2022–23 Port Vale F.C. season

Having achieved promotion out of EFL League Two via the play-offs, the Port Vale squad had a shorter summer break than most other EFL League One clubs as their final game was on 28 May rather than 30 April. As a result, director of football David Flitcroft said that players would be having a phased return to training, with players who featured in more games taking longer to report back for the pre-season training camp in Spain.[2] The first summer signing was Lewis Cass, who had played for the club on loan from Newcastle United in the 2021–22 season.[3] Seeking experienced League One players, the club signed Belgian midfielder Funso Ojo following his release from Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen.[4] Meanwhile Aaron Martin and Jake Taylor were sold on, to Eastleigh and Morecambe respectively.[5][6] The club brought in number of signings in the last week of July: 20-year old former Watford defender Derek Agyakwa (who had been at the club on trial), 21-year old former Stoke City defender Will Forrester, 29-year old former Wigan Athletic attacker Gavin Massey, and 17-year old Southampton loanee defender Thierry Small.[7][8][9][10] Rory Holden, a 24-year old midfielder who had played under Clarke at Walsall, was also signed after spending pre-season with the club.[11] Vale opened the season at Vale Park with a 2–1 win over Fleetwood Town; centre-backs Nathan Smith and Connor Hall scored within two minutes of each other complete a comeback victory after Daniel Batty opened the scoring on six minutes.[12]

Having won on the opening day, Vale then fell to a heavy 4–0 defeat at fellow newly promoted side Exeter City, with Jamie Proctor having to make do with 17-year old attacking midfielder Tommy McDermott as a strike partner in the midst of a shortage of specialist forwards on the books.[13] One specialist forward was signed on 11 August, Welshman Ellis Harrison arrived for an undisclosed fee from Fleetwood Town, having previously won two promotions under Clarke at Bristol Rovers.[14] Goalkeeper Jack Stevens also arrived on a season-long loan from Oxford United.[15] Both signings made their debuts in an entertaining 0–0 home draw with Bolton Wanderers, in which the away side were reduced to ten men after Ricardo Santos was sent off on 37 minutes.[16] Vale went on to lose 2–1 away at Milton Keynes Dons, where a brace from Bradley Johnson gave the hosts their first points of the campaign, and after the match Clarke defended his decision to rotate the squad to rest players.[17] Vale went on to pick up their first away win of the campaign at struggling Burton Albion, winning 2–0 after Ben Garrity and Ellis Harrison scored second half goals.[18] However they ended August with a 1–0 home defeat to Portsmouth.[19] As the transfer window drew to a close, the club signed 19-year old Irish striker Mipo Odubeko on a season-long loan from West Ham United.[20] The club made three further loan signings on transfer deadline day: 22-year old Blackburn Rovers striker Danny Butterworth, 22-year old Cremonese winger Dennis Politic, and 21-year old winger Stoke City winger Liam McCarron; Politic had impressed on loan at the club the previous summer, whilst McCarron became the first Stoke player to be loaned directly to Vale since March 1978 in what was heralded as a "new era" between the two Potteries derby rivals.[21][22][23] Chris Hussey also had his contract terminated and signed with Stockport County.[24]

On 3 September, Vale conceded a stoppage-time equaliser at home to Cheltenham Town after having come from behind to lead 2–1 at half-time.[25] Ten days later, Vale came from behind thanks to a late Harrison header to draw 1–1 at Barnsley; Stevens received praise for his performance after making a number of good saves.[26] Two goals from Harrison earned the Vale a 2–1 victory at home to Shrewsbury Town, taking his tally to five goals in seven games.[27] However, Vale then slipped to a 3–0 defeat at Peterborough United, where Jonson Clarke-Harris scored a brace.[28]

