Port Vale V Gillingham at Vale Park : Match Preview

21 September 2012 13:01
Port Vale V Gillingham - view commentary, squad, and statistics of the game live.

Loft fit for Vale Doug Loft has declared himself fit to play, so Port Vale manager Micky Adams is likely to name an unchanged starting XI for the ninth successive match in the top-of-the-table clash with Gillingham at Vale Park. Skipper Loft required stitches in a shin injury during the impressive 5-2 victory at Fleetwood on Tuesday night but the midfielder is not a concern for the visit of the npower League Two leaders. Ahead of the game, Adams, whose side are the leading scorers in the country with 21 goals in seven matches, said: "They are top of the table and a confident unit who have got good players and a system that suits them. "The manager will force them forward and they look a decent side who are a real threat to us. But if we beat them we go top, so it's all to play for." The Vale boss revealed at his pre-match press conference that there may be divided loyalties in the Adams family on Saturday as his daughter still lives in Gillingham and is a season ticket holder at the Kent club. Charlie Lee, Bradley Dack, Myles Weston and Jack Payne are all absent for Gillingham. Lee was forced to limp off after just six minutes of Tuesday's 1-0 win over Southend. The midfielder was duly replaced by Dack, who went on to win the Gills' decisive penalty before seeing red on the stroke of half-time for a nasty foul on Mark Phillips. Dack now serves a three-match suspension, starting this weekend against a Vale side who, like Gillingham, have won their last three matches and know victory will see them leap above the Kent outfit into top spot. Striker Weston and midfielder Payne both missed out altogether against Southend having failed late fitness tests and the pair will again be missing at Vale Park. Manager Martin Allen has also revealed another couple of unnamed players are nursing knocks ahead of the encounter and stressed his side, despite their impressive form, needs freshening up.

Source: PA