Neil Aspin's Vale side will be looking to start 2019 in the best possible way when they travel to Lincoln City on Tuesday afternoon, and you can find all of the key information ahead of the game below...
Fixture: Lincoln City v Port Vale
Competition: Sky Bet League Two
Date: Tuesday 1st January 2019
Kick-Off: 15:00
Venue: Sincil Bank
Referee: Peter Wright
Port Vale
Form: WLLWWDDDLL
League Position: 17th
Top Scorer: Tom Pope (10 goals)
Following back-to-back home defeats against Grimsby Town and Oldham Athletic, Vale will be determined to halt that slide on New Year's Day when they travel to Sincil Bank. Having also fallen to a humiliating loss against the Imps earlier in the season, that adds an extra incentive to put in a good performance this time around.
Vale are without a win in five matches, but they will want to start the new year with a victory. One man who could be key to any potential success is skipper Tom Pope, and he remains just two goals shy of clocking up a century of strikes for his boyhood club.
Neil Aspin will be without Scott Quigley after Blackpool recalled him from his loan spell, but Connell Rawlinson could return after a heel injury. No other players are set to miss out, and the manager should have a fully fit squad to select from in Lincolnshire.
Lincoln City
Form: WDDWLWWWLW
League Position: 1st
Top Scorer: John Akinde (11 goals)
Following their win at Cambridge United on Saturday afternoon, the Imps are sitting pretty at the top of the Sky Bet League Two table, and six points seperate them and 2nd-placed MK Dons. Despite falling behind against the U's, goals from Neal Eardley and John Akinde meant that Danny Cowley's were able to end 2018 in perfect fashion.
They will be hopeful of widening that margin at the summit of the division on Tuesday, but the manager will be wanting an improved performance from his squad. Despite the recent run of four wins from five games, Cowley believes his players can achieve higher standards than the ones they have been showing.
Josh Vickers and Shay McCartan are two possible absentees for this game after the duo missed the Boxing Day clash, but they are likely to undergo fitness tests prior to kick-off. Apart from that, the league leaders will be at full strength.
One to watch: John Akinde
Having found the net on 11 occasions so far this season, Akinde has reiterated the fact that he is a proven striker at this level. After scoring 26 goals for Barnet in 2016/17 and seven more during the 2017/18 campaign, Lincoln secured his signature in a deal which saw him put pen to paper on a three-year deal at Sincil Bank.
The 29-year-old is known for his physicality and he has the ability to frighten opposition defences, and with that in mind, Vale will have to find a way to deal with the threat he poses. His finishing is also clinical, so he will be eager to increase his goal tally and start the new year with a bang.
Talk
Neil Aspin: "Football is not an easy game, and in life, there's a lot of challenges. This is a game (the defeat to Oldham) where I could go in and rant and rave, but now is not the time.
"We've got another game coming up quickly, and we've got to have a clear head because we have to prepare properly to do better than we've done today.
"My job is to try and help the players and try and help them get ready for what's going to be a difficult game."
Danny Cowley: “I think Port Vale will be our toughest game of the season. We’ve had two good wins at Vale Park but they have a very determined group of players, who will want to put those two results right.
"We’re expecting to see a wounded animal. I know Neil [Aspin] well – he’s a good man and a good manager – and he will have them fighting for the shirt. We have to make sure we match them in those areas.”
Coverage
Follow The Vale will be providing full 90 minute commentary from the match, while the Port Vale Twitter and Facebook feed will be providing live updates for the entirety.
There will also be 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.