A crowd of 11,336 turned out to witness a 1–0 home defeat to Sheffield Wednesday on 1 October, with Will Vaulks's "thunderbolt from distance" separating the two teams.[29] Seven days later, a crowd of 28,706 came to Pride Park Stadium to witness the Vale come from behind to beat Derby County 2–1 despite Tom Conlon missing a penalty; the referee awarded Vale another penalty in the second half, which Ellis Harrison converted, and after Derby goalscorer James Collins was sent off for an elbow on Smith, James Wilson scored his first goal of the campaign to win the game on 66 minutes.[30] The attendance for this game was the biggest league crowd to witness a Vale match since 1998 and the largest to witness a Vale victory since 1955.[31] Vale came from two goals down to draw 2–2 at home to Forest Green Rovers, with Ellis Harrison converting penalty for the second successive game.[32] They went on to pick up three points away at Cambridge United courtesy of an own goal eleven minutes from full-time.[33] Vale lost 3–2 at home to Ipswich Town despite coming from two goals down to level the scorelines with goals either side of the half-time whistle.[34] Vale beat Lincoln City 1–0, with Danny Butterworth scoring his first goal for the club, and after the match assistant manager Andy Crosby praised the squad and said that: "following six games in the month, to pick up ten points against the calibre of opponents we have played has made it a really good month".[35]

Vale opened November with a 2–2 draw at Wycombe Wanderers, having twice come from a goal down to secure a point with goals from James Wilson and Tom Conlon.[36] Billy Bodin and Matty Taylor – who had both played for Darrell Clarke at Bristol Rovers – scored braces to condemn Vale to a 4–0 defeat at Oxford United.[37] Clarke said that the match showed that the club still had to go "a long way to be an established League One team".[38] Playing on the day before the 2022 FIFA World Cup started, Vale recorded a 1–0 home win over Charlton Athletic, with Danny Butterworth scoring the only goal of the game with what the club website described as "a beautiful second half solo goal".[39] However, Charlton manager Ben Garner labelled Vale as "anti football" and a team with "no ambition for them to go and really attack and take the game to you".[40]

More than 400 Vale fans travelled down to witness a 2–0 victory against league leaders Plymouth Argyle on the Friday night of 2 December, with James Wilson being credited for both goals on the club website despite Tom Conlon initially being credited by news outlets for the opening goal of the game.[41] Vale's three-match winning run came to an end with a 1–0 defeat at Bristol Rovers, where Aaron Collins won the match on 87 minutes.[42] They beat Morecambe 1–0 at home in the boxing day fixture, with Gavin Massey scoring the only goal of the game with a "fantastic long-range strike" on 41 minutes.[43] The year ended with a 2–0 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday, with Michael Smith scoring a first-half penalty and a curved strike from outside the box in the second half;[44] the away support of 3,139 was the Vale's largest league away following since February 2002.[45]

The new year began with a 3–1 comeback victory at Forest Green Rovers, as late goals from Mipo Odubeko, Ellis Harrison and Dennis Politic secured three points after Vale spent 84 minutes of the match a goal down.[46] The first piece of January transfer window business was a departure, as Connor Hall was sold to Colchester United as he required a club closer to his Cambridgeshire home.[47] Also leaving was central midfielder Brad Walker, who was sold on to Tranmere Rovers for an undisclosed fee.[48] Sky Sports moved the home with game with Peterborough United to a freezing cold Monday night on 16 January, where a second-half brace from Ephron Mason-Clark secured an away victory for newly appointed opposition manager Darren Ferguson.[49] The following day, Harry Charsley's departure to League Two side Newport County was confirmed; similarly to Walker, he had struggled for gametime in central midfield.[50] The first arrival of the window was 19-year old left-back Aaron Donnelly, who joined on loan from Nottingham Forest on 23 January.[51] He was an unused substitute as the Vale were beaten 2–1 at home by Derby County the following day, where a goal from Ojo early in the second-half goal seemed to have won all three points for the Valiants, only for Derby to turn the game around with two goals in the space of two minutes starting with David McGoldrick's strike with just three minutes left of the ninety to play.[52] Donnelly instead made his debut in a goalless draw at Cheltenham Town.[53] On transfer deadline day, Tommy McDermott and James Plant were loaned out to Salisbury, whilst prolific 32-year old striker Matty Taylor joined on loan from Oxford United.[54][55] Clarke later admitted the club "regressed" in the transfer window.[56]

