Grimsby v Port Vale Preview

Who are they?

Port Vale take their name not surprisingly from Burslem’s impressive maritime history but from the place the football club was formed. That being in 1876 at the Port Vale House somewhere in the suburbs of Stoke, Port Vale Football Club were formed moving to Burslem in 1884 renaming themselves Burslem Port Vale which evidently didn't catch on and in 1892 they joined us in a great big love in creating the Second Division as a result. Vale spent a while out of the league after 1892 and in 1919 they were asked back in somewhat sensational circumstances having to complete Leeds City’s fixture after they were found out for being naughty boys. Since then Vale have plodded along like ourselves and enjoyed a FA Cup semi final and one of the few teams to win the Football Trophy twice.

False optimism has covered all of us who have dropped to this level. 6,000 season tickets were sold last season in the hope of an immediate return to League One at Port Vale but soon the optimism was replaced with a fear of the end of their league status. The signs were there from the beginning that not all was well after losing 6 of their first 9 matches. Lee Sinnott was given the chop and replaced by assistant Dean Glover much to the dismay of Vale supporters. However much criticism was aimed at Glover he did what was needed of him and he kept the Vale up finishing 18th just one place above their lowest place throughout the season. As a result Glover's short tenure as boss meant he was forced to leave his job and in turn Micky Adams was given the chance to move Port Vale back up the league tables.

So far this season not much improvement has been seen among the dedicated followers of the midlanders. The highlight has been kicking out both Sheffield clubs in the League Cup as well as a 4-0 victory against ourselves. October has seen an upturn in the club's fortunes only losing to Rotherham and Morecambe since then. The Valiant's real problem is much like ourselves though - they avoid defeats on a regular basis it's turning the vast majority of their draws in to victories. So far Vale have drawn 11 of their 21 league matches with only 5 wins from the season to their name.

Financial problems have plagued us all in the lower league at one time or another and with bigger brothers Stoke advertising Premier League football just up the road it’s hard for the Vale to compete even with reduced ticket prices. Maybe things might be better if they finished building their main stand instead of tending to an omage of Halifax and Rotherham.

Marc Richards. Wolverhampton-born Richards was the only player who was able to break into double figures last season. His 11 goals helped keep any idea of relegation away from The Valiants' door. And so far the much travelled striker has continued his steady scoring, managing to grab 10 so far. After starting out at Blackburn in 2000 Richards was sent out to numerous clubs to find his feet and it was at Swansea where he impressed so much that he joined Northampton, only for him to be sent out on loan to Rochdale at the end of his two year period at Sixfields. After another 2 years at Barnsley he joined Vale on a free

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Head to Head

Town narrowly have the edge but draws are few and far between when Grimsby and Port Vale meet. It has been nine games since the clubs drew.

P84 W36 D16 L32 F 143 A 130

Head-to-Head (36th The Opposition Ladder)

Last Meeting

Port Vale 0 Grimsby 2 (Sat 18th Apr 2009)

The last game came during Town's purple patch at the end of last season. A goal at the start of each half gave Grimsby the platform to record what turned out a fairly comfortable win over an out-of-form Port Vale side.

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