Port Vale's home campaign draws to a close this weekend as Macclesfield Town make the trip to Vale Park, and you can find all of the key information ahead of the clash below:
Fixture: Port Vale vs Macclesfield Town
Competition: Sky Bet League Two
Date: Saturday 27th April 2019
Kick-Off: 3:00 pm
Venue: Vale Park
Referee: Carl Boyeson
Port Vale
Form: DWWDLWWLLD
League Position: 20th
Top Scorer: Tom Pope (13 goals)
Having spent 19 years as a player at Macclesfield Town before then going on to be the manager that got them promoted to the Football League in 2018, John Askey is looking forward to welcoming the Silkmen to Burslem this weekend in what will be the final home fixture of the Sky Bet League Two campaign.
Following the draw away to MK Dons on Easter Monday, the Valiants now sit on 48 points, but the manager had set a target of 50 points so he will be looking to build on that with a victory this time around. The game wasn't a classic at the Moss Rose back in December, so supporters will be hoping for more entertainment than the goalless stalemate that was served up on that occasion.
Manny Oyeleke has returned to training during the latter stages of the week and the midfielder could be in contention to feature, and that will provide Askey with a boost. No other fresh injuries have been picked up, so he should have a full-strength squad to choose from.
Macclesfield Town
Form: LLWDDDWLLD
League Position: 22nd
Top Scorer: Scott Wilson (10 goals)
After securing promotion to the fourth tier last season, Macclesfield's ambition would've been to battle bravely against relegation this term due to the limited resources they have. However, with just two games left to play, their fate is in their own hands.
Since Sol Campbell's arrival as manager, the Silkmen have enjoyed an upturn in fortune and they have gone from a side who looked destined for the drop to one who is on the cusp of a great escape. They sit two points above Yeovil Town who occupy 23rd position.
Macclesfield will be hoping Nathan Cameron and James Pearson will be fit for the trip to Vale Park after they missed out on the draw at home to Newport County last time out. Ben Stephens was also sidelined for that one, whilst goalkeeper Rhys Taylor hasn't played since November.
One to watch: Harry Smith
Having represented Brentford, Chelsea and Gillingham at youth level, Smith had to be patient for his opportunity in senior professional football as he was released without making a single appearance. Spells at Sevenoaks Town, Sittingbourne and Folkestone Invicta followed before he got his break.
That came in August 2016 when he signed for Millwall following a successful trial, and he has established himself in the Football League ever since. He joined Macclesfield on a free transfer before the start of the current campaign, and he has impressed the Silkmen supporters.
The 23-year-old has racked up 45 appearances in all competitions, scoring on nine occasions, with his most recent strike coming during the 3-1 defeat away to Northampton Town on Good Friday. At 6ft 5in tall, the striker offers a physical presence in the final third and he is a potential threat to any opponent.
Talk
John Askey: "I am just pleased that we are safe and there is nothing on it for us. But we still want to win the game and get to 50 points, but it is a massive game for them.
"First of all we want to win, that is the main thing. Hopefully, they stay up, but the main thing for me is how we play and perform in front of the home crowd. We need to finish off right and play some good football."
Sol Campbell: “I’m not going to put too much pressure on the lads; we need to take it game by game. In every match, we have to fight tooth and nail.
“The fans are the life and soul of the club, they are all part of the whole story and we’ve all got to work together no matter what is happening around the club, as we all want to stay up.”
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.
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.