A poor performance meant that the Vale opened February with a 3–0 home defeat to Wycombe Wanderers.[57] A frustrating 1–1 draw with Accrington Stanley followed, David Worrall's 57th-minute strike cancelling out Accrington's penalty after Ojo was penalised for a foul on Aaron Pressley, who converted the spot-kick; however, late in the game Butterworth missed a penalty which had been awarded to the Vale after Harvey Rodgers was sent off for using his hand to divert a header from Garrity off the goal line.[58] A 3–2 defeat at Shrewsbury Town followed, which Clarke shouldered the blame for after admitting to picking the wrong starting eleven which left the side vulnerable to set-pieces.[59] A 3–1 home defeat by Barnsley followed, with the visitors taking the lead within 60 seconds of the kick-off.[60] A seven-game run without a win came to an end with a 1–0 home victory over Exeter City, with Forrester scoring the only goal of the game one minute after the visitors were reduced to ten men.[61] This was followed by a 1–0 defeat at Morecambe in a game where Vale were much the better side.[62] They played well at Bolton Wanderers, scoring first through Harrison, but lost the game 2–1 after the home side scored twice within nine first-half minutes.[63]

Donnelly scored his first career goal to secure a 1–0 home victory over Milton Keynes Dons.[64] Vale then picked up a point on the road with a 1–1 draw at Fleetwood Town with Taylor opening his account for the club, before Jack Marriott equalised on 84 minutes.[65] On 18 March, Harrison opened the scoring at home to Burton in the opening two minutes, but a collapse in team performance saw the struggling away side come back to win 3–2.[66] They held a two goals lead at Portsmouth on 25 March, with Stone saving a penalty, though another penalty was given away in the second half as Vale ultimately surrendered their lead and finished with a 2–2 draw.[67]

April began with a poor defeat at home to Cambridge United after Sam Smith and Lloyd Jones scored for the visitors just after half-time.[68] Speaking after the match, Clarke said "I am angry, frustrated and disappointed" and reminded his players that many were playing for their futures at the club for the remainder of the campaign.[69] This was followed by a 3–0 defeat at another relegation-threatened club in Accrington Stanley on Good Friday, where Stevens dropped the ball into his own net and Ojo was sent off in stoppage-time for violent conduct – the first red card of Vale's season.[70] A 0–0 home draw with relegation-threatened Oxford United ended the losing streak, though Politic was sent off in the closing stages for violent conduct.[71] Two further red cards came Vale's way in a 3–2 defeat at Lincoln City, Conlon being the first one following a chaotic seven minute period around the half an hour mark where Vale came from a goal down to lead 2–1 against ten-men after Lincoln goalkeeper Carl Rushworth was sent off in the process of giving away a penalty, however Lincoln won the match on 87 minutes after substitute Sammy Robinson was sent off for the visitors for a second bookable offence;[72] Conlon's red card was rescinded on appeal.[73] Clarke was sacked on 17 April and assistant manager Andy Crosby was installed as interim manager until the end of the season.[1] Crosby's first game in charge was a spirited 2–1 defeat at promotion-chasing Ipswich Town, with Nathan Broadhead's second half brace cancelling out Benning's opener.[74] A 2–0 home win over Bristol Rovers all but secured safety from relegation, with Ellis Harrison and Tom Pett scoring midway through the first half – Harrison's overhead kick was later voted as the club's goal of the season.[75][76] Safety was confirmed despite a 3–2 defeat at Charlton Athletic as other results went in Vale's favour; Plant scored his first goal in the EFL, whilst Taylor grabbed a consolation goal deep into injury time.[77]

Speaking in May, Funso Ojo admitted that many of the squad lost focus after losing Connor Hall in the January transfer window and sensing there was nothing to play for, leading to momentum turning against the club and a run of poor results.[78] Plymouth Argyle secured the League One title with a 3–1 win at Vale Park on the final day of the season.[79] Nathan Smith was named as the club's Player of the Year.[80] The club released six players at the end of the season: Agyakwa, Lucas Covolan, Holden, Pett, Proctor and Robinson.[81] Crosby was given the management job on a permanent basis.[82] Wilson was the first of the out of contract players that were offered a contract to confirm his departure from the club.[83] Worrall confirmed that he would be leaving to join Barrow on a two-year deal.[84]

