LASTSEASON
NATIONALLEAGUE3rdFACUPFirstRound
FATROPHYThirdRoundTOPSCORERAdamRooney(23)LASTSEASON
LEAGUE TWO 20th FA CUP First Round
LEAGUE CUP First Round TOP SCORER Tom Pope (14)FourFourTwo Season Preview 2019-20 83PORT VALE SALFORD CITY
SEASOn PREVIEW
FFTVERDICT
19TH FFT VERDICT
7TH
New ownership has reinvigorated
the club and John Askey is proving
popular with the fanbase, but last
season Port Vale scored the fewest
goals in League Two and lost three
more home games than any other
team. Supporters may need to be
patient in their hunger for success.For their first ever Football League
season, the Ammies have plenty
of Football League experience and
a top manager. They flexed their
financial muscles in signing Richie
Towell from Brighton, though the
spending has been targeted and
they are building a solid squad.The big talking point among the fans
is the club’s takeover: new owners, in
@pvfc_carol and @KJShanahan, and
fresh hope. Carol and Kevin Shanahan
are local people who’ve got their own
successful business next door and care
about the club and community, which
is crucial at our level. The whole mood
around Vale Park has changed going
into the new season.
Save the date for our trip to Crewe on
November 2. It’s not a proper derby
but it’s the closest we have, and every
season we take up our allocation of
around 2,000.
The best Vale social media accounts
are @supervalepod and @Tom_Pope9.
A weekly Port Vale podcast and Popey
rinsing Stoke supporters – what’s not
to like, eh?
Did you know that in the calendar
year of 2017, Port Vale fielded a total
of nine goalkeepers. The moral of that
story is: don’t let Norman Smurthwaite
run a football club!Our key player will be ex-Aldershot
midfielder Manny Oyeleke [above] if he
stays fit – although it was Scott Brown
who swept up at the awards night. He
is an exceptional goalkeeper.
Look out for the 18-year-old left-back
Ryan Campbell-Gordon, who’s signed
a two-year deal from the academy. He
has a promising future.
The signature local dish is oatcakes.
They’re a delicacy.
The pantomime villains will be the
new boys, Salford!
The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is
that John Askey [below] rescued Vale
from non-league oblivion, as we were
going only one way when he arrived
in February. He won over the majority
of supporters who had questioned his
appointment: the football is better –
he likes to play with a high press and
a good tempo – and he doesn’t suffer
fools. He doesn’t have much Football
League experience, so fans will soon
question him if we have a tricky start,
but I’m confident we’ll hit the ground
running, especially now he’s had a full
pre-season with the players.
We’ll finish top! Aim high, or what’s
the point?! [Whispers quietly] 12th.This season will be different because
it’s our first ever one in the Football
League! We have to pick a stand and
stay in it, due to segregation for each
stand. Throughout the club’s history
up to now, we’ve always been able to
wander around the ground.
The pantomime villain will be Gary
Neville, for other clubs! His name will
be sung at grounds more than anyone
else’s. We hear it at every away game,
especially if we go a goal down.
Did you know that we were formed
in 1940 and not 2014...
The best thing about the matchday
experience at Salford is Grandad’s
Sausages – the best hot dogs around!
The other recommendation for
away fans is to enjoy a few beers
in our new supporters’ bar.
Our most underrated player is big
Mani Dieseruvwe [below] – superb in
leading the line for us. He stepped up
when the big hitters had injuries in the
last couple of months of the season.Our key player will be captain Liam
Hogan [above, centre]. He led us to
back-to-back promotions by leading
by example, on and off the pitch. He
always stops for a chat with fans, he
supports local charities and he used
to be a PE teacher at St Paul’s, next to
the ground. It gives a feeling that the
fans and the players are in it together.
Look out for Alex Doyle, a combative
young midfielder who has just signed
professional forms after impressing
in the academy and earning a call-up
for the England schoolboys teams.
The best away ground is at Leyton
Orient. I loved it – sitting so close to
the home fans made for a cracking
atmosphere. Granted, it helped that
we scored two early goals...
The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is
positive towards Graham Alexander.
He’s really popular. Jonno and Bern
[joint-managers Anthony Johnson
and Bernard Morley] were a hard act
to follow after the three promotions
they gave us, but Alexander has been
just as open, mixing with the fans and
talking through games – win, lose or
draw. He doesn’t hide behind excuses.
We’ll finish in the top five.FAn FILE
PAUL MACHIN
@machinpaul80FAn FILE
ANDY THURSTON
@BroughtonM7