Vale return to League Two action this weekend with a difficult looking assignment at Northampton Town. The Cobblers have stopped the rot by winning their last three matches, following on from a run of six consecutive defeats. Having earlier this season produced a giant killing in the Carling Cup by knocking out Liverpool at Anfield, Town may have taken their eye off League duty. Since exiting the competition at Ipswich, things have certainly picked up, with a change of tactics by manager Ian Sampson credited as a major factor. After being in the race along with Vale at the back end of the season, fans were optimistic of a successful season, though after a patchy start, Town know they need to start producing sooner rather than later.
Last season`s top scorer, Adebayo Akinfenwa departed in the summer after rejecting the offer of a new deal before moving to League Two rivals Gillingham. Ian Sampson moved to replace him with the former Darlington forward Tadhg Purcell, who unfortunately suffered a serious knee injury and will miss the rest of the season. The Cobblers have been strengthened by the arrival of John Johnson on a permanent deal after he impressed during his loan spell from Middlesbrough last season, and the experienced Leon McKenzie has added some much needed fire power up front.
Vital Quotes:
Ian Sampson told the Northampton Official Site that he was expecting a tough test against Vale. ‘It’ll be a tough ask on Saturday but we want to win the game.
‘We haven’t turned the corner yet but we are edging round it and our confidence is growing with every game we win. There is still a long way to go but we have got to try and build on our last three performances.
‘I always had the belief in the players that things would turn for us because we were playing well but you also need that little bit of luck as well.
‘I’ve made mistakes as a manager this season but it’s how you react to that and I think one or two tweaks to the team have worked for us.
‘Port Vale have got a good squad and Marc Richards is obviously a player we know well from his time here. We need to keep a close eye on him but they are a hard working team and Micky Adams has got them well drilled.
‘Marc’s record is excellent, he’s probably matured a bit since he was here but he always had that goal scoring capability.
‘We’ve had lots of problems this season trying to get a settled back four with injuries and suspensions but in the last three games we’ve looked a lot more solid.
‘Billy McKay needs a goal but in terms of his work rate and his general play for the team he has been excellent.
‘All strikers go through patches where they don’t score goals but its how you learn from that that counts.’
Vale boss Micky Adams told BBC Radio Stoke: ‘These leagues are all very tight. Two or three wins can catapult you into the top half of the table and I’m sure that’s what’s happening with Northampton.
‘They were third from bottom at one stage. They’ve had a good win against Liverpool in the cup and they’ve managed to grind out three wins from their last three.
‘They must have gathered a little bit of momentum and confidence but it’s not about them it’s about us, and at this level we can give anybody a game.’
Northampton Town Team News:
Leon McKenzie is rated as 50-50 to play as he is struggling with both knee and thigh injuries, so new loan signing Craig King could feature after his move from Leicester City. Ryan Gilligan should be fit enough for a return after his injury. Possible Team: Dunn, Rodgers, Beckwith, Johnson, Tozer, Osman, Holt, Wedderburn, Davis, McKenzie, McKay
Player to watch: Leon McKenzie
The Former Coventry and Norwich striker has been in impressive recent form, after scoring five times in his last six appearances. A chronic knee injury has hampered him throughout his career, but when fit and on form, he provides Northampton with a cutting edge in attack.
Port Vale Team News:
Vale hope to have Marc Richards fit after injury forced him to miss the game at Dartford. Lee Collins is also a doubt with shin splints. Loannee Jake Speight is available for selection after being ineligible for the cup game last week. Lewis Haldane returned from injury as a substitute during that game and should again be on the bench, while Rob Taylor may be fit enough for a place in the squad after recovering from a hamstring injury. Possible Team: Tomlinson, Yates, McCombe, Sutton, Owen, Loft, Griffith, Roberts, Dodds, M. Richards, Speight.
Player to watch: Marc Richards
Richards will be keen to put one over on his old teammate, Ian Sampson, especially after recent comments from the Cobblers boss. With Vale short on goals at the moment, much rests of the shoulders of Vale`s leading marksman.
Match Facts & Stats
Last Meetings:
Northampton 1 (Akinfenwa pen) Vale 1 (Richards pen)
Marc Richards opened the scoring on the stroke of half time with a penalty after keeper Chris Dunn had fouled Louis Dodds. After missing an earlier spot kick, Akinfenwa made amends with his second half effort, after he was pulled back by John McCombe, who was sent off in the process.
Vale 1 (Loft) Northampton 3 (Akinfenwa, Osman, McKay)
With the race for the play off positions on for both sides, it was the Cobblers who took the three points, after racing into a 3-1 lead by half time. Despite second half pressure, Vale failed to find a way past keeper Steele.
Last five games:
Forest Green 0-3 Northampton
Lincoln City 0-2 Northampton
Northampton 2-1 Gillingham
Ipswich 3-1 Northampton
Oxford 3-1 Northampton
Dartford 1-1 Vale
Burton 0-0 Vale
Vale 2-1 Crewe Alex
Cheltenham 0-0 Vale
Vale 0-0 Gillingham
Hereford 1-1 Vale
Ref Watch:
I G WILLIAMSON
D Blunden and A J Horton
Fourth Official W Porter
Match Prediction:
Vale to return to winning ways, edging out a scrappy game 1-0.
Next Fixtures:
Dartford (H) FA Cup First Round Replay (16/11/2010) 19.45
