Port Vale v Torquay preview
Last Updated: August 31, 2012 12:58pm
Owen: Fit for Vale
Team news for Saturday's League Two clash between Port Vale and Torquay at Vale Park.
Gareth Owen is fit again and could be in the Port Vale squad.
Owen has yet to make an appearance for Micky Adams' side this season because of a hamstring injury but the defender is ready to return to action.
Left-sided player Rob Taylor got his first outing of the campaign as a second-half substitute during the 3-1 win at Morecambe last weekend after recovering from a calf complaint.
Lewis Haldane aside, right-back Adam Yates is the only absentee for Vale as he recovers from a knee injury.
Winger Haldane has undergone an operation to remove scar tissue from his left ankle, which was slowing his recovery from a broken leg.
Adams said: "Lewis had an operation five or six weeks ago and has seen a specialist again. The ankle is not 100% and he has to push through the pain barrier if he is to see how far he can go with it.
"We only have a smallish squad so we want everybody to be fit and ready."
Kirtys MacKenzie is set to make his professional debut for Torquay.
The Gulls are without Aaron Downes, who is suspended for one game after his dismissal in the 4-2 win over Rochdale, and manager Martin Ling has opted to hand the vacant centre-back slot to the first-year professional.
In addition to Downes' suspension, Danny Stevens is not yet fully fit following a thigh injury.
Stevens is on the comeback trail after a thigh strain, but has been out for a month and has not been able to test the injury under match conditions.
Fellow winger Niall Thompson marked his debut against the Dale with an assist, and looks set to keep his place in Ling's starting XI.
Matches
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npower League 2
Table
npower League 2
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gillingham | 46 | 83 |
| 2 | Rotherham United | 46 | 79 |
| 3 | Port Vale | 46 | 78 |
| 4 | Burton Albion | 46 | 76 |
| 5 | Cheltenham Town | 46 | 75 |
| 6 | Northampton Town | 46 | 73 |
| 7 | Bradford City | 46 | 69 |
| 8 | Chesterfield | 46 | 67 |
| 9 | Oxford United | 46 | 65 |
| 10 | Exeter City | 46 | 64 |
| 11 | Southend United | 46 | 61 |
| 12 | Rochdale | 46 | 61 |
| 13 | Fleetwood Town | 46 | 60 |
| 14 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 60 |
| 15 | Wycombe Wanderers | 46 | 60 |
| 16 | Morecambe | 46 | 58 |
| 17 | York City | 46 | 55 |
| 18 | Accrington Stanley | 46 | 54 |
| 19 | Torquay United | 46 | 53 |
| 20 | AFC Wimbledon | 46 | 53 |
| 21 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 52 |
| 22 | Dagenham & Redbridge | 46 | 51 |
| 23 | Barnet | 46 | 51 |
| 24 | Aldershot Town | 46 | 48 |
