The final game at Vale Park tomorrow before two big away fixtures, as we host Newport County. You can find all of the key information regarding the game, below.
Fixture: Port Vale vs Newport County
Competition: Sky Bet League Two
Date: Tuesday 16th March
Kick-Off: 7:00 pm
Venue: Vale Park
Referee: Marc Edwards
Port Vale
Manager: Darrell Clarke
Form: LLLDL
Top Goal Scorer: Devante Rodney (9 Goals)
Darrell Clarke is looking to win his first game in charge tomorrow as Vale take on 4th placed Newport County. The Valiants have taken one point out of the previous two games but will be wanting to end this three game stint at Vale Park with maximum points before hitting the road for two away games in the south.
Vale were defensively solid in their previous game at home to Bolton but couldn’t fashion any clear chances to breach Bolton’s defence in a very even game. A Gethin Jones mishit shot which rolled into the bottom corner of Scott Brown’s net was all that separated the sides to give the visitors all three points.
Last time out against Newport, the Valiants were handed a late blow by Kevin Ellison who scored in the 96th minute of the game to win the match for his side 1-0 in late November. The hosts were helped with Vale going down to men midway through the second as captain Leon Legge received a second yellow card.
Three points tomorrow and if results go their way Vale could find themselves eight points clear of the drop and into 19th place giving them huge confidence going into the huge game against Colchester United this Saturday.
“So, let’s take each game [as it comes] – I know it’s a boring cliché, and I don’t really like to be clichéd, but that’s the fact of the matter. Let’s try to win tomorrow night and then we will look at Colchester away on Saturday, then we will look at the next one, and the next. We know we are in a dogfight, we know we are in a scrap, we know our form has been atrocious since November. We well understand that. So, let’s go and try to get the three points tomorrow.”
Darrell Clarke, Port Vale Manager
Newport County
Manager: Michael Flynn
Form: DLWWW
Top Goal Scorer: Padraig Amond (9 goals)
Newport are four points outside the top three after winning their last three games against Colchester United, Bradford City and Morecambe.
They were in a poor run of form when Vale should have played them earlier this year but have massively improved and will be looking to improve their automatic promotion hopes with a good result tomorrow.
The visitors have only scored two more goals than the Valiants this season so this game could be another tight affair with one goal deciding the winner.
One to watch: Padraig Amond
The 32-year-old striker is Newport’s top score this season with nine goals and has been a key factor in their current position this season.
He is often known for his cup heroics with his time at Newport and this season has been no different. He scored against Watford when his side beat them 3-1 at home to reach the fourth round.
His last goal in the league came against Colchester in a 2-0 win and has started every game since. The Valiants will have to be cautious of him tomorrow to make sure he doesn’t reach double figures for the season.
Talk:
Darrell Clarke: “I have said it before, I think the teams at the top are more consistent at times, they get a little bit more rub of the green, but then you could say they make their own luck. Look at the game on Saturday, there wasn’t a lot in the game was there to be fair. Their lad hits a mishit shot into the bottom corner, the game could have gone either way.”
Coverage:
iFollow The Vale will be providing full 90-minute coverage of the match for all domestic supporters, whilst the Port Vale Twitter and Facebook feeds will be providing live updates for the entirety.
To purchase an iFollow match pass click here.
There will also be the build-up to the game with the official Snapchat and Instagram accounts: @officialpvfc
Reaction will be available on the website post-match, as well as on YouTube, iFollow and our official social media channels.