Port Vale v Barnsley: Wilson wary of Vale despite circumstances

DANNY WILSON insists he is not reading much into Port Vale’s wretched recent form and views the managerless outfit as ‘dangerous opponents’ this afternoon.
Barnsley manager Danny WilsonBarnsley manager Danny Wilson
Barnsley manager Danny Wilson

Former Sheffield United manager Micky Adams stepped down as Vale manager, after five years at the helm on Thursday after an awful run which has seen the Staffordshire club lose their last six matches.

On paper, Vale may look ripe for the taking, but Wilson has been in the game far too long to take anything for granted and is expecting a reaction from the hosts.

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Wilson said: “We have a tough game on. They are not having a good time at the moment, but that makes them even more dangerous in my view.

“So we have got to go there and try and put a performance on there like we did in the second half at Fleetwood.”

The Reds head to the Potteries on the back of a run of one defeat in their past six matches, with Wilson’s side steadying the ship after the 5-3 weekend loss to MK Dons with a gritty draw at Fleetwood.

With a few players coming back into the fray from injury, the Reds are in a fair place, selection wise, and assistant-boss Chris Hutchings is hoping after their weekend setback that the Oakwell outfit can instigate another unbeaten sequence.

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He said: “After conceding so many goals on Saturday, we kept a clean sheet and are looking to go on another little run.

“We have only had one defeat in six games, so it is not as though we are doing too badly.

“We had got one or two coming back into the fore now such as James Bailey and Keith Treacy. There are plenty of options going forward and that is what we want.

“It is a nice headache to have from a manager’s point of view if you want to change things and freshen things up.”