Manager positive ahead of trip to Portsmouth, as the Valiants look to build on decent away record against sides in the top 10 in League One.
- Darrell Clarke | “Like always, we’ll take the game to them”
- Port Vale manager speaks to the media ahead of trip to Portsmouth in League One, with the Valiants looking to add to solid away record against League One’s top ten
- Clarke: “We will be going there on the front foot; no doubt we will take a few fans down there so we will try and put on a good performance for the paying punters who are spending their hard-earned money in their cars and on their match tickets.”
Port Vale manager Darrell Clarke says he wants his side to be on the front foot and taking the game to Saturday’s hosts Portsmouth as the Valiants look to finish strongly in the final nine games of the League One season.
Clarke has seen his side win at Plymouth Argyle and Derby County and pick up good draws at both Barnsley and Wycombe Wanderers, with the Valiants generally performing well on the road against League One’s current top ten.
And he is looking for his side to halt Pompey’s strong recent run, which has seen John Mousinho’s side win five of their last seven League One matches.
“We know how tough Fratton Park is as a place to play,” Clarke explained. “But we have had a couple of great away results this season and we will need another great performance to pick up the win on Saturday.
“We will be taking the game to them; trying to win the game, get on the front foot, play our football and produce a better performance than Saturday, which was a little bit out of character from our previous five in my opinion. We were certainly poor on Saturday so let’s try and get that performance spot on, on Saturday.
“We have got experienced players in our team, players who have that bit of know-how, mixed in with players that are learning their trade and trying to get better, so we have a good mixture of that. Ellis Harrison used to play at Portsmouth so he knows the football club very well. We will be going there on the front foot, no doubt we will take a few fans down there so we will try and put on a good performance for the paying punters who are spending their hard-earned money in their cars and on their match tickets.”
A 16-point chasm currently between 6th and 11th in League One, and a seven-point gap just between 10th and 11th, make it clear that there is currently a distance between the clubs at the top of the division to those in mid-table, but Clarke added that the challenging of closing that gap in the coming weeks, months and seasons is exciting.
“We are learning a hell of a lot about the division, a hell of a lot about our players, because when you get promoted from the Play-Offs, you are using the same players and you want to give them the best opportunity to show me what they are capable of at this level,” Clarke added.
“We are learning plenty as we go, there is a really great togetherness in the group that has been there all season – and we have seen that – they are a pleasure to manage and we just want to keep getting them better.
“It is tough, but it is also really exciting because I am exciting about what we are trying to do as a football club, where we are trying to go and I am excited to build and challenge those top ten teams in the division and not just challenge, but beat them.
“With nine games to go, we have 27 points to play for, we want to try and finish as high as we possibly can in the table. The players are pushing for a top half finish and I think that would be a great achievement, so we need to get plenty of points on the board in the remaining nine games.”