Port Vale received around £500,000 more from central payments from the Premier League and English Football League (EFL) as a League One club than they received in League Two.[85] However £1.2 million was spent on improving Vale Park and making it a Championship standard ground.[86] In January, the club stated that crowds of 10,000 would be needed to support the management in building a promotion winning team as the ownership decided to show "restraint" in the transfer window.[87][88] Chief executive and club secretary, Colin Garlick, left the club in April 2023 after six-and-a-half years at the club.[89] Club chair Carol Shanahan announced a shake-up of the club's management behind the scenes, stating that "anything that touches the ball is Dave Flitcroft. So, the first team, the academy and also the pitch, the groundstaff will work for Dave".[90] Plans were also announced for a new scoreboard and vital improvements to the Vale Park pitch drainage system.[91][92] Speaking after the club accounts were published in April, football finance commentator Kieran Maguire said that the club was losing roughly £1million a year and owed the Shanahan family more than £5.5million, and that such a situation was fairly standard in modern football.[93]

Port Vale had a home tie with Exeter City (League One) in the first round of the FA Cup and Clarke was disappointed to lose the game 3–2, saying that "the second half was nowhere near the standards we set".[94]

Vale were drawn at home to Rotherham United (Championship) in the first round of the EFL Cup and suffered a 2–1 defeat having trailed by two goals at half-time.[95]

In the EFL Trophy they were drawn into a group with Shrewsbury Town (League One), Stockport County (League Two), and Wolverhampton Wanderers U21.[96] They beat Stockport 1–0 in front of 1,980 spectators at Vale Park in a game that saw a senior debut for James Plant, a first club appearance for Mipo Odubeko and first club goal for Chris Hussey.[97] Having beaten Shrewsbury Town at home in the league three days earlier, Vale picked up a 4–0 victory at the New Meadow, with Dennis Politic claiming a hat-trick and Jack Shorrock becoming the youngest player in the club's history at 15 years and 145 days old.[98] First place in the group was confirmed with a 2–0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers U21, where Derek Agyakwa and Rhys Walters made their first team debuts.[99] They advanced into the Round of 16 with a 2–1 home win over Barnsley (League One) thanks to first-half goals from Dennis Politic and David Worrall.[100] However, a disappointing 1–0 defeat at Salford City (League Two) concluded Vale's cup campaigns.[101]

  Win   Draw   Loss

Port Vale v Fleetwood Town

30 July 2022 1	Port Vale	2–1	Fleetwood Town	Burslem
15:00 BST	Smith 30' Hall 32'	Report	Batty 6'	Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 8,109 Referee: Peter Wright

Exeter City v Port Vale

6 August 2022 2	Exeter City	4–0	Port Vale	Exeter
15:00 BST	Kite 24' Brown 38' (pen.), 72' Nombe 75'	Report		Stadium: St James Park Attendance: 6,701 Referee: Charles Breakspear

Milton Keynes Dons v Port Vale

16 August 2022 4	Milton Keynes Dons	2–1	Port Vale	Milton Keynes
19:45 BST	Johnson 34', 85'	Report	Harrison 90+3'	Stadium: Stadium:mk Attendance: 7,041 Referee: Tom Nield

Burton Albion v Port Vale

20 August 2022 5	Burton Albion	0–2	Port Vale	Burton upon Trent
15:00 BST		Report	Garrity 49' Harrison 90+1'	Stadium: Pirelli Stadium Attendance: 3,744 Referee: Andy Haines

Port Vale v Portsmouth

27 August 2022 6	Port Vale	0–1	Portsmouth	Burslem
15:00 BST		Report	Scarlett 25'	Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 8,878 Referee: Craig Hicks

Port Vale v Cheltenham Town

3 September 2022 7	Port Vale	2–2	Cheltenham Town	Burslem
15:00 BST	Odubeko 37' Forrester 40'	Report	Nlundulu 24' Brown 90+2'	Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,949 Referee: Rebecca Welch

Barnsley v Port Vale

13 September 2022 8	Barnsley	1–1	Port Vale	Barnsley
19:45 BST	Kitching 43'	Report	Harrison 83'	Stadium: Oakwell Attendance: 9,552 Referee: Thomas Parsons

Port Vale v Shrewsbury Town

17 September 2022 9	Port Vale	2–1	Shrewsbury Town	Burslem
15:00 BST	Harrison 9', 90+1'	Report	Saydee 19'	Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,403 Referee: Ben Speedie

