Grimsby v Port Vale Team News

By: Rob Sedgwick
Date: 22/11/2011

DAREN Kempson is injured ahead of tonight's clash with Port Vale in the FA Cup replay at Blundell Park. The big centre back injured his ankle in Saturday's 2-2 with Newport which has ruled him out of Town's big FA Cup match.

Sean Pearson is likely to deputise in Grimsby's back four, who managed to keep a rare clean sheet against the League Two side in the Round 1 match ten days ago,

The news is tempered though by the return of one of the Mariners' most creative players, Michael Coulson, from a one match suspension.;

Town played a 4-3-3 formation in the original match with Vale which had some success. However the same system failed against Newport on Saturday, admittedly without Coulson. So the managers will have to weigh up whether to persevere with the new formation of revert to the 4-4-2 system which has been employed for most of the campaign.

Vale, who had several players out injured or suspended in the original tie, have additional options for the replay. Midfielders Anthony Griffith and Gary Roberts have both returned from suspension and look likely to feature.

But on-loan Notts County defender Liam Chilvers is ineligible, and defender Gareth Owen (achilles) and striker Marc Richards (ankle) are ruled out.

Defender Lee Collins (dead-leg) and midfielder Doug Loft (knee) are slights doubts for the game after picking up knocks at Cheltenham, but are expected to feature.

The match represents Grimsby's last realistic hope of any success this season, the totally irrelevant FA Trophy aside.

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