THE GROUND
Vale Park
Hamil Road
Burslem
Stoke-on-Trent
Staffordshire
ST6 1AW
Port Vale moved in to Vale Park in 1950, leaving their previous Old Recreation Ground home.
The club initially planned a stadium with an 80,000 capacity when it was first imagined in 1944 and when the ground opened it had room for 40,000.
The stadium never reached the 80,000 mark but the ground is now an all-seater arena holding around 18,000.
There are also plans to increase the main Lorne Street Stand to increase the capacity further.
Away supporters are given the large Hamil Road Stand, behind one of the goals at Vale Park.
There is room for 4,500 visiting fans.
THE TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS
It is approximately 168 miles from Griffin Park to Vale Park by car.
Drivers will usually take the M6 to junction 15 and then the A500 before turning on to the A5271, signposted Tunstall.
The B5051 leads on to Hamil Road and the ground is on the left hand side.
There is limited parking at the ground in the Hamil Road car park, Zone C.
Drivers can also park in nearby streets where restrictions allow.
The nearest station is Longport, which is served by Northern Trains and East Midlands Trains services.
Trains to Longport are not frequent and will usually involve changing at Stoke-on-Trent, although it is possible to change at Derby or Crewe.
It is also around 30 minutes from Vale Park on foot.
Fans traveling by train may find it easier to get a bus or taxi from Stoke-on-Trent station.
Stoke-on-Trent is served by Virgin Trains services from London Euston and CrossCountry services from Reading.
London Midland services from London Euston also stop at Stoke-on-Trent but will be slower.
The Supporters’ Association will be running coaches to every game this season – details of times and prices will be announced in due course.
THE FIXTURES
Brentford will travel to Port Vale on the opening day of the 2013/14 season, Saturday August 3.
The Valiants will then come to Griffin Park on Saturday January 11.
THE RECENT HISTORY
Port Vale are back in League One for the first time since 2007/08 after winning promotion last season.
The Valiants were relegated from the third tier in 2008 and it took them four seasons to put together a promotion challenge.
After finishing 18th, 10th, 11th and 12th in the previous four seasons, they started last season superbly, establishing themselves at the top of the table early on.
They were in the top three after five games and never slipped out, spending most of the season in the top two.
The Valiants went on regular unbeaten runs, going five or six games without defeat and they were top of the table in mid-February having lost only six games of 33 all season.
Five defeats in seven – and one win in nine – around March made life tricky and they ended the season with five draws out of six, albeit as part of an eight game unbeaten run, to miss out on the title.
They eventually finished third, two points ahead of Burton Albion and five behind champions Gillingham.
Vale’s five year spell in the bottom tier came after 25 years at the second and third level.
Under John Rudge they won promotion from the old Division Three via the Play-Offs in 1989 and were there until 2000 – apart from two years in the early 1990s.
Following that relegation in 2000 they struggled in the lower reached of the new Division Two, third tier, before relegation in 2008.
But now they have bounced back.
THE MANAGER
Micky Adams took over at Vale Park for the second time in the summer of 2011.
The 51-year-old first became Port Vale boss in the summer of 2009 and he took them to tenth in his first season in charge, finishing outside the Play-Off places by four points after taking one point from the final two games of the season.
He left to join Sheffield United, who were in relegated trouble in the second tier, in December 2010 with Vale second in the table.
He failed to keep The Blades, the team he supported as a child, in The Championship and Vale fell off the pace, eventually finishing 11th.
Adams came back and despite Vale going in to administration in March 2012, he took them up last year.
Adams has been around the English football world as a player and manager.
The former England Youth international played more than 400 Football League games for clubs including Leeds United and Southampton.
He went in to management at Fulham in 1996 and was in charge of Brentford when The Bees were relegated from Division Two in 1998.
His other clubs have included Leicester City, Swansea City and Nottingham Forest.
THE TOP SCORER
Tom Pope scored 33 goals in all competitions last season, the highest tally by any player in English football in 2012/13.
He scored 31 goals in League Two, also the highest total in league football last season.
The 27-year-old came through the youth ranks at Crewe Alexandra but was released by the Cheshire side at the age of 18, only to be resigned after scoring goals in non-league football for Biddulph Victoria.
He spent four years at Crewe before a move to Rotherham United and joined Port Vale on loan in January 2011.
After a successful loan spell he joined Vale, the club he supported as a boy, in the summer of 2011.
He only scored five goals in his first season at the club but 2012/13 was one to remember.
As well as his goals tally he was named League Two Play of the Year at the Football League awards and named in the PFA League Two Team of the Year.
THE KEY MEN
Port Vale’s successful push for promotion was built on the goals of Tom Pope and the best attack in League Two.
The Valiants scored 87 goals in 46 league games last season, 13 more than any other team.
Their defensive record of 52 conceded was the joint third-best in the division.
Lee Hughes arrived at Vale Park on a free transfer in January and scored 10 goals in 18 league appearances while Jefferson Myrie-Williams scored nine goals in 44 games from midfield and Louis Dodds scored seven in 30 games.
Ashley Vincent also scored seven goals from midfield and striker Ben Williamson scored eight goals, mainly from the substitute’s bench.
Goalkeeper Chris Neal was ever-present while defenders John McCombe, who played 32 games, and Richard Duffy, who played 36, were regulars in the back four and Doug Loft played 32 games in midfield.
Vale have kept the majority of the squad together for their League One season.
Defenders Clayton McDonald and Darren Purse were released as was striker Calvin Andrew while Vincent turned down a new contract, as did midfield player Sam Morsy, and McCombe reached a mutual agreement to leave and joined Mansfield Town.
Club Captain Loft is also yet to sign a new deal.
Winger Kaid Mohamed joined Vale from Cheltenham Town and The Valiants signed striker Gavin Tomlin from Southend United and defender Chris Robertson from Preston North End.
THE FIRST MEETING
November 18 1933, Football League Division Two – Port Vale 1 Brentford 0
Brentford line-up: Baker; Stevenson, Adamson; Watson, James, Burns; Hopkins, Scott, Holliday, Muttitt, Fletcher
Brentford are beaten by a solitary goal at Vale Park in their first season in the second tier.
THE LAST MEETING
February 14 2009, Coca-Cola League Two – Brentford 2 Port Vale 0
Brentford line-up: Hamer; Halls, Bennett, Osborne, Dickson; Williams (sub Newton), O’Connor, Bean (sub Hunt), Wood; MacDonald, Rhodes (sub Elder)
Sub (not used): Poole, Johnson Brentford goal scorers: Osborne, MacDonald
Brentford scored a goal late in each half to cement their position at the top of League Two.
THE MEMORABLE DAY
April 20 1935, Football League Division Two – Brentford 8 Port Vale 0
Brentford line-up: Mathieson; Bateman, Poyser; McKenzie, James, Burns; Hopkins, Robson, Holliday, W. Scott, Fletcher
Brentford goal scorers: Holiday (3), Robson (3), Burns, Hopkins
Brentford’s biggest Football League win to date puts them on the brink of promotion to the First Division.