Port Vale have the chance to move to the top of their EFL Trophy group with a win, when they travel to the DW Stadium this evening. You can find all of the key information regarding the game, below.
Fixture: Wigan Athletic vs Port Vale
Competition: EFL Trophy
Date: Tuesday 6th October
Kick-Off: 7:00 pm
Venue: DW Stadium
Referee: Samuel Barrott
Port Vale
Manager: John Askey
Form: WLWDL
Top Goal Scorer: Mark Cullen (2 goals)
The Valiants started their EFL Trophy campaign with a goalless draw at home to Tranmere Rovers at Vale Park, where Dino Visser was the hero, saving three penalties in the shootout to win Vale an extra point in the competition.
They will be hoping they can bounce straight back to winning ways after suffering their first league defeat of the season away at Morecambe last Saturday as they take on Wigan for the first time since 2016.
John Askey will likely take the game as an opportunity to get game time into another of players such as Tom Pope who returned from suspension at the weekend and experiment using his squad depth, although he is still without the injured Manny Oyeleke, Zak Mills and Harry McKirdy whilst Nathan Smith remains in self-isolation meaning he will miss the game.
“Wigan will be a big test, they’ve just come down from the Championship.”
John Askey, Port Vale Manager
Wigan Athletic
Manager: John Sheridan
Form: LLWWW
Top Goal Scorer: Joe Garner (5 goals)
Wigan had a dream start to their EFL Trophy campaign as they hosted the Liverpool under-21’s and picked up a 6-1 victory, so will be hopeful of continuing their form in the competition.
The Lactics come into the fixture on a good run of form, having picked up consecutive league wins against Portsmouth and Doncaster Rovers, with manager John Sheridan looking to guide his side straight back into the Championship following a relegation at the hands of a points deduction.
Olly Crankshaw and Charlie Jolley both starred for the Lactics in their victory over the Liverpool under-21’s, whilst Gavin Massey returned to their side against Doncaster, with Darnell Johnson making his debut for Latics on loan from Leicester City in the same game.
One to watch: Joe Garner
Garner is an experienced striker with over 100 league goals in his 12 years in the EFL, with his league debut coming with Carlisle United after coming through the Blackburn Rovers academy.
In 2008 he moved from Cumbria to Nottingham where he signed for Nottingham Forest, where he would also represent Huddersfield Town and Scunthorpe United on loan during his three years with the reds before moving to Watford permanently in 2011.
Difficult times on the pitch saw him return to Carlisle on loan before signing for Preston North End in 2013 where he found some of his best form, netting 57 times in three years before leaving for Ipswich Town.
A year later he moved to the DW Stadium where he bagged eight goals in his debut campaign and has gotten off to a brilliant start so far this season, finding the back of the net five times already, including a brace at Fleetwood Town in the Carabao Cup.
Talk:
John Askey: “They’ve [Wigan] got a big squad, they proved that against Liverpool under-21’s, so it’ll be a big test for us.”
John Sheridan: “The players are responding to what we want from them and full credit to them.”
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.