| Wrexham will be looking to bounce back from the
opening day defeat at Darlington but face a difficult task as we make
the short trip to the Potteries to face Port Vale of League One.
Vale started the season with a home draw to Bristol
Rovers on the weekend and looked to be heading for all three points when
Luke Rodgers opened the scoring from the penalty spot midway through the
second half but Vale's lead only lasted ten minutes as Andrew Williams
equalised for the Pirates with thirteen minutes left.
Last season Port Vale finished in mid table on sixty
points, fifteen adrift of the final play off spot, and manger Martin
Foyle will be looking to go one step further this time round.
He will have to do it without last season's top goal
scorer, Leon Constantine, who netted twenty-six times in the previous
campaign but the former Torquay striker joined Leeds United last week on
a free transfer. The move had dragged out all summer and was only
confirmed once Leeds were granted permission to play in the Football
League after Constantine had started pre season with his new club.
Port Vale had a decent home record in the last
campaign when they recorded twelve wins at Vale Park compared to only
six on their travels but their main strength was up front as they
finished with the seventh best goals for record on 64.
Martin Foyle, however, has highlighted the lack of
firepower as a concern as he went into the new season after the injury
to Marc Richards left Vale with only two recognised strikers in the
squad - Akpo Sodje, who scored sixteen times last season, and Luke
Rodgers. Former Shrewsbury striker Rodgers was once thought to be target
for Wrexham but he joined Vale in the January transfer window and his
goal on Saturday took his tally for the club to four in only nine games.
Martin Foyle has brought in former Brentford striker
Callum Willock on a short term contract in a move partly funded by the
supporters club and he was a second half substitute on the weekend,
replacing Sodje for the final half hour of the game.
 This
is Martin Foyle's first job in management and he has been in charge at Vale
Park since February 2004 when he replaced Brian Horton in the manager's
hot seat. Foyle enjoyed a successful spell as a player with Vale and
made over 350 appearances for the club in a nine year spell that ended
with retirement in 2000.
A familiar face lining up against us will be defender
Mark McGregor who joined Port Vale eighteen months ago from Blackpool.
McGregor made almost 300 appearances for us before leaving for Burnley
on a free transfer in 2003. His chances at Turf Moor were limited and
made only 46 league starts in three years with Burnley before joining
Blackpool in 2004.
Our last game against Port Vale was a First round FA
Cup tie in 2005 with Vale running out 2-1 winners. Lee McEvilly
equalised for us during the second half after Matthew Husbands had
opened the scoring but Leon Constantine pounced two minutes later to
send Vale through into the second round.
 We
did fair better in our last league match at Vale Park when Andy Holt and
Chris Llewellyn scored in the first half to secure a victory after the
original match at the Racecourse ended one each with Holt also on target
for us in this game.
Our overall record against Port Vale sees us trailing
on 21 wins compared to their 27 and there have been sixteen draws in the
64 games between the two teams.
Midfielder Mark Jones is the biggest doubt for Wrexham
after he picked up a knock during the weekend defeat at Darlington.
Steve Evans, who was called up to the Wales squad along with Jones
today, will be pushing for a first team start after not making the
substitutes bench in the opening game of the season.
Port Vale are set to hand Calum Willock his full debut
as Akpo Sodje is struggling after picking up a knock. Winger Joe Cardle
remains sidelined with an ankle injury and striker Marc Richards is not
yet fully fit.
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Round
One