Vale supporters can make all the difference on Saturday
Vale defender Adam Yates is looking forward to facing one of his former clubs in the North Staffordshire/ South Cheshire derby this weekend.
are up for the game, but Yates says the supporters can play a massive part on Saturday afternoon. The Vale lads, whilst certainly not over-confident,
He says: “Speaking to a lot of Vale fans, they don’t regard this match on a level with the Vale/ Stoke derby, but it isn’t all that far behind. A lot of Vale fans will see this game as THE game they want to win.
“Crewe are not doing all that well at the minute but form goes out of the window in derbies. We will probably be a bit more confident than them, but form goes out of the window and if we don’t turn up with the right attitude against a good footballing Crewe side, we will get punished.
“You can look at Crewe’s recent results and you can draw strength from it, but I certainly don’t think it is going to be an easy game and they are going to roll over for us.
“A lot of the lads in that dressing room have probably not played in a derby before, certainly not a Crewe/ Vale derby.
“If you go through their side there are not many players who have been involved in it and I don’t think they will have played in front of such a hostile crowd at their own ground.
“We are going to take a lot of fans there. Every time we play at Crewe the Vale fans are there in numbers, they are loud, they are intimidating for opposing sides and that stand at Crewe where the Vale fans will be, they are right on top of you.
“The Vale fans will be right on at the Crewe players and that is what we want as Vale players, we want them to intimidate their lads, their young lads, and hopefully we can go there and put on a good show.
“I fully expect Crewe to put on a performance after their recent run of results and I know that the manager will have them fired up, he needs to get them fired up because need to realise what sort of game they are going in to.
“We will have a big following there and that gives us a lot of confidence. Our fans are one of the strengths of this football club and to take so many to Crewe and dominate the ground is pleasing as a Vale player.
“I would certainly rather be playing for Port Vale against Crewe Alexandra at Crewe than for Crewe against the Vale.”
Don't forget to check out Micky Adams pre-match thoughts at 11.00am today