Dance of the Eleven Vales, Home to Port Vale Sat 25th Feb. 3-O'clock.

[TANGODANCER]

We won't be losing our heads and the only Salome around works in a Turkish take-away in Farnworth. Nineteen points separate us and Vale have played the same 33 games as we have, so we have to stay focussed. Back to business after the euphoria of despatching Accrington and booking a Wembley slot. A chance to move up the league, so come on Whites, get at em...

[Worthy4England]

I think we might have 22 Vales in total TD

Another "Style" clash looming. As ever need to win our 1 on 1's, follow the process and make sure we're up to date on content downloads - piece of pi$$ this management malarkey.

We may or may not shit 'em. Edit - thought we were away...2-0 Whites.

[TANGODANCER]

I think we might have 22 Vales in total TD

Touche, it's the excitement.

[GhostoftheBok]

Need to be switched on for this one, as after such a big night (and you could see how much it meant to players and staff, regardless of the competition's status) you can easy go missing in your own head for a couple of days and miss the details in prep.

Evatt's job will be to have made today just another Thursday and keep the lads working.

If we hit our levels we'll blow them away. That's going to be true for almost every game from now until the end of the season.

This will be a big test of how ready this side is to achieve things.

[BWFC_Insane]

Agreed about keeping feet on the ground.

At the same time we have Victor, Shola, Dempsey, Jones. Jerome, maybe Big Dan all fresh to come into the side.

So that means that after what will have been an emotionally and physically draining encounter we can freshen it up. What’s the Allardyce rule - between midweek and weekend you optimally want 5 or 6 changes to offer the best chance….

We could do that.

[jmjhb]

3-1 win

[TANGODANCER]

3-1 win

You mean they're going to SCORE??

[officer_dibble]

Return of Dennis Politic. Would expect Dempsey, Jones and Victor back in as a minimum. Randell Williams for John as well?

[The_Gun]

How many changes do we dare make for this one? Tempting to freshen things up quite significantly, but there's also a risk of Guardiola-style over tinkering. I'd definitely like to be able to rest Morley if possible, because we certainly can't afford for him to break down.

Traf

Toal Santos Mbete

Dempsey Thomason

Jones Williams

Shoretire

Adeboyejo Charles


Too many changes?

[GhostoftheBok]

You'd expect all the cup-tied players to get a game.

This might be that rarest of things, a game where Charles gets a rest.

[The_Gun]

You'd expect all the cup-tied players to get a game.

This might be that rarest of things, a game where Charles gets a rest.

I doubt Evatt would start both Nlundulu and Vic tbh. I'd like to see Charles given a rest, but it seems too big a risk to start an untried forward line like that.

[GhostoftheBok]

I doubt Evatt would start both Nlundulu and Vic tbh. I'd like to see Charles given a rest, but it seems too big a risk to start an untried forward line like that.

Oh, I don't think Nlundulu will be fit enough to start. If Charles does get a rest it will be Vik plus Jerome, you'd imagine.

[officer_dibble]

Can’t see Morley getting a rest. Thomason should get some game time from the bench you would imagine.

[TANGODANCER]

Focus folk, Port Valers off the starboard bow. To the job in hand, Wembley is distant just yet. Let's get three Tough Sheet points here at the the er...Toughsheet Stadium.. Ahem.
COME ON YOU WHITES.... A three kettle problem...?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

(Ahem)

Not many would have had Vale as the best bets of the four promoted teams, but they're currently in the highest slot - 12th. That said, Exeter and Bristol Rovers are within two points of them, with all three (but, clearly, not FGR) settling relatively well into the great morass of so-so sides below the Champo-chasing top third.

Vale have lost more games than the Grecians, the Gas and indeed all bar four teams. What they don’t do often is draw - 7 out of 33 league games - and 2023 has seen a downturn: since New Year’s Day they’re W1 D2 L6.

On the road they’re a curious mix. They’ve only won five, two of which were at the bottom two, but also won at Plymouth and Derby while also drawing at Barnsley and Wycombe. Against that, they got beat 4-0 at Oxford and Exeter and also shipped three at Shrewsbury and Peterborough - but half of their eight away losses have been by a single goal.

They’re slow starters - only FGR have conceded more first-half goals than their 26, and only Accy have scored fewer before the oranges than their 10. We’ve scored that many in the first 15 minutes alone, and that would be a very pleasant start to affairs against Vale, please: we average a division-leading 2.86ppg when scoring first. For the record we average 1ppg when conceding first, fourth-best behind the top two and Derby, but let’s hope we don’t need to improve that record this weekend.

[TANGODANCER]

Probably worrying for nothing, but I just hope we don't miss the wood for the tree in our present euphoria. Every team is a minefield unless we tip-toe through the tulips. Okay then...3-0 us..

[officer_dibble]

Be a 1-0er this - hopefully the right way!

[boltonboris]

We’ll see changes aplenty on Saturday, I’m sure.

A shorter recovery window + cup tied players getting a rest. Hope the players have a real appetite to get back to winning ways in the league

[GhostoftheBok]

They've been dreadful recently.

If we have our heads right we'll take them to pieces.

[boltonboris]

Couldn’t even beat Accrington!