Port Vale Vs Sheffield Wednesday 28th July

Vale continued their fine pre-season with yet another victory over Championship outfit Sheffield Wednesday. Sheffield came to Vale with a strong side, and Foyley would of expected a tougher game them, but Vale dominated the game from start to finish, with the new strike partnership of Sodje and Rodgers proving they could be a force to be reckoned with this season. This was Vale's fourth win in five games, and they still remain unbeaten. To add to that Luke Rodgers appears to be on fire in front of goal with 7 goals now in 5 games. Foyle must be hoping he carries this form into the season.
All this goes to show that Leon Constantine will not be missed this term, and he may regret leaving Vale for the bright lights of Leeds United, a bigger team granted, but at least Vale are not millions in debt, with a transfer embargo placed on them, all the named stars jumping ship, a midget for a manager with very little experience, and to top it all he will have to face the wrath of the Railway Paddock when the money grabbing mard-arse returns with the not so mighty Leeds to Vale Park when they meet here in the league. Good move Leon! You showed us all what a true loyal player you are and I'm sure the Leeds fans will appreciate all the runs you won't make for anyone, and all the great passes to team-mates you won't make! Any there will be more of them hurling abuse at you than the few who did up the Vale. Lazy players always get found out Leon, just remember that!

Once again Vale got off to a flying start scoring two goals in the first 13 minutes. The first goal came when a long ball into the box from Keith Lowe was knocked on by Sodje to Rodgers, who was then bundled over in the area by Sheffield's Steve Watson. Rodgers picked himself up to take the resulting penalty, and staked his claim to be spot kick taker next this season, blasting the ball past the stranded keeper. Two minute later Rodgers again added to his tally with a powerful strike from 25 yards after taking advantage of a mistake in Sheffield's defense.

Akpo Sodje almost added a third for Vale midway through the first period with one of his trademark blasts from way out. He let fly with the fearsome shot from 20 yards out, only to have the ball pushed onto the crossbar by the Wednesday keeper. Vale dominated the first half as for once Vale looked very strong at the back in the well organised defence, but they nearly pulled one back on half time when Jermaine Johnson had an effort strike the woodwork.

Vale made it 3-0 within 20 seconds of the start of the second half. Rodgers stole the ball from a Sheffield defender leaving him on the deck, and poked it through to Sodje. Sodje then ran on to shot the ball in from 8 yards out, leaving the visitors back line looking bemused. Anyon who spent most of the first half with nothing to do, pulled off a fine save from Glenn Whelan.

Vale then gave Sheffield a fighting chance by making several substitutions. This left them losing their rhythm a little, but they managed a clean sheet, and there are many positives to take from the game. Martin Foyle managed to get another look at all three of his trialists again, and his summer signings all gave good performances in this match. Willock again looked a handful, Adaggio had a couple of good efforts on goal, and Evans proved he could be favourite for the shirt with another good showing. Shane Tudor again proved he will be a firm favourite this year also. He has been working hard in the pre-season to impress his new boss, and feels he is the fittest he has ever been for the start of a new season. Tudor played for 77 minutes of today's game and said after the match " I have been delighted with how things have started for me this season. I think I can take on any full-back in this league, but I also think the gaffer will have me working on the other aspects of my game. I know I can create chances for other people, and I am as happy sticking the ball on someones head as scoring myself. There is a great buzz around the squad, and we are all like kids waiting for Christmas to come because of the confidence we have. We know if we work as hard as we have in this game in the league we will have a great chance to do something this season, and hopefully get into the play-offs. "

Port Vale Line Up

1. Joe Anyon (Chris Martin 77)
2. Mark McGregor
3. Jason Talbot (Justin Miller 62)
4. Danny Whitaker (Paul Harsley 62)
5. Keith Lowe (Luke Prosser 77)
6. George Pilkington ( Charlie O'Loughlin 62)
7. Shane Tudor ( Joe Cardle 77)
8. Craig Rocastle (Gareth Evans 62)
9. Akpo Sodje (Marco Adaggio 58)
10. Luke Rodgers (Callum Willock 45)
11. Paul Edwards ( Danny Glover 77)

Port Vale Vs Manchester United 25th July

Ok then lets get the bullshit out of the way straight from the start. Yes, we beat Man United. Yes, it was the second string. Yes, nobody apart from real Man United fans had heard of any of the team apart from Rossi. Yes, not one of the Premiership winning squad was even at the ground. But win we did nevertheless! This may of been the second string team, but lets face it, it was Manchester United's second string, and we are talking the most successful British team in recent history, so even the youth players are going to be the best in the country!

