2 days ago
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8 mins: Sunderland may now have got the memo. They’ve launched a couple of long balls down the channels in the past few minutes. There’s some proper scrapping going on for the second balls.
VAR are happy that Kyle John didn’t handle it, so on we go.
There’s no shortage of action in either box so far!
5 mins: Wow, now Sunderland go close from a corner! It looked for all the world like Mayenda was about to head home, but it struck a Port Vale player and then the woodwork.
VAR are checking for a possible handball here.
4 mins: Sunderland are already having a few issues playing it around their back line. Melker Ellborg takes a dodgy touch or two. It might not be the best tactic today, lads.
2 mins: Goodness me, that’s a half chance for Vale from the corner, as Connor Hall flicks a half-volley towards goal. There’s no pace on it so Ellborg collects easily in the end.
1 min: Eesh, yeah, I can now see why this pitch has been so problematic. There are huge muddy brown areas all over the place. Jon Brady said it had gone “backwards” despite some repair work being done in the summer. But the funny is it may suit Vale today …
Archer wins an early corner for the home side.
KICK OFF
Let’s gooooooo.
The players are out onto the much-talked about Vale Park pitch and we’re ready to rock. A Robbie Williams song is the walk-on music, though it’s understood the Take That star isn’t in the crowd today.
Vale fans will be happy to hear that Northampton, second bottom in League One (although still eight points above the Valiants), are losing 1-0 at AFC Wimbledon right now. The Cobblers are also Jon Brady’s former team.
Escaping relegation this season will arguably be a tougher task for Vale than taking down Sunderland today.
Vale Park is filling up nicely before kick off. I was told on Friday that 10,000 tickets had been sold and an attendance upwards of 12,000 was expected in a ground that holds around 16,000 but has only been full once this season – for the visit of Arsenal in September’s Carabao Cup tie.
Our other live football offering this Sunday lunchtime is a tasty one. Alex Reid is your man for updates from the Old Firm derby, which serves as a Scottish Premiership title eliminator.
Andre Gray scored his only Premier League hat-trick against Sunderland for Burnley in 2016. (He’s still got the match ball on display in his house).
And the Port Vale striker has imparted some words of wisdom to his less experienced teammates re playing against top flight opponents:
It’s a completely different level. You think you’re strong, you think you’re fast, you think you’re smart… until we come across these teams and you realise they’re stronger, they’re faster and they’re smarter.
But the good thing is, and the reason we love the game, is giant-killings, moments like this. That’s why FA Cup games are different. They’re going to come here and they’re not going to enjoy playing against a League One team. It’s possible, it’s always possible.
I had the pleasure of visiting Vale Park on Friday to chat to Jon Brady and Andre Gray about today’s game. One of Brady’s most cherished footballing memories is scoring in the FA Cup at Sheffield United for Rushden and Diamonds in 1999, while Gray is a former finalist of the competition with Watford. (Just don’t mention the score of that 2019 final).
Please enjoy my preview piece, and apologies for the shameless self-plug.
Jon Brady has tended to set Port Vale up in a 3-4-3 since he took charge in early January, so I think that’s what we’ll see today. He’s got some experienced forward players on the bench in the shape of former Norwich winger Onel Hernández and ex Burnley and Watford striker Andre Gray, both who are new at the club.
Sunderland have gone fairly strong, despite their injury problems, in their usual 4-2-3-1. Granit Xhaka is only on the bench but the lineup is only two players different from the one that won at Leeds in midweek, with Noah Sadiki and Trai Hume dropping out.
Team news
Port Vale: Gauci; John, Humphreys, C.Hall; Lawrence-Gabriel, Walters, Ojo, Gordon; Waine, Archer, Brown.
Subs: Amos, Headley, Campbell, Ward, G.Hall, Magloire, Gray, Hernández.
Sunderland: Ellborg; O’Nien, Ballard, Alderete, Geetruida; Rigg, Le Fée, Talbi; Diarra, Angulo; Mayenda.
Subs: Moore, Isidor, Abdullahi, Aleksic, Xhaka, J.Jones, Whittaker, H.Jones, Geragusyan.
Preamble
There have been no shocks in the FA Cup fifth round yet, so the baton falls to Port Vale – who only booked their spot in this round on Tuesday with an extra-time win over Bristol City – who host Sunderland. Vale haven’t reached this stage since 1996, after they shocked holders Everton at Vale Park. Given they’re rooted to the foot of League One and the Black Cats are flying high in the Premier League, the chances of an upset seem low. But it’s the cup. You never know for sure. This may not be the most glamorous of ties but isn’t that where the real magic of the FA Cup lies?
A healthy crowd is expected in Burslem for this one, with Sunderland looking to join the big boys of Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City in a star-studded quarter-final lineup. Team news will follow in the next post and kick off is 1.30pm (GMT).
Stay tuned for all the buildup and minute-by-minute updates from the game itself. On a problematic Vale Park pitch and with the hosts having nothing to lose, I repeat that this really could be a tasty one. Let’s find out together.
