Vale players hoping to avoid receiving cards over Christmas

Vale go into the busy Christmas period with several players treading carefully when it comes to the disciplinary side of the game.

Jennison Myrie-Williams, Chris Robertson, Chris Lines and Anthony Griffith each have to play through the next three games without picking up a yellow card if they are to avoid a one-match suspension.

If they get through that they can get up to a total of ten cards up to the second Sunday in April before being banned – in that instant they would receive a two-match ban.

Whilst players have to concentrate fully on the game over the ninety minutes, Chris Birchall says it can be on your thoughts during a game.

“I don’t think you can put it to the back of your mind, especially during the Christmas period. When you are going in for tackle, obviously that is not going to be on your mind, but it will be throughout the game. He said:

“We have got three or four players on four bookings at the moment and I am on three, so we have just got to be careful.”