Vale assistant boss believes Exeter have to come here looking for a victory

Mark Grew believes tonight’s visitors to Vale Park, Exeter City, will be forced to play an open game as they will come looking for maximum return, but that should suit Vale’s style of play.

Vale’s Assistant Manager said: “I think Exeter have got to come to win the match. I honestly don’t think they can come here and try to get a point, because a point is no good to them anymore.

“If they had won on Saturday at Burton, a point would probably have been a good point here, but I think if they have got ambitions of going up this year, or getting into the play-offs, they need to come here and be positive and that will make it a good open game, well I am hoping so.

“We had them watched on Saturday and they still tried to play out from the back, still tried to play good football, so I don’t think he will change his philosophy, the way he plays, and if they do come at us it will be an open game and an enjoyable game.

“The defeat at Burton was unusual for them, because they have got a tight back four – well, a tight back eight really because they do work hard for each other.

“But with that result, they will be looking at that league table and they will know that they need three points to keep in with the pack.

Two goals from Tom Pope secured the three points the last time the two sides met at St James Park, back in October, but Grew is expecting a harder game for the Valiants tonight.

“To be honest, we played well down there, we played some really good stuff and I thought there was only one team in it, but if you look back over the season - and we have had them watched - they have put in some good performances.

Even when they got beat by Torquay the other week, I watched the game live on Sky and they had a load of chances, but the ‘keeper made three or four good saves.

“They are a good side, but we are second and we have got to be positive. There is no way we are going to be looking for a single point in games, we will be going all-out attack, there is no other way we can play.”