To say the United team sent to Vale Park was lacking any quality is rubbish. Five of the squad played in last seasons F.A. Youth Cup Final, which narrowly lost on penalties, and has in the past provided us with Beckham, Giggs, Scholes, Gary Neville and Phil Neville, and Guiseppe Rossi scored 9 goals in 16 games in Serie A last season for Parma and is rated at £6 Million.

It was a bumper crowd on the night, with over 7000 turning up for a friendly, and nearly 1500 from Manchester. This still provided Bill Bratts coffers with more Vale fans in the ground than there was at any of last seasons Home Fixtures (Take not Bill people will turn up if it's cheaper).

Despite all that the game was a bit of a cracker for a pre-season match. Goals, flying tackles, delayed kick off and a new home shirt on display made for a great nights entertainment. More to the point Martin Foyles team showed in the first 17 minutes that they may even be a force to be reckoned with this season in League 1. In fact several performances on the night showed that their is much to admire about Vale newcomers, and hopefully a lot more to come.

Vale took the lead on 2 minutes. Danny Whitaker won a challenge in the middle of the park and picked out Luke Rodgers on the edge of the area. Skipping past a United defender, Rodgers returned the ball to Whitaker, who curled the ball past the stranded United keeper into the top corner.

Vale's new partnership of Sodje and Rodgers showed why Leon Constantines departure will become a distant bad memory sooner rather than later! United's defence struggled to cope with Sodje's size, and his perfectly judged low cross split the United defence for Luke Rodgers to fire home from eight yards with an unstoppable shot. These two must have Foyley drooling at the prospect of the upcoming season as they seem to have gelled together a partnership already. Sodje's size and power and Rodgers pace and quick thinking should trouble a few of the League One defences this season, and at 66/1 Rodgers has got to be a good bet for Top Scorer in the division this year.

Uniteds keeper Ron Zieler was at fault again for Vales third goal. A poor clearance sent the ball flying to Shane Tudor 30 yards out. The new Vale winger advanced to the edge of the area before claiming goal of the night by bending the ball with the outside of his foot into the bottom corner. 3-0 up within 17 minutes against any United team is a bit of a shock, leaving many Vale Fans thinking the new scoreboard was faulty! But no it was true, and this first 17 minutes showed why Vale should be happy with their pre season so far.



Vale were never going to have the game all their own way, and United quality began to show through, after the shock of going three down so quickly. Rossi was always going to be a threat on the night, and he had a couple of moments of brilliance before he managed to pull one back for United. He had twice latched on to through balls by Lee and Hewson and tested Joe Anyon in the Vale goal with the resulting efforts, but on 20 minutes he showed why he is rated at £6 million plus. He was one on one with Mark McGregor and being chased down by George Pilkington and Colin Miles, but he managed to skip past them all and dribble his way into the area, wrong footing Anyon and slotting the ball home from 12 yards out.
Rossi then created United second goal, on 30 minutes, when his instinctive through ball found Campbell who was played onside by new boy Justin Miller. Anyon rushed out to try and put the striker off, but his shot was delayed long enough to wrong foot Anyon and send him the wrong way, before slotting home from 16 yards out. Vale continued to pressure the young United side when Zieler made a fine stop from a fierce Luke Rodgers effort before Lea threw himself in front of Sodje's to prevent him from scoring from the rebound. Sodje and Rodger linked up well again on 40 minutes when Sodje turned sharply on United 18 yard line and slipped the ball through to Rodgers, whose effort just clipped the post. The second half was never going to be as eventful as the first, and Foyle gave run outs to three players currently on trial at Vale Park. The series of substitutions seemed to stop both teams from really creating any more clear chances but it was United that came closer in the second half, with efforts from Campbell and Eckersley being denied by Miles and McGregor respectively. The trialists did give Foyle something to think about, as he is looking to strengthen his forward line. Willcock looked impressive as he replaced Rodgers, with his ability to hold up the ball and win headers. Addagio had bags of pace and his effort on the United goal was only denied by a fine save from Zeiler. Evans came on again and impressed again with a couple of runs past United's defence and good balls into the box. One dark mark on the night was a rather rash challenge by Robin Hulbert on Richie Jones, resulting in the player being stretchered off four minutes from time.
After the match manager Foyle had the following to say " The crowd was magnificent tonight. I think the best we have had for a pre-season game was the 3,400 we had against Man City last year. We need the money and a big 'Thank You' to the fans who came and made it such a great atmosphere. Some pre-season games are pretty boring, but right from the start tonight there was plenty of entertainment value. "

