The Game
Port Vale v Argyle. Vale Park. Saturday, 22 November. 12.30pm. Sky Bet League One.
The Opposition
Port Vale finished second in League Two last season, earning promotion to the third tier at the first attempt, having been relegated the year prior.
Their leading goalscorer was Lorent Tolaj, but after beginning this season at Vale Park, he moved to Argyle near the end of the transfer window. Vale failed to win any of their first seven league games, earning points from goalless draws with Cardiff City and Burton Albion, but losing five times.
They got their first win on 13 September, beating Exeter City 2-0, and followed it with wins against Mansfield Town and Barnsley, to notch three victories in succession. However, they have not won since.
Vale did follow their three-game winning run with draws against Northampton Town and Wimbledon, but subsequently lost to Wigan Athletic, Stockport County and Bolton Wanderers. Their latest result was a 0-0 draw at home to Wycombe Wanderers. This means Vale have not scored in their last four games.
The Gaffer
Darren Moore, now 51, began his playing career with Torquay United, playing over 100 times as a Gull, before moving on to play for Doncaster Rovers, Bradford City, Portsmouth, West Bromwich Albion, Derby County, Barnsley and Burton Albion.
Moore became a coach at West Brom, rising through from the under-18s to being caretaker manager, and then taking over full-time. Despite the Baggies being on-course to make the Championship play-offs in 2018/19, Moore was surprisingly sacked with 10 games to go.
His next role was with Doncaster Rovers, and he was there for nearly two years before leaving for Sheffield Wednesday. He could not keep Wednesday in the Championship, and the following season the Owls were beaten by Sunderland in the play-offs. In 2022/23, Wednesday were promoted via the League One play-offs, in a year when Argyle won the title.
Moore left that summer, however, and then had a short, unhappy stint with Huddersfield Town, before taking over at Vale Park in February 2024. He could not arrest a relegation that season, but took the Valiants up from League Two last season.
The Squad
Having netted four of the 11 goals that Port Vale have scored this season, Devante Cole is the Valiants’ leading goalscorer. The son of former Newcastle and Manchester United forward Andy Cole, 30-year-old Devante has played for several clubs, most notably Barnsley, between 2021 and 2024. He signed for Port Vale this summer.
Experienced centre-back Connor Hall, 32, has made the most appearances for Vale this season so far, starting 15 out of 16 league games. Hall was a latecomer to league football, playing for several non-league sides in the south-east Midlands before being picked up by Harrogate Town in 2019, who were in the National League at the time. He was promoted with Harrogate, later moving to Port Vale for a season, then going to Colchester United. In the summer of 2024, he came back to Vale Park.
George Byers is a fixture in Port Vale’s midfield. The Scotsman, 29, also signed in the summer of 2024, and was a key figure in last season’s promotion, although he missed a significant amount of time because of injury. Byers previously played under Moore at Sheffield Wednesday, where he featured 78 times. He is also formerly of Swansea City.
Previous Meetings
The last time these sides met was on the final day of the 2022/23 season, when already promoted Argyle won 3-1 at Vale Park to clinch the League One title. Earlier that season, at Home Park, Vale had prevailed 2-0.
A Strip for the Trip
Argyle will be wearing their green home kit for this game.
Argyle TV
Argyle TV’s coverage will begin with Argyle Breakfast at 10am, hosted by Erin Black and Aaron Cusack. Charlie Price will host the Pre-Match Show, which starts at midday, alongside Marc Edworthy, and then hand over to the stadium for live commentary from Rob McNichol and former Argyle forward Joel Grant.
Match passes to watch this game are available overseas. CLICK HERE for more information.
