Preview: Port Vale v Wycombe Wanderers

Wycombe Wanderers travel to Port Vale on Saturday for their 17th league game of the season


The league table currently shows Wycombe in 4th place with 28 points and Vale in 2nd spot with 30 points.

Port Vale's Home Record.....Won 4 - Drawn 2 - Lost 1 - Pts 14 (Rank-3)

Wycombe's Away Record....Won 4 - Drawn 4 - Lost 0 - Pts 16 (Rank-2)


A resurgent Wycombe Wanderers travel to Port Vale on Saturday knowing that another away win would almost certainly propel them into the top three.

It's a difficult task for the Blues, but so were their trips to Rotherham, Burton and Stevenage - all places where they remain the only side to have won in the league this season.

Still unbeaten away from home, Wycombe have climbed the table by turning draws into wins, while Vale have been doing exactly the opposite.

Six wins in their opening eight league games took Vale to the top of the table, while Wycombe lagged ten points behind in 16th place with six draws and very few goals to their name.

Then at the end of September, the roles were reversed. The Blues embarked on their current run of six wins in eight, and the goals dried up for Vale - who have won only one of their last seven league games - four of which were goalless draws.

Consistently solid at the back, Vale just need to start scoring again, and their 4-0 FA Cup win over Conference South side Dartford in midweek will have boosted their strikers' confidence ahead of Saturday's game.

Having kept 10 clean sheets and conceded only 8 goals in 16 league games, Vale have by far the best defensive record in the division. Wycombe's defence has conceded twice as many but is still ranked third.

As far as goalscoring is concerned, Wycombe have bagged 25 league goals to Port Vale's 19, but more tellingly perhaps, in their last eight league games, the Blues have scored 18 and Vale only 5.


Port Vale's last five games (All Competitions)

LG2: Crewe (H)...............Won 2-1

LG2: Burton (A)..............Drew 0-0

FAC: Dartford (A)...........Drew 1-1

LG2: Northampton (A).....Drew 0-0

FAC: Dartford (H)............Won 4-0



Wycombe's last five games (All Competitions)

LG2: Lincoln (H)..............Drew 2-2

LG2: Gillingham (A)..........Won 2-0

FAC: Hayes & Y'ding (A)...Won 2-1

JPT: Bristol Rovers (H)......Lost 3-6

LG2: Bradford (H)............Won 1-0



Port Vale Goal Stats (22 games in all Competitions)

Goals Scored (Total).........Lg: 19...Cups: 12...Total: 31

Goals Conceded (Total).....Lg: 8.....Cups: 11...Total: 19

Goals Scored (Home)........Lg: 8.....Cups: 6.....Total: 14

Goals Conceded (Home)....Lg: 4.....Cups: 1.....Total: 5

Clean Sheets....................Lg: 10...Cups: 1.....Total: 11



Wycombe Goal Stats (20 games in all Competitions)

Goals Scored (Total)..........Lg: 25...Cups: 8...Total: 33

Goals Conceded (Total)......Lg: 16...Cups: 9...Total: 25

Goals Scored (Away).........Lg: 12...Cups: 4...Total: 16

Goals Conceded (Away).....Lg: 6.....Cups: 1...Total: 7

Clean Sheets.....................Lg: 7.....Cups: 1...Total: 8



Port Vale's Top Goal Scorers - (All Competitions)

Marc Richards..........12 (inc 3 pens)

Justin Richards..........6

Louis Dodds..............3

Sean Rigg.................3

Gary Roberts............2

Four other players have each scored one goal.



Wycombe's Top Goal Scorers - (All Competitions)

Kevin Betsy..............6

Scott Rendell............6 (inc 4 pens)

Andy Sandell............5

Gareth Ainsworth......3

Matt Bloomfield.........3

Ben Strevens............3

Stuart Beavon...........2

Lewis Montrose.........2

Scott Davies.............2

One other player has scored one goal.



Port Vale Shooting (Top-3) - All Competitions

Marc Richards.......29 on-target....22 off-target....2 against woodwork

Sean Rigg.............18 on-target....15 off-target....0 against woodwork

Justin Richards......12 on-target....19 off-target....1 against woodwork



Wycombe Shooting (Top-3) - All Competitions

Kevin Betsy............12 on-target...21 off-target....1 against woodwork

Gareth Ainsworth.....9 on-target....14 off-target....1 against woodwork

Andy Sandell..........11 on-target...10 off-target....1 against woodwork



Shooting (Club) - League Games Only

Port Vale.......76 on target...90 off target...4 against w'work (Rank-11)

Wycombe......68 on target...89 off target...7 against w'work (Rank-16)



League Form Guide


All Season

Port Vale.......Pld: 16...W: 8...D: 6...L: 2...Pts: 30...Pts per game: 1.88

Wycombe......Pld: 16...W: 7...D: 7...L: 2...Pts: 28...Pts per game: 1.75



Last Five league Games

Port Vale.........DDWDD - 7 points (Rank-12)

Wycombe......LWDWW - 10 points (Rank-3)



Last Five League Games (Home)

Port Vale......WWWDW - 13 points (Rank-2)



Last Five League Games (Away)

Wycombe.....DWWWW - 13 points (Rank-1)



Against Top Half Opposition

Port Vale.......Pld: 8....Pts: 15....Pts per game: 1.88....(Rank-1)

Wycombe......Pld: 6....Pts: 10....Pts per game: 1.66....(Rank-2)



Against Bottom Half Opposition

Port Vale.......Pld: 8....Pts: 15....Pts per game: 1.88....(Rank-8)

Wycombe.....Pld: 10...Pts: 18....Pts per game: 1.80....(Rank-11)



Previous Meetings

In 10 previous meetings there have been 5 wins for Wycombe, 1 for Port Vale and 4 draws.

At Vale Park there have been 4 draws and 1 win for Wycombe.


2000/01 LG1: Port Vale 0 Wycombe 1

2001/02 LG1: Port Vale 1 Wycombe 1

2002/03 LG1: Port Vale 1 Wycombe 1

2003/04 LG1: Port Vale 1 Wycombe 1

2008/09 LG2: Port Vale 1 Wycombe 1



The Man In The Middle

Saturday's referee is Jon Moss from West Yorkshire who was promoted to the National List of Referees in 2005. His last Wycombe game was the 5-2 defeat at Norwich City in August 2009. During the current campaign he's issued 3 red and 26 yellow cards in 14 games.



On this day in history - 13th November

Port Vale.........Played 14...Won 3 - Drawn 6 - Lost 5

Wycombe........Played 6.....Won 4 - Drawn 1 - Lost 1



Prediction

Port Vale 1 Wycombe 1

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