Team for Port Vale

Any ideas?

In a perfect world after yesterday a few would be dropped for Port Vale, before any one mentions it you can’t drop all 11 by the way.

David Artell has very little flexibility when you look at the bench which yesterday had Warren & Davis missing both of whom could make a difference.

Chas to start somewhere, perhaps wide left with Burns wide right? Eastwood for Wright seems obvious.

I’m struggling to see how we could freshen it up & provide the energy & bite we need.

Davies is once again injured and has been a complete waste of time and wages

Obikwu is Back Monday

What’s happened to Luker?

Luker still injured, I think?

If Obikwu is back, I think we'll have to start him, but I don't imagine we'll get much more than a half from him. I wouldn't start with Vernam who didn't look really ready yesterday (though I thought that shot was going in all the way, until it didn't), but would perhaps have him to bring on when Obikwu inevitably goes off.

I'm concerned that McJannet is completely shot for the season. He could barely put one foot in front of the other in the last 15 minutes or so yesterday. He had a break in the summer but 6 or 7 weeks less than pretty much all the other players in League Two and it's certainly showing. Giving him a bit of a break seems to have hindered rather than helped him, which is unfortunate.

As others have said, the midfielders look shot as well. Khouri utterly anonymous yesterday when we've seen high-energy displays all season. McEachran coming off again. Green have a distinctly off day, probably in part due to tiredness.

The injuries are really, really catching up with us now and there doesn't really seem to be any end in sight. Even if we limp into the play-offs, I can't see us getting through them.

Possibly no strikers available with the way Rose limped off yesterday.

I thought it probably was a performative limp. If he was too worried, I doubt he'd have gone off on that side of the pitch. I'd guess they decided to bring him off with the game lost to ensure he was a bit fresher for Monday. Fingers-crossed, in any case!

Reading other clubs' forums, none of them are happy, including Vale.

Those going for automatics think they are about to blow it, those striving for the playoffs are worried they won't make it.

Only Doncaster who have hit form seem to be confident.

Vale Park on Monday will be like us yesterday - raucous at the start but then nerves will creep in unless they blow us away.

Every team is also bemoaning injuries,  tiredness and loss of form of players so it's certainly not over yet.

Quoted from Hagrid

Davies is once again injured and has been a complete waste of time and wages

Obikwu is Back Monday

Not sure Artell said that in RH but it wouldn’t surprise me.

Shame about Davies, presumably another one to leave at the end of the season.

It might be a case of the 11 fittest and the best of the rest on the bench. O how I would have liked us to be injury free at this stage of the season.