Graves
Well-known member
Port Vale always seemed to me, in the last few seasons, to be a night and day team that pulls off unexpected results but never finds enough consistency to challenge for promotion. I’ve not been to this fixture since childhood, so I’m looking forward to it and hoping we can just go for it and send them home with nothing.
Last year they were inconsistent on the road and didn’t seem to draw too many.
They now come to us in good recent form, having beaten Fleetwood 3-2 in that ‘don’t have a cow’ cup thing and overcoming Reading 1-0 at home on Saturday. The opening day was an eye opener, shipping 7 goals away at Barnsley. Interestingly enough stato’s, that’s the only game of the three so far that they’ve had more possession and passes in.
If I’ve heard correctly, they’ve sold upwards of 1800 tickets, which is a good number for a Tuesday night fixture and a good 2 hour+ journey up north. I know you’ll all show our town off well and make them feel welcome outside the ground but not during the 90 minutes inside
It feels like every game is so important for us at the moment. Not least because I want the fans back on Critchley and the squads’ side. I really do believe that we, the fans, can make a positive difference and I’m proud of our noisy reputation at home. If Sadler is the brains, Critchley is definitely the busy legs, the players are the arms, and we are the heart.
Anyway, more about Vale.
Crosby’s men usually line up 3-4-2-1 with a busy working midfield and a couple of creative players to watch out for in Garrity (a familiar name to The Seasiders and with three goals so far this season) and Chislett. Also a previous ex nobber Ripley usually starts in between the sticks, so no doubt a few in the North may have some greetings for him once the floodlights are shining brightly!
My instinct tells me that we can pull off a result here, that is, if we play fearlessly and take our chances after a somewhat missed opportunity for a ‘smash and grab’, at Exeter.
I’ll be darned if I’m going to guess what changes (and with the busy schedule facing us, there will be changes) Neil Critchley will make. I’d like to see more of Casey, I don’t think Marv will or should be dropped. Norburn is a shoe in so far and I reckon Shayne and Bees will start up top again.
Wonder how Pennington is getting on?
Yes, we are perhaps lacking another couple of bodies with strong looking legs and football radar brains, but as it stands we are where we are and we do have some quality at this level.
I’m not going to think too much about Joseph, being young and having had a decent amount of football last season, I like to think he’ll sort out whatever mystery niggle is making our medical expert Colby Bishop faction of fans nervous. He’s probably one of a couple of our boys (Apter - keep working and your chance will come) that will help us out later. Hopefully it’s not another Fiorini style ‘oh, bother - he’s injured before we’ve even started properly and he’s actually quite good’ scenario. I think I’m more traumatised from our Platoon like scenes of hamstring torn soldiers more than our actual relegation last season if I’m honest. Please God let the injuries not hamper us this year.
Anyway, sorry I can’t tell you too much more about Port Vale other than the decent memories and historical info that our fellow Avftters have already shared. This is as much as I can muster without serious googling.
I quietly respect them, real club with good fans and I’m sure they will get a few good wins this season, but again I’m not sure they’ll make the top six. I think if we can remain calm, organised and improve with each game. We will.
So bring it on, dress warm- if the Gold Coast is being its usual self on an August evening and please God, let’s continue our nice little clean sheet run whilst entertaining and getting on the scoresheet!
How are you all feeling? Confident? Worrying that our midweek form is still a bit of a thing following us around like a bad hangover?
I am confident but I wouldn’t like to place a bet on this. Tough league. Lots of games.
Unite. Believe.
UTMP
Yours faithfully, Graves, writing to you from a train in Moscow.
Last year they were inconsistent on the road and didn’t seem to draw too many.
They now come to us in good recent form, having beaten Fleetwood 3-2 in that ‘don’t have a cow’ cup thing and overcoming Reading 1-0 at home on Saturday. The opening day was an eye opener, shipping 7 goals away at Barnsley. Interestingly enough stato’s, that’s the only game of the three so far that they’ve had more possession and passes in.
If I’ve heard correctly, they’ve sold upwards of 1800 tickets, which is a good number for a Tuesday night fixture and a good 2 hour+ journey up north. I know you’ll all show our town off well and make them feel welcome outside the ground but not during the 90 minutes inside
It feels like every game is so important for us at the moment. Not least because I want the fans back on Critchley and the squads’ side. I really do believe that we, the fans, can make a positive difference and I’m proud of our noisy reputation at home. If Sadler is the brains, Critchley is definitely the busy legs, the players are the arms, and we are the heart.
Anyway, more about Vale.
Crosby’s men usually line up 3-4-2-1 with a busy working midfield and a couple of creative players to watch out for in Garrity (a familiar name to The Seasiders and with three goals so far this season) and Chislett. Also a previous ex nobber Ripley usually starts in between the sticks, so no doubt a few in the North may have some greetings for him once the floodlights are shining brightly!
My instinct tells me that we can pull off a result here, that is, if we play fearlessly and take our chances after a somewhat missed opportunity for a ‘smash and grab’, at Exeter.
I’ll be darned if I’m going to guess what changes (and with the busy schedule facing us, there will be changes) Neil Critchley will make. I’d like to see more of Casey, I don’t think Marv will or should be dropped. Norburn is a shoe in so far and I reckon Shayne and Bees will start up top again.
Wonder how Pennington is getting on?
Yes, we are perhaps lacking another couple of bodies with strong looking legs and football radar brains, but as it stands we are where we are and we do have some quality at this level.
I’m not going to think too much about Joseph, being young and having had a decent amount of football last season, I like to think he’ll sort out whatever mystery niggle is making our medical expert Colby Bishop faction of fans nervous. He’s probably one of a couple of our boys (Apter - keep working and your chance will come) that will help us out later. Hopefully it’s not another Fiorini style ‘oh, bother - he’s injured before we’ve even started properly and he’s actually quite good’ scenario. I think I’m more traumatised from our Platoon like scenes of hamstring torn soldiers more than our actual relegation last season if I’m honest. Please God let the injuries not hamper us this year.
Anyway, sorry I can’t tell you too much more about Port Vale other than the decent memories and historical info that our fellow Avftters have already shared. This is as much as I can muster without serious googling.
I quietly respect them, real club with good fans and I’m sure they will get a few good wins this season, but again I’m not sure they’ll make the top six. I think if we can remain calm, organised and improve with each game. We will.
So bring it on, dress warm- if the Gold Coast is being its usual self on an August evening and please God, let’s continue our nice little clean sheet run whilst entertaining and getting on the scoresheet!
How are you all feeling? Confident? Worrying that our midweek form is still a bit of a thing following us around like a bad hangover?
I am confident but I wouldn’t like to place a bet on this. Tough league. Lots of games.
Unite. Believe.
UTMP
Yours faithfully, Graves, writing to you from a train in Moscow.
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