With the team in complete freefall the last thing we need is a trip to goal berserk Shrewsbury. Or so you’d think anyway.
Complacency will be the key to our success on Saturday. Shrewsbury have twice recorded 7-0 victories this season, and are currently third in the table with just one defeat in their opening nine league games. Vale on the other hand have now lost five consecutive league games and are a rather dismal 19th in the table.
Commonsense would dictate that we are in for a royal stuffing at The New Meadow, but fortunately for us commonsense has absolutely no place in football. Shrewsbury will no doubt be expecting another goal feast, and that could well prove to be their undoing. Its a flimsy theory I know, but I have to grasp at whatever straws of hope my mind can conjure up right now.
Dean Glover…
Mr Glover is now the ‘proper’ Manager, and fully realises that this is far from a popular decision with most of the Vale faithful. Not surprisingly he has already made a plea to the Fans to give him a chance and has reiterated that all involved from the Boardroom to the dressing room are 100% commited to the Vale cause.
He’s even going to be bringing in his own Assistant after apparently agreeing with Youth Team Coach Andy Porter that it would be for the best for Porter not to become Assistant Manager. Where that leaves Porter now is anybodies guess, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he looks to leave Vale Park.
Click here for Glover gets the Managers job , and here for Andy Porter gets nowt 
Shrewsbury Town Team News:
One good piece of news for Vale is that Shrewsbury striker Grant Holt will not be available for this game as he will be serving a suspension after picking up five yellows. The experienced striker helped himself to five goals last night in the 7-0 demolition of Wycombe in the Paint Pot, click here for the Vital report on the game.
Player to watch: Dave Hibbert…
Ex-Vale starlet who left Vale Park for Preston North End in acrimonious circumstances in 2005. The move certainly did not work out for Hibbert who received scant opportunity to prove himself at the Lancashire club.
Hibbert was given a loan move to Rotherham, and a couple of seasons ago scored for the Millers in a 3-1 win at Vale Park, and also scored against Vale for Shrewsbury in a pre-season friendly last year.
Port Vale Team News:
Its been an utterly disasterous start to the season for us, we’ve lost six of the nine leaue games we’ve played and are already out of the Paint Pot and Carling Cup. 8 defeats in 11 games is gut-wrenchingly abysmal form.
Still, we’ve got Glover in charge now and things can surely only get better! Already we have a new signing in the camp, Damien McCory – an 18 year old with no league experience – who I am convinced will solve all our problems.
After last weeks unspeakable display against Notts County, click here for the report, the team desperately needs a shake up and Glover will need to be very creative with his team selection if he is going to get anything out of this game.
Glover has everyone bar Steve Thompson – does this player actually exist? – at his disposal and needs to ring the changes.
Vital Vale Line Up:- Anyon(GK), Stockley(RB), Collins(CH), McCombe(CH), Edwards(LB), Tudor(RM), Griffith(CM), Howland(CM), McCory(LM), Richards(CF), Dodds(CF)
Subs: Martin, Prosser, Taylor, Lawrie, Rodgers.
Player to watch: Paul Edwards…
After an incredibly frustrating first season at Vale Park Edwards returned to action last week and was by far our best player. We hated him last season because he was simply awful.
Click here for player profile.
The New Meadow…
Opened in 2007, Shrewsbury moved here after spending 97 years at The Gay Meadow. Like most modern stadiums its built on the outskirts of town next to the obligatory retail park.
Theres not much I can really tell you about the place because I’ve never been.
Match Prediction:
Shrewsbury 2-2 Port Vale The whole world is probably expecting us to be handed out a fearful drubbing on Saturday, but for reasons I’ve already explained I don’t think it’ll happen. Its called having little concept of reality.
Next Fixture…
Sunday 19th Oct Chester (A) 12 noon ko
Its a Sunday lunch time kick off against Chester so there wont be any time for a good drink before kick off, not unless you’re one of those who likes to start with the Special Brew at the crack of dawn anyway…
I reckon Shrewsury might just hit seven again!
We might well be the most inept side in league football but I’ve a feeling that Satdee might just be the day we sort things out. Shrewsbury aren’t that great.
We’ve become a laughing stock this seasonand I can’t imagine anythingelse but a completely one-sided pounding in this game. Don’t know whether I’ll be able to face this one.