Buoyed by a dramatic stoppage time penalty win over Grimsby Town last Saturday, the Robins go in search of three points once again this weekend with a visit to Port Vale (kick-off: 3pm).

Conor Thomas kept his cool from the spot to clinch another vital three points at the Jonny-Rocks Stadium, a result that has pushed the club up to 21st ahead of Cambridge United.

It has helped to build plenty of positive energy ahead of Saturday’s next test against a Port Vale side who are themselves aiming to push for a place in the top half of the table.

Victory for Michael Duff’s side could see another move up the table if results go the right way, with the Robins looking to build momentum with a busy Christmas schedule not too far away.

Team news

Chelsea loanee Jacob Maddox is ruled out through injury, as are Kevin Dawson and Sean Long.

Tyrone Barnett is unavailable as he can’t play against his parent club.

Watch manager Michael Duff’s pre-match thoughts from Thursday’s press conference:

Opposition

Port Vale are 15th in League Two having taken 26 points from 21 matches. They came back from being 2-0 down last time out at Morecambe to earn a point with two late goals in a 2-2 draw, and prior to that hammered Stoke City under-21s in the Checkatrade Trophy and won 3-0 away at Yeovil.

They therefore go into the game on the back of a good small run of form and are managed by their long serving defender, Neil Aspin. He played 350 games for them having started by making over 200 appearances at Leeds United at the beginning of his career. He’s since worked as a manager at Harrogate Town, FC Halifax and Gateshead.

Tom Pope leads the line for the Valiants having netted eight league goals so far. He’s joined in their squad by former Robins goalkeeper Scott Brown, and also include a squad featuring the experienced Antony Kay and Colombian winger Cristian Montano.

This is the two clubs first meeting this season. Their next scheduled clash is in late February at the Jonny-Rocks Stadium.

Previous meetings

Both teams are nearly neck and neck when it comes to head-to-head records. Cheltenham have won six league games between the two, Port Vale have come out on top five times and there have also been five draws.

The last time the two met was a huge victory for the Robins at the Jonny-Rocks Stadium in February as Mo Eisa’s hat-trick and goals from Elijah Adebayo and Will Boyle sealed a thrilling 5-1 win.

An October 2002 clash in the old Division Two was the first time they came head-to-head. A crowd of 3,852 watched as Marc Bridge-Wilkinson’s first half penalty earned Vale a 1-0 away win.

Watch the highlights from the Robins recent 5-1 win over Saturday’s opponents below:

Information for travelling supporters

Ticket prices for Saturday’s fixture are:

Adults £20

Seniors (62+) £15

18-21 year olds £15

12-17 year olds £8

Under 12s FREE (when accompanied by an adult)

The supporters coach for fans booked on leaves from the Jonny-Rocks Stadium at 11am.

Fans can book on the coach up to 3pm on Friday. Prices are £14/£12 for members and £16/£14 for non-members.

Coverage

For team news, updates and in game images follow @CTFCofficial on Twitter. Keep an eye on the club website after the game to see full reaction to the result.

You can listen to live radio commentary on iFollow by clicking here.