We return to Vale Park on Saturday for the first of two home games in four days.
Swindon Town are the visitors in Saturday’s Sky Bet League Two tie in what will be the first meeting between the sides since the 2021/22 League Two Play-Off Semi-Final second leg.
The Valiants are currently on a four-match unbeaten run across all competitions which was continued on Saturday with a 2-2 draw at Accrington Stanley.
Vale were 2-0 down in the 89th but managed to salvage a point thanks to goals from Jayden Stockley and Antwoine Hackford who levelled the scores in the 96th minute.
Gaffer's Thoughts
Here’s what Darren Moore had to say following our dramatic point last weekend:
“We shouldn’t have been in that situation (2-0 down), but we were, and we had to get back into the game from 2-0 down. It came late and I am really pleased for Antwoine.”
“It is definitely a point gained rather than two lost in terms of how the game went.”
Looking ahead to the visit of Swindon Town, Darren Moore said:
“Whether you’re playing a team at the top of the league, or a team at the bottom of the league you have to go with that same approach in terms of performing at the very highest level.
"What we have to do is get into our minds that regardless of where the team is positioned in the league, they will always turn out to be a tough game and they are games that take the absolute maximum focus, detail and intention to make sure you’re doing your job right both in and out of possession. Most of the results we’ve gained this season, there’s been huge elements of that across the team which has got us the three points.”
The Opposition
Since their penalty shootout Play Off defeat in May 2022, Swindon have remained in League Two finishing 19th and 10th in the last two seasons.
So far this season, they find themselves in 21st place with just six points from seven games which comes in the form of one win and three draws. This victory came against Newport County who they beat 4-0 at the County Ground on the 4th of September.
Who’s in Charge?
Former Lincoln City manager, Mark Kennedy, is in charge of The Robins. He joined the club in the May 2024 after Michael Flynn was sacked.
The 48-year-old has managed 94 games in his career, winning 27 and losing 34. His side's win over Newport was his first whilst in charge of Swindon Town.
Player to Watch - Will Wright
After helping Crawley Town win promotion from League One last season, Wright joined Swindon Town in the summer and has been a standout player so far for the Robins.
This season, Wright has played every minute of every game for his side and in this time, he has managed to score once and get an assist from his centre back position.
Another player to keep an eye out for is Danny Butterworth. The former Vale loanee signed for Swindon Town in the summer and has made an appearance in all of his side's league games.
He also has one goal and one assist; his only goal came three weeks ago where his last-gasp strike earned Swindon a point despite playing against a Barrow side who had an outfield player in goal for more than a half.
Last Time We Met
Port Vale 1-0 Swindon Town (Agg: 2-2) Port Vale win 6-5 on penalties
The sides last met in the 2021/22 Sky Bet League Two Play-Off Semi-Final second leg. The Vale were 2-1 down coming into the game after James Wilson’s late goal halved the deficit following Harry McKirdy’s brace in the first leg.
With Vale Park rocking, Vale had to start well to get themselves back into the tie to keep their promotion hopes alive.
James Wilson had a golden opportunity to level the aggregate scores early on when Ben Garrity met David Worrall’s cross with a header back across goal, but Wilson put it wide from two yards out.
Wilson soon made amends for his miss when he opened the scoring in the 8th minute. Worrall’s deep cross found Kian Harratt at the back post who crossed low to Wilson who was on hand to fire home from close range to send the Vale fans into raptures.
After levelling the tie, Vale searched for the lead and came inches away soon after. Aidan Stone’s freekick was headed down by Garrity into the path of Nathan Smith who saw his curled effort crash off the upright before going behind for a goal kick.
Following this, neither side had a real opportunity to take the lead until the 74th minute when Harratt danced into the box before finding Wilson who saw his low effort cleared off the line by Louis Reed.
Over two legs, the scores were level at 2-2 and we entered extra time. In a typically tense affair, tempers flared and in the fifth minute as then-Vale manager, Darrell Clarke, was sent off after an altercation with Dion Conroy off the pitch. However, this didn’t hinder Vale who stood firm to take the tie to penalties.
After five penalties, Vale were 2-1 down and all but dead and buried. However, Just when it looked like Vale’s chances of a Play-Off final were slipping away, Harry McKirdy fired his penalty into the Bycars to give Vale a lifeline.
Harry Charsley, Tom Pett, Ben Garrity, Mal Benning and James Gibbons all scored their respective penalties and when Aidan Stone saved Josh Davison’s penalty, Vale were suddenly on the front foot.
Eventually, after fifteen penalties Swindon defender Ellis Iandolo struck his penalty over the crossbar to end the tie earn Vale a trip to Wembley Stadium.
Vale would go on to gain promotion to League One after a comfortable 3-0 win over Mansfield Town in the play-off final.
