Darren Moore's Valiants return home on Saturday as we welcome Walsall to Vale Park in a top-of-the-table clash.
The Valiants come into the game off the back of a hard-fought draw in midweek at Cheltenham Town. Ronan Curtis’ 94th-minute thunderbolt levelled the scores after George Miller opened the scoring midway through the second half.
This result stretches our unbeaten run to three games and means that we have lost just one league game in fourteen outings.
Gaffer's Thoughts
Following Tuesday night’s draw, Darren Moore said this to the press:
“It was a fantastic strike by Ronan and it almost feels like a win. But it was a get-out-of-jail card.
“I didn’t think we capitalised in the final areas of the pitch, so it was a bit disappointing on that side of things. It took a bit of individual brilliance from Ronan to salvage a point from the game.”
The gaffer also spoke about Saturday’s meeting with Walsall:
“It’s great the game is being spoken about like this, it shows the good work both teams have been doing. We go head-to-head on Saturday and it is a great game for both clubs and one I am really looking forward to.
“We’ll give them the highest respect, as we did Cheltenham, but will look at ways we can unlock them to get the right result.
“We want Vale fans to come and sing their hearts out and get right behind the team. They have been absolutely magnificent all season and this is a game where they can turn up the decibels and really make this place a fortress.”
The Opposition
Walsall sit one place and one point behind the Valiants, in second place in Sky Bet League Two.
The Saddlers come into the game off the back of an entertaining 3-2 victory against Notts County on Tuesday night. Walsall went 2-0 up before David McGoldrick’s penalty halved the deficit. Nathan Lowe then restored Walsall’s two goal lead. Jack Hinchy scored in the 94th minute to make the score line less comfortable for Walsall.
The Saddlers are unbeaten in eight league games, spanning back to their surprise 6-2 defeat against Fleetwood Town.
Walsall have played eight away games so far this season. Winning four, drawing two and losing two. Seven of Walsall’s last eight games have been at home with their last away fixture being on Saturday 23rd November when they beat AFC Wimbledon 1-0.
Who’s in Charge?
39-year-old Matt Sadler is the manager of the Saddlers. After ending his playing career at the Poundland Stadium, Sadler was appointed interim manager of Walsall in April 2023 after Michael Flynn was relieved of his duties.
In his first permanent role as manager, Sadler has a 42% win percentage after guiding his side to 35 wins from 82 games.
Player to Watch
On- loan Stoke City forward Nathan Lowe has been a revelation for the Saddlers. Since joining on loan in the summer, Lowe has found the net nine times in his 15 league games so far this season. He has also got four assists in this time, playing a vital role in his side's victory over Notts County where he scored and got an assist to help Walsall to another three points.
Lowe is one of two loanees from Stoke City. The other is goalkeeper, Tommy Simkin. The England U20 international has six clean sheets from his sixteen league games played so far this season.
Another player to keep an eye on is Jamile Matt. The experienced EFL forward is enjoying a productive partnership with Nathan Lowe. Matt has found the net five times and assisting one goal in seventeen games.
Fixture Throwback
Port Vale v Walsall, Saturday 5th April 2014
Our last victory over Walsall at Vale Park came just over ten years ago when the sides met in a League One fixture.
The only goal of the game came from penalty spot early in the second half. Tom Pope was pulled down in the box by a Walsall defender and the referee showed no hesitation before awarding a penalty.
Jennison Myrie-Williams stepped up for the Valiants and thundered his spot-kick past Richardson O’Donnell in the Saddlers' goal as Vale continued to push for the Play Offs before ultimately falling short.
