Cheltenham Town face Port Vale in a crunch Sky Bet League Two encounter at the LCI Rail Stadium on Saturday (kick-off 3pm).
Gary Johnson’s men have drawn their last two leagues matches 1-1 – with Grimsby and Barnet – and will be hoping to claim a victory to keep the Robins above Port Vale in the standings.
Vale have not won in their last six games – drawing 0-0 with Morecambe last weekend – and are currently 19th in the table – three places and two points behind the Robins.
When the teams met earlier in the season it was Vale who claimed a 3-1 win in Neil Aspin’s first game in charge at Vale Park.
The Opposition:
Vale are yet to win since the turn of the year and they head into the weekend on a run of two consecutive draws, but manager Neil Aspin wants every player to keep battling as his side search for three points in Sky Bet League Two.
He said: "As a team we have not played well recently so you could say that a lot of players have been inconsistent.
"I have the team that will be playing, but I have given it a lot of thought and when you are not winning games, the tendency is always to change things.
"You have to look at all things, but you also have a basic core who form the majority of the team every week - there won't be wholesale changes.
"Cheltenham have changed some personnel and they have switched formation from when we played them at home. We are all desperate to get points and every game is difficult, but we have to be confident, play our own game and be brave."
Team News:
Cheltenham team news: Manager Gary Johnson is hoping for a strong squad to select from, although Jordan Cranston and Jordon Forster are still some way from selection as they continue to rehab. Taylor Moore and Danny Wright sit out the fixture as they both complete three-match suspensions.
Port Vale team news: Manager Neil Aspin has said striker Anton Forrester could force his way into his plans after netting a hat-trick for the reserves in midweek.
The man in the middle:
Referee Brett Huxtable – who has taken charge of 29 games this season and handed out 104 yellow cards and seven red cards - will take charge of the league clash at the LCI Rail Stadium. He refereed the Robins earlier this season when the team defeated Mansfield 3-0 – a game where he booked nine players. He will be assisted by Craig Taylor, Kevin Morris and fourth official Kevin Howick.
Last time we met:
14/10/17 – Port Vale 3-1 Cheltenham (L2)
29/03/13 – Port Vale 3-2 Cheltenham (L2)
15/12/12 – Cheltenham 1-1 Port Vale (L2)
02/01/12 – Port Vale 1-2 Cheltenham (L2)
19/11/11 – Cheltenham 2-0 Port Vale (L2)
Ticket Information:
Fans are advised that tickets will be available from the Ticket Office right up until kick-off on Saturday.
On matchday the Ticket Office will be open from 12noon, with limited seating available for fans wishing to pay by card. Collections will also be open from 12noon.
All remaining seats will be available for cash purchasers on the day from the turnstiles from 1.30pm.
As always, fans collecting pre-paid tickets are asked to arrive early to avoid any queues and to enable easy access into the LCI Rail Stadium.
Matchday ticket collections information:
- If you have purchased tickets in the Autovillage Main Stand, Paddock or Tunnel areas your tickets on a matchday will be available for collection at the Ticket Office.
- If you have purchased tickets in the Colin Farmer Stand your tickets will be available from the collection point located at the stand.
- In order to collect your tickets, please remember you will need to quote your name and postcode at the relevant collection points.
Fans are reminded that access to the Robins Nest bar on matchdays is on a first come, first served basis and if the bar reaches capacity there will be no further admittance. Please arrive early to avoid any disappointment.
We look forward to welcoming you to the LCI Rail Stadium this weekend.
For further information call the Ticket Office at the LCI Rail Stadium on 01242 573558 (option 1) or email via tickets@ctfc.com