the back of a penalty shootout victory over Wolves U21s in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy.
Both Lorent Tolaj and Ronan Curtis scored their first goals for the football club as we drew 2-2 at Vale Park. Darren Moore’s side eventually won 5-4 on penalties thanks to two saves from Ben Amos.
Gaffer's Thoughts
Here’s what Darren Moore had to say following Tuesday night’s game:
“It was a wonderful workout to give a lot of our players some good match minutes in a really good-tempo game.
“I thought we started the game very well, really strong. If there is one small criticism, it’s that we didn’t take the opportunities when they did come our way. We had lots of opportunities but we didn’t get many shots on target.”
The Gaffer also spoke to the media ahead of Saturday’s trip to Rodney Parade:
“Newport are in great form; they’ve started the season as well as anyone in the league. They’re in their own backyard so we’ll be facing a team on Saturday that’s expectant, we’ll be facing a team that’s full of confidence and a great belief.
“What we have to do is make sure that our game is 10/10, at the moment we’re getting caught and punished for every slight mishap or lapse in concentration. We have to focus and make sure that our game is flawless because when we do that, we feel like we have a group of a players and squad that’s as strong as anybody in this division.”
The Opposition
Newport have made a great start to the league campaign with one loss and three victories. Their only defeat of the season came on the opening day when they lost 3-2 at Cheltenham Town.
Since then, they have won three league games in a row against Doncaster Rovers, Accrington Stanley and more recently, Morecambe who they beat 1-0 last weekend.
Last season, The Exiles finished 18th League Two in what was a tough campaign. In their 23 home games they won nine, drew six and lost eight. The shining light of their season was their FA Cup campaign where they were beaten by Manchester United in Round Four.
Who’s in Charge?
Former Olympiacos fitness coach, Nelson Jardim, is Newport’s manager. The 45-year-old, from Portugal, arrived at Rodney Parade in the summer after Graham Coughlan left the club. Jardim has been a coach at numerous clubs in Europe such as Leicester, Nacional, Mařitimo and Swansea City.
In his first six competitive games in charge of Newport County he has won three and lost three, scoring 11 goals and conceding 11 goals.
Player to Watch - Aaron Wilding
The Newport midfielder has been the standout player so far for the Exiles. He comes into the game in good goalscoring form with two goals in his last two outings from his central midfield role.
Another player to keep an eye out for is former Crewe Alexandra striker Courtney Baker-Richardson. After returning to Rodney Parade in the summer, Baker-Richardson has already scored twice and got one assist in his side's opening four league games.
Fixture Throwback
Port Vale 2-1 Newport County, Tuesday 16th March 2021
With just two wins in twelve, Vale’s record against Newport hasn’t been great recently.
Our last victory against the Exiles came in the 2020/21 behind-closed-doors season when the Valiants ran out 2-1 winners at Vale Park.
Tom Conlon gave Vale the lead in the 12th minute when he finished off a good move with a side-footed finish from just inside the area.
Ten minutes after the break, Newport levelled the scores. A low free kick wasn’t cleared by Vale and Jake Scrimshaw was on hand to pick up the pieces and turn home from close range.
With fifteen minutes to go vale regained the lead. Davis Worrall’s cross was diverted goal-wards by Nathan Smith who saw his effort saved, but Devante Rodney was on hand to smash home from close range and earn Vale all three points.
