Port Vale travel to the Globe Arena this evening to face a struggling Morecambe side where the Valiants will be looking to make it two wins in a row. You can find all of the key information regarding the game, below.
Fixture: Morecambe vs Port Vale
Competition: Sky Bet League Two
Date: Tuesday 14th January 2020
Kick-Off: 7:45 pm
Venue: Globe Arena
Referee: Marc Edwards
Port Vale
Manager: John Askey
Form: DDWDW
Top Goal Scorer(s): Jake Taylor and Tom Pope (7 goals)
Port Vale will play their last of four successive away trips this evening, and will undoubtedly head into this one full of confidence following an impressive 1-0 away win against Stevenage on Saturday.
It’s now six unbeaten in League Two for John Askey’s men with their last loss coming against Walsall in early December; just six points separates the Valiants and an automatic promotion place heading into this fixture.
Emmanuel Oyeleke and Adam Crookes still remain sidelined with long-term injuries and Jake Taylor will also be unavailable for this evening’s clash.
“Every single one of them puts a real shift in when they play, and if they can do that until the end of the season, we’ve got a great chance.”
John Askey, Port Vale Manager
Morecambe
Manager: Derek Adams
Form: WLLLD
Top Goal Scorer: Lewis Alessandra (5 goals)
Morecambe have spent majority of their campaign lingering in and above the solitary relegation spot so far, and they currently find themselves just one point and one place above Stevenage who occupy 24th spot.
The Shrimps have accumulated an underwhelming 19 points from 26 matches this term and have lost nine of their last 15 matches in the league, but have only lost one of their last four at home howeve – picking up an impressive point against promotion-chasing Colchester United on Saturday.
The club have had a busy January so far in regards to signings, Adams has made four additions to his squad so far; Burnley youngsters Adam Phillips and Ryan Cooney have joined on loan whilst Toumani Diagouraga and Jordan Slew also join the club - the latter linking up once again with Adams for whom he worked under at Ross County and Plymouth Argyle. All four players will be in contention for this evening’s fixture.
One to watch: John O’Sullivan
O’Sullivan has been somewhat of a journeyman throughout his career thus far, playing professionally for 10 clubs across England and Scotland. He spent his youth days at Blackburn Rovers and made his senior debut for the club in 2013. Before leaving Ewood Park he was sent on loan to Southport, Accrington Stanley, Barnsley, Rochdale, and Bury before leaving permanently for Carlisle United in 2017.
He was then released from the club and joined Blackpool in the Summer of 2018 where he was once again sent on loan, this time to Dundee. He spent six months there before returning to Bloomfield Rood where he was subsequently released from the club; O’Sullivan joined Morecambe on a free transfer in July last year.
The Irishman is known for his versatility across the midfield and has played reliable role in the Shrimps squad so far this term, featuring in every league game. He has been in fine form of late and has contributed two goals and an assist in his last seven games.
Talk:
John Askey: “There’s a gap that’s been created now between us and the teams below us, I think we’re three points off third, they’ve just got to keep doing what they’ve been doing.”
Derek Adams: “We’ll prepare for the game against Port Vale here on Tuesday night and we’re looking forward to it because we’ve shown we can compete with a lot of teams in this league.”
Coverage:
iFollow The Vale will be providing full 90-minute commentary from the match, whilst the Port Vale Twitter and Facebook feeds will be providing live updates for the entirety.
You can watch the game LIVE from your home by purchasing the iFollow video Match Pass for £10
There will also be the build-up to the game with the official Snapchat and Instagram accounts: officialpvfc
Reaction will be available on the official website post-match, as well as on YouTube, iFollow and social media.