Port Vale Line Up

1. Joe Anyon
2. Justin Miller
3. Mark McGregor (Jason Talbot 31)
4. George Pilkington (Keith Lowe 61)
5. Colin Miles (Luke Prosser 61)
6. Danny Whitaker
7. Paul Harsley (Robin Hulbert 61)
8. Shane Tudor (Gareth Evans 78)
9. Paul Edwards (Joe Cardle 62)
10. Akpo Sodje (Marco Adaggio 62)
11. Luke Rodgers (Callum Willock 45)
    

2007/2008 Squad Numbers And New Signings

This seasons squad numbers have been released for 2007/08. For those of you wanting to place your favourite players name and number on your new shirts here they are:

1. Mark Goodlad
2. George Pilkington
3. Jason Talbot
4. Robin Hulbert
5. Keith Lowe
6. Richard Walker
7. Shane Tudor
8. Paul Harsley
9. Marc Richards
10. Luke Rodgers
11. Paul Edwards
12. Joe Anyon
13. n/a
14. Danny Whitaker
15. Justin Miller
16. Mark McGregor
17. Craig Rocastle
18. Colin Miles
19. Joe Cardle
20. Akpo Sodje
21. Danny Glover
22. Luke Prosser
23. Charlie O'Loughlin
24. n/a
25. n/a
26. Chris Martin

Several new faces are amongst the team this season. Danny Glover, son of Assistant manager Dean Glover, Charlie O'Loughlin and Chris Martin have all been promoted from the youth team. Martyn Foyle has added six new faces this season and here is a quick run down on the new boy's.

Keith Lowe

Keith Lowe plays as a defender and is currently on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
During the 2005-06 season as well as appearing for Wolves, Lowe featured for three other clubs including loan spells with Burnley, Swansea and QPR.Lowe went on loan to Brighton for a month from . Later in 2006 he joined Cheltenham on a short-term loan, and again joined them on loan in early 2007.In June 2007, he joined his 6th loan club - Port Vale.

Shane Tudor

Shane Tudor is a right midfielder, and should fill the gap left by Chris Birchall. He was signed from Leyton Orient after a successful spell for him at the O's in their promotion season. He started his career at Wolves, and then spent four seasons at Cambridge making 124 apps and scoring 24 goals.

Marc Richards

Marc started his career at Blackburn Rovers making his debut in a Worthington Cup tie against West Ham United in October 2000. He had loan spells with Crewe Alexandra , Oldham Athletic , Halifax Town and Swansea City before signing on a free transfer to Northampton Town in 2003. In 2005 he had a loan spell with Rochdale before signing for Barnsley in 2005. He has recently been described as "a young Neil Shipperley" by former Barnsley manager Andy Ritchie, as a reason for not re-signing Shipperley from Sheffield United. He was released by Barnsley in May 2007, subsequently joining Port Vale on a two year deal. He has been capped at England Under-18 and under-20 level.


Paul Edwards

Paul Edwards started out his career at Bury, then moving on to W.B.A. before moving to Swindon, where he made eleven starts before signing for Wrexham. He played there for two years making 76 apps before moving on to Blackpool. After a stop start season with the seasiders he moved on to Oldham, from where he signed for the Vale. The pacy left winger should fill the space left by Jeff Smith.