Peterborough United v Port Vale

24 September 2022 10	Peterborough United	3–0	Port Vale	Peterborough
15:00 BST	Clarke-Harris 26', 36' Ward 73'	Report		Stadium: London Road Stadium Attendance: 7,235 Referee: Anthony Backhouse

Port Vale v Sheffield Wednesday

1 October 2022 11	Port Vale	0–1	Sheffield Wednesday	Burslem
15:00 BST		Report	Vaulks 63'	Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 11,336 Referee: Christopher Pollard

Derby County v Port Vale

8 October 2022 12	Derby County	1–2	Port Vale	Derby
15:00 BST	Collins 5'	Report	Harrison 55' (pen.) Wilson 66'	Stadium: Pride Park Stadium Attendance: 28,706 Referee: Sam Allison

Port Vale v Forest Green Rovers

15 October 2022 13	Port Vale	2–2	Forest Green Rovers	Burslem
15:00 BST	Odubeko 78' Harrison 88' (pen.)	Report	Peart-Harris 14' Cargill 37'	Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,092 Referee: Martin Woods

Cambridge United v Port Vale

22 October 2022 14	Cambridge United	0–1	Port Vale	Cambridge
15:00 BST		Report	Digby 79' (o.g.)	Stadium: Abbey Stadium Attendance: 6,218 Referee: Thomas Kirk

Port Vale v Ipswich Town

25 October 2022 15	Port Vale	2–3	Ipswich Town	Burslem
19:45 BST	Massey 45+6' Smith 47'	Report	Ladapo 34', 51' Humphreys 38'	Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,928 Referee: Andrew Kitchen

Port Vale v Lincoln City

29 October 2022 16	Port Vale	1–0	Lincoln City	Burslem
15:00 BST	Butterworth 68'	Report		Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,294 Referee: Sunny Sukhvir Gill

Wycombe Wanderers v Port Vale

1 November 2022 17	Wycombe Wanderers	2–2	Port Vale	High Wycombe
15:00 BST	Mehmeti 4' Wing 61'	Report	Wilson 45+7' Conlon 77'	Stadium: Adams Park Attendance: 4,192 Referee: Robert Lewis
Note: Fixture was rescheduled from 10 September 2022.

Oxford United v Port Vale

12 November 2022 18	Oxford United	4–0	Port Vale	Oxford
15:00 GMT	Bodin 10', 62' Taylor 27', 66'	Report		Stadium: Kassam Stadium Attendance: 8,198 Referee: David Rock

Port Vale v Charlton Athletic

19 November 2022 19	Port Vale	1–0	Charlton Athletic	Burslem
15:00 GMT	Butterworth 57'	Report		Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,604 Referee: Samuel Barrott

Plymouth Argyle v Port Vale

2 December 2022 20	Plymouth Argyle	0–2	Port Vale	Plymouth
19:45 GMT		Report	Wilson 65', 71'	Stadium: Home Park Attendance: 15,633 Referee: John Busby

Bristol Rovers v Port Vale

10 December 2022 21	Bristol Rovers	1–0	Port Vale	Bristol
15:00 GMT	Collins 87'	Report		Stadium: Memorial Stadium Attendance: 8,264 Referee: Carl Brook

Port Vale v Morecambe

26 December 2022 22	Port Vale	1–0	Morecambe	Burslem
15:00 GMT	Massey 40'	Report		Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,867 Referee: Simon Mather

Sheffield Wednesday v Port Vale

29 December 2022 23	Sheffield Wednesday	2–0	Port Vale	Sheffield
19:45 GMT	Smith 30', 70' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Hillsborough Stadium Attendance: 26,021 Referee: Darren Drysdale

Forest Green Rovers v Port Vale

1 January 2023 24	Forest Green Rovers	1–3	Port Vale	Nailsworth
15:00 GMT	McAllister 2'	Report	Odubeko 86' Harrison 90+8' (pen.) Politic 90+12'	Stadium: The New Lawn Attendance: 3,041 Referee: Lee Swabey

Port Vale v Peterborough United

16 January 2023 25	Port Vale	0–2	Peterborough United	Burslem
20:00 GMT		Report	Mason-Clark 56', 64'	Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 5,109 Referee: Peter Wright

Port Vale v Derby County

24 January 2023 26	Port Vale	1–2	