Darrell Clarke is returning to Port Vale with Bristol Rovers in the Second Round of the Emirates FA Cup this Saturday and is focusing on beating his old side and progressing to the next round.
The 47-year-old had some great memories with the Valiants and led Burslem-based team to Sky Bet League One after gaining promotion through the play-offs in the 2021/22 season, beating Mansfield Town 3-0 at Wembley.
The Rovers Head Coach will see plenty of familiar faces at Vale Park, but will be eying a victory with the Gas and a place in the Third Round of the Emirates FA Cup. Both teams have had a difficult time in their respective league campaigns; however, they will be looking to build momentum after success in the Vertu Trophy in midweek.
Speaking to the media before the fixture, Clarke reflected on the Pirates' penalty progression against Cambridge United on Tuesday night before previewing the upcoming game against Vale.
CAMBRIDGE UNITED REFLECTIONS
“I want to win every game I play. Listen, the biggest positive of the other night was getting through to the next round, which was the task before the game. The performance was nowhere near it, but it’s a cup competition, and we got through by hook or crook, should we call it.
“I find the trophy games pretty strange because there’s not really an atmosphere, there aren’t many there, there are changes to each team, and there are all different circumstances, but it’s a competition we want to do well in. We are down to the last 16 now, so we’ll see who we get in the next round.”
ELLIS HARRISON IN THE GOALS
“It’s pleasing for Ellis. I think a lot of time with the nines, and after managing Ellis for a few years now, they take two or three games to get in the swing of things because of the physique, the size and I’m sure Ellis will go on a good run now.
“So, we’re ticking him over. We’ve looked after him a little bit to make sure we haven’t broken him down with Promise Omochere still being out. So, it was important that we only got 45 minutes into him the other day, so he’s fresh for tomorrow.”
TRAINING THIS WEEK
“We all know how Saturday's game went. On the data analyst stats that I got, we had a two per cent chance of losing the game, but we’ve got to make sure that we’re better in those final third moments. I think over the course of the last four or five league games, where everything has been absolutely spot on apart from putting the ball in the back of the net, and we’re conceding one shot on target, one goal against.
“I'm a great believer, though, that if we keep putting in those sorts of performances, we’re going to win a hell of a lot more games this season, but it doesn’t make it any easier at the moment. It’s about making sure that we’re not feeling sorry for ourselves and that we’re getting on and working hard because that’s the only way things turn. Hard work, hard graft and then hopefully we see the rewards.”
HURTING FROM DEFEATS
“The day it stops hurting the way it hurts me is the day I will pack in management. The challenge here really whets my appetite, to be honest. I’m really looking forward to turning the corner. I’m really looking forward to getting the club going in the right direction, and it will happen. I don’t have any doubt about that, it will.
“It’s hurting, and it’s painful at the minute, but I am a great believer that the work I have done at most of the football clubs I have managed will reap the rewards in the end. Thank you for all of the support, because it would be easy for people to turn on me, and there is always going to be one or two gripes. I get that, but I appreciate all of the support that I get from the supporters.
"They know how much this club means to me, and they know I’ll work to make sure that I turn it in the right direction. I’ve been here before, as we know."
PORT VALE CONNECTIONS
“Port Vale means a hell of a lot. I really love the fanbase. I had a challenging time, but a successful time there. We got through the division in the play-offs, and the support I got from a personal loss was amazing. I think the world of the club and the people there, but they also know, and I say this as I’ve come up against them quite a few times, how much I want to win the game as well, because it’s the FA Cup.
“It’s a special competition and I’m looking forward to seeing Darren Moore and the people there, but we’re going there to do business, and we want to try and get ourselves in the third round because while the league form is nowhere near the level we need it to be at the minute, it’s nice to get a couple of cup runs. We ticked the box with the Vertu Trophy, and let’s try to tick the box with the FA Cup on Saturday.
FA CUP PREVIEW
“They have got a really massive squad with 30 plus professionals. I think in a lot of the performances, they probably deserved a bit more, if I am honest, watching quite a few of the games. It will be a tough game for us, we know that, but we have to go there with a game plan. We are respectful that they can mix things about a bit, they have got a lot of senior players, but at the end of the day, it’s what we do and how we approach the game.
“I’m a great believer in taking each game as it comes. Don’t worry about Tuesday, we just worry about Saturday now and that project ahead. So, it would be great to get through and get a decent draw.”
MORE ON CALLUM MORTON
“He’s obviously very rusty but has done well at the level before. He had a couple of injuries. Listen, you’re not picking up a player that’s out of contract, that’s going to come and hit the ground running. We just thought it was an opportunity to look at him for six or seven weeks, see how he does, see how he beds in.
“He’s fitted in well with the players and hopefully the more training minutes he gets and the odd minutes here, there and everywhere put him in a better place, and hopefully, he can return to the player he was a few years ago.”