Justin Miller

Miller was signed with Shane Tudor from Leyton Orient's promotion winning team. He has spent all his career at the O's making 167 apps for the Londoners and scoring 6 goals. He is a right back but can slot in anywhere along the back line.

Craig Rocastle


Craig Rocastle is cousin of the late England and Arsenal midfielder David Rocastle.Rocastle has extensive experience in the Chelsea reserve side and has appeared once on the bench for the first team. He was also a member of the QPR squad that was sent into administration a few years ago. It was there Rocastle first dropped out of the professional game joining up with Gravesend and Northfleet. Rocastle signed with Chelsea in 2003, but never made the first team. He looked to gain first team experience and had several loan spells over the next couple of years at Lincoln City, Barnsley and most notably Hibernian. He joined Sheffield Wednesday at the beginning of 2005 from Chelsea. He signed a two-and-a-half year deal at Wednesday, but after around a year at the club he fell out of favour and was advised to find a new club by manager Paul Sturrock. Rocastle spent the end of the 2005-06 season on loan at Yeovil. On 30th June 2006 Rocastle's contract at Wednesday was terminated by mutual consent. A few days later Craig signed for Oldham Athletic for free. Rocastle has also represented Grenada on the international scene.

Port Vale Vs Exeter City 20th July 2007

Luke Rodgers yet again proved to be Vale's lucky charm on this mini tour in a 1-1 draw at Exeter. The game was Vale's toughest of the pre-season so far, after back to back victories against Newcastle Town and Tiverton. Exeter beat Norwich last weekend and could of claimed a second league scalp, but Rodgers fourth goal in three games save Vale's blushes.
The few travelling Vale fan's had little to cheer in the first half and Exeter came close to breaking the deadlock when Jamie Mackie hit the woodwork after 11 minutes. Exeter should of punished Vale again on 40 minutes after Anyon was caught out of position. Shane Tully was first to a badly cleared ball, but he shot the ball straight at Jason Talbot. Vale started the second half with a lot more purpose than in the first, and a minute into the half Sodje fired wide from 25 yards out. Vale were almost caught out again when Dean Moxey fired wide for the home side on 56 minutes. Justin Miller went close for Vale on 63 minutes as he ran past two players and shot from the edge of the area. The shot was blocked and Robin Hulbert collected from the rebound, but his shot was well saved from the Exeter keeper.Vale then made three changes. The substitutes were only on the pitch three minutes when Rodgers won a penalty, after being brought down by Matt Taylor. Rodgers picked himself up and took the penalty, belting the spot kick straight down the middle. Exeter levelled on 83 minutes when a rare lapse in concentration by George Pilkington led to the equaliser. Pilkington's miscued clearance fell to Richard Logan who volleyed home from 2 yards. The home side could of got a late winner on 90 minutes, but Jason Talbot's crucial goal line challenge denied Rui Braguinha.

Port Vale Team

1. Joe Anyon
2. Justin Miller
3. Keith Lowe (Colin Miles 65)
4. George Pilkington
5. Jason Talbot
6. Shane Tudor (Danny Whitaker 65)
7. Craig Rocastle
8. Robin Hulbert (Paul Harsley 65)
9. Paul Edwards (Joe Cardle 71)
10. Akpo Sodje (Danny Glover 84)
11. Luke Rodgers (Gareth Evans 84)

Port Vale Vs Tiverton Town 18th July 2007

Vale had a stiff test in tonight's game but eventually came out 3-0 winners over Tiverton Town. Vale huffed and puffed a bit in the first 45 mins, and Foyle must of felt it was going to be one of those nights, with the players showing little ability to break down Tiverton's 3-4-3 formation. It may of only been a pre-season friendly, and it was all about fitness levels rather than skill after all, but Foyle must of expected a little more 'bite' from his players.




