Port Vale make the trip to Macclesfield this afternoon as we face Sol Campbell’s Silkmen in Sky Bet League Two action, and you can find all of the key information ahead of the tie, below.
Fixture: Macclesfield Town vs Port Vale
Competition: Sky Bet League Two
Date: Saturday 22nd December 2018
Kick-Off: 3:00pm
Venue: The Moss Rose
Referee: Darren Drysdale
Port Vale
Form: WDLWLLWWD
League Position: 15th
Top Scorer: Tom Pope (10 goals)
Port Vale head into this afternoon’s tie four games unbeaten courtesy of two back-to-back draws against Morecambe and Cheltenham Town. An 87th minute Pope equaliser rescued a point at The Globe Arena just a few weeks back, before a 93rd minute Antony Kay header against The Robins secured a point last week at Vale Park.
The Valiants will be boosted by the news of Pope’s two-year-contract extension, as the club captain put pen to paper to see the top-scorer lengthen his stay at Vale Park for two more years. The boss confirmed he was always the priority when it came to contract discussions.
There are no new worries on the injury front, as Leon Legge and Mitch Clark both came out of the Cheltenham tie unscathed, though it is yet to be determined if Ricky Miller will return to the squad. Assistant manager, Lee Nogan, has stated there will be chances for the likes of Miller and David Worrall over the next few weeks to prove themselves on matchdays.
Macclesfield Town
Form: LLLWLWWLLW
League Position: 24th
Top Scorer: Harry Smith
The Silkmen will have their tails up ahead of our league tie this afternoon off the back of an impressive 2-0 win over Crawley Town. Goals from Elliot Durrell and Harry Smith were enough to see off The Red Devils and earn their fourth win of the league season. Macclesfield have played out two wins and two losses since the arrival of Sol Campbell as manager.
Jordan Ponticelli will be in contention again this week as he made his return from injury last time out against Crawley. The likes of Jared Hodgkiss and Callum Evans will also be pushing for a place in the squad having just about overcome their respective injuries, meaning it’s possible Campbell will be able to pick from a full squad of players.
One to watch: Elliot Durrell
Durrell is a 29-year-old midfielder who has played for a number of clubs across non-league before joining The Silkmen.
His career began with A.F.C. Telford United where he would make his senior debut in October 2017. Following a loan spell to Rushall Olympic, Durrell made the move to Hednesford Town where he would stay for six years.
He became a full-time professional when signing for Wrexham in 2014, and the talented midfielder has gone on to play for the likes of Tamworth and Chester before his switch to the Moss Rose.
Durrell has made his name as a skilful winger who is not impartial to finding the net in spectacular fashion – his goal against Crawley Town last week an example.
Talk
Neil Aspin: “Although they've had a loss at Colchester, which was a narrow 1-0 defeat and it's a hard place to go, so that's obviously improved. Every game is tough. If we don't approach it correctly, we won't get a result, but the other side of the coin is that we're capable of getting the result so it's down to the players.”
Sol Campbell: “It’s a game that is there to win. We have to set our stall out and put a lot of pressure on Port Vale. They’re a very physical side so we’ve got to really stand up to the challenge. During the whole game we really have to be up for it, but at the same time we’ve got to play our football and make sure we can impose ourselves in the game.”
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.