Port Vale v Bristol Rovers
Sky Bet League One, Vale Park, Friday 29 March 2024, 3pm KO
After a week without a fixture due to the international break, Bristol Rovers face two games in four days over the Easter weekend, starting on Good Friday.
It is a third consecutive away game for the Gas, who travel to play Port Vale at Vale Park.
Matt Taylor’s side head into Friday’s match sat 14th in the Sky Bet League One table, while The Valiants are 21st in the division.
Ticketing…
Fans can purchase tickets for our trip to Port Vale in person at the Club store until midday on Thursday 28 March 2024.
Supporters are advised that there will be a pay-on-the-day option at Vale Park but these tickets will be only available online, via a QR code that can be found outside the stadium’s away end.
Pay-on-the-day tickets will also be available to purchase from the link here!
Travel…
Supporters driving to Vale Park are best served by the M5 and then M6, before leaving the M6 at Junction 15. Head onto Queensway/A500 and take the A5271 exit towards B5051/Tunstall/Burslem. Follow the B5051 to your destination.
Fans wishing to use trains are best served by Stoke-on-Trent railway station, which is around four miles from Vale Park. Trains run frequently between Bristol Temple Meads and Stoke-on-Trent and take 2 hours 20 minutes.
Opposition…
Victory in their last match gave Port Vale a much-needed boost in the race against relegation.
Ryan Loft's 83rd-minute effort was enough to claim all three points for Vale, ending a 14-game winless run.
The win moves the Valiants to within three points of safety in League One, and gives them hope of avoiding the drop following a run of difficult and disappointing results.
It also marks a first victory under new manager Darren Moore, with the former West Bromwich Albion and Huddersfield Town boss taking charge of the side back in February; the team’s third head coach of the campaign.
Having achieved promotion via the League Two play-offs in the 2021/22 season, adapting to the third tier of English football was always going to take Port Vale time. An 18th-placed finish last campaign consolidated their standing, and six wins in the first seven league outings this season suggested they could do something very special, but since then league football has presented challenges.
However, there have been glimmers of positivity. Port Vale reached the Carabao Cup quarter-finals this campaign, doing so for the first time in their history. If similar magic can be captured, then Vale will be optimistic of avoiding relegation.
Previous Meetings…
Rovers and Port Vale have met 73 times in their respective histories, regularly playing each other in League One and League Two since the turn of the century.
Recent history is firmly on Rovers’ side, with wins in six of the last nine matches between the two teams in all competitions.
Port Vale were victorious in this fixture last campaign, though, securing a 2-0 home win over the Gas in April 2023, but Rovers won the reserve fixture in October 3-0 thanks to finishes from Luke McCormick, Jack Hunt and Jevani Brown.
Match Officials...
Referee: Scott Oldham
Assistant Referees: Declan Ford and Adrian Tranter
Fourth Official: Christopher Husband
What Are The Odds?
Rovers are currently available at 8/5 for the win while a 1-0 win is available at 15/2.
Odds correct at the time of writing. To see more information click HERE. Please bet responsibly.