The first half gave Foyle little to be cheerful about. Not enough was created for youngsters Danny Glover and trialist Gareth Evans. Both tried hard to make the most of poor ball's being fed through from Luke Prosser and Keith Lowe. They were both played out of position for tonight's game, but Foyle expected more from them. Joe Cardle had provided a few bright sparks in the first half, with his inch perfect corner being flicked just wide by Colin Miles on 28 minutes. Cardle then had a good effort stopped by the Tiverton keeper after collecting the ball on the half way line and skipping past three players and shooting from just inside the area.
The second half came to life with the introduction of four substitutes. This saw the pairing of Akpo Sodje and Luke Rodgers back together, and making a case for starting up front in the first game of the season. Tiverton could not cope with Sodje's aggressive runs, and an unstoppable volley from him 10 yards out on 53 minutes opened the scoring for Vale. Vale then introduced a further six subs on 58 minutes, and Rocastle went close to doubling the lead on 74 minutes. He ran on to Rodgers pass along the edge of the area and hammered the ball hard and low, but Tivertons keeper blocked the effort with his leg's. Shane Tudor was also denied a penalty when he was bodychecked by Tiverton defender Nathan Rudge.

Luke Rodgers then scored twice in quick succession to continue his impressive pre-season form taking his tally to 3 goals in two game's. The first came four minutes from time after a perfectly weighted pass from George Pilkington. Rodgers ran through and steered the ball under the Tiverton keeper's dive. The goal seemed to deflate Tiverton and two minutes later he struck again, latching on to Sodje's ball behind the Tiverton defence an Rodgers bending in a low shot from 20 yards. Foyle was grateful, in the end, for a tough workout which gave him more to think about than last years 6-1 win at the same venue. Foyle said after the match " We had two young lads up front in the first half who are still learning their trade, and the quality of ball to them was not good, The second half was much better with a lot more passion and commitment. We are trying to mix and match it up before the start of the season, and it is a case of trying to find the right blend. We have a lot of work to do both defensively and on the attacking because the quality of ball to the front men must be better ".

Port Vale Team

1. Joe Anyon
2. Keith Lowe (Justin Miller 58)
3. Richard Walker (George Pilkington 58)
4. Colin Miles (Charlie O'Loughlin 58)
5. Luke Prosser (Jason Talbot 58)
6. Danny Whitaker (Mark McGregor 58)
7. Paul Harsley (Craig Rocastle 45)
8. Robin Hulbert (Shane Tudor 45)
9. Joe Cardle (Paul Edwards 58)
10. Danny Glover (Akpo Sodje 45)
11. Gareth Evans (Luke Rodgers 45)

New Home/ Away Strip Revealed

Vale have released this seasons new home and away kits this week with new sponsors ' Sennheiser ' adorning the new shirt. The new away top is expected to sell quite a few this season with the all black shirt looking very smart indeed. The shirt should get its first outing in next weeks match against Manchester United. Clink here to link to the Vales Club Shop to purchase your new top.

United Stars Could Play To Vale Park?

Gary Neville, Louis Saha, Ji-sung Park, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Anderson and Gabriel Heinz have all been omited from the Manchester United squad travelling to the Far East on the clubs pre-season tour of Asia.
This has raised specultion that some or all of those who have not travelled could well be making an appearence in next weeks pre-season friendly to be played at Vale Park on Wednesday week.
The game kicks off at 7.30 on the 25th July. Tickets priced £10.00 can be purchased from the Port Vale Ticket Office in advance, although it is pay on the gate.

Port Vale Vs Newcastle Town 14th July 2007

Vale hit four goals past Newcastle Town in the sunshine, as they started this years campaign with the annual trip to to Lyme Valley Stadium. Foyle tends to use this as a chance to view the players fitness levels, so each half saw a different line up. Joe Cardle was yet again voted Vale's man of the match in this fixture, although last seasons pre-season promise from the youngster came to nothing, as his season ended up as a few sub appearances. But Cardle has vowed to make a fight of it this season, and added Vale's first goal, the only goal of this first half. Just earlier he had stung the keepers fingers with a warning shot, only for Danny Glover to shoot wide. New signing Shane Tudor also showed promise with a free kick just before half time that struck the post.

Luke Rodgers showed what Vale fans could look forward too this year on 56 mins with a stunning free kick to put Vale 2-0 up, crisply striking the ball from 30 yards and in off the post. Vale added a third on 80 mins as Danny Whitaker put a clever through ball to Rodgers, who squared the ball for Akpo Sodje to fire home. Rodgers finished a good display off sliding through trialist Greg Clowes who fired home Vales fourth from 18 yards.
Foyle added " The game today is not about the result, but checking everyone's fitness and making sure they all come through unscathed. There will be much tougher tests to come and we must make sure we are ready to mount a serious promotion bid this year. "

First Half Team

1. Joe Anyon
2. Mark McGregor
3. George Pilkington
4. Keith Lowe
5. Colin Miles
6. Shane Tudor
7. Paul Harsley
8. Craig Rocastle
9. Joe Cardle
10. Marc Richards
11. Danny Glover
    
    

Second Half Team

1. Lloyd Ransome
2. Justin Miller
3. Richard Walker
4. Luke Prosser
5. Jason Talbot
6. Gareth Evans
7. Danny Whitaker
8. Robin Hulbert
9. Paul Edwards
10. Akpo Sodje
11. Luke Rodgers

P.R. Masterclass

Now who would of thought that the mighty Port Vale would stoop so low as to use the media in a publicity stunt! We all know we have famous fans, such as Robbie Williams and Johnathan Wilkes!, and that their support has been, in the past, used to get the Vale into the press. But in this case they have got the full media bandwagon rolling at full pelt, even though it is probably a pipe-dream for us in lowly League One.

It was revealed today that Vale had made an audacious bid to sign the ex-Liverpool ace, Robbie Fowler. Fowler has had a rather illustrious career with the Reds, and spent last season mainly coming on off the bench. So at least we could offer him first team football. Vales bid is one of three put in for Fowler with Cardiff and Leicester from the Championship and FC Sydney all in for the player. It was reputed that our rivals Stoke were to put in a bid, but when they heard we were after him they pulled out, fearing they would stand no chance with a rival bid if he decided to join the Vale!

Fowler was released by Liverpool at the end of last season, and still has yet to decided on where to play this season, so Vale do stand as good a chance as any of the other clubs. But what can Vale offer that would tempt the lad to Vale Park. As Fowler is one of the richest English footballers around, then wages shouldn't be a problem. The big boys have offered him around £22,000 a week compared to Vales offer of around £1,500, but as he is loaded then that should not be a problem! And as for his place, well he is assured of a regular first team spot at the Vale, probably not so at the others. As he is losing a bit of pace in his later years then League One should help him out enormously, as Leon hardly moved all last season and he scored a hat full of goals. He would be idolised by all Vale fan's and of course this would send shirt sales through the roof. Not enough players who are at the end of their careers drop down to our level nowadays, which is a great shame as it would put the attendances up in one fell swoop, but this year has seen Darren Anderton playing for Bournemouth and Neil Lennon signing for Nottingham Forest, so he would be in good company in the league, and would be one of the stars of the division.

Vale are a community club, and as a club gaining a player like Fowler would be a great asset, which could be used to it's full extent. There is no harm in Vale putting a bid in. I do think it is very unlikely to happen, but at least we are having a go. It must of been a slow news day, but we even got a mention on Radio 2's sport's bulletin, and they hardly ever mention football, let alone a League One side after buying a player. And the funniest thing is, even if Vale don't get to the negotiation stage with Fowler, they will of still come closer than stoke have to signing a Premiership player in the last ten years!

We can but dream!

The First Blog Of The Season

Well hello all Port Vale Fanatics. This is to be a record of the 2007/08 season, however it may turn out. Over the coming weeks and months I will try to give an honest appraisal of the teams performance's, player's, management desisions (right or wrong) and all things general to do with the mighty Valiants.

This season should prove to be a good one, with Martyn Foyle bringing in several new faces to bolster the squad for a promotion push, even if that means via the play-offs. The season kicks off on 11th August, but pre-season has just about got under way, and culminates with a mouth watering home time against Premier League Champions, Manchester United, on 25th July. This seasons fixtures are printed below.

This is going to be a long, hard season if the team play as bad as they did at some of last seasons lowest points, but I'm sure that Martyn's team strengthening will prove to be the key this season, and that maybe, just maybe we could get Vale back into the Championship, after winning the Johnson Paint Trophy, and having a great run in the F.A. Cup. Well we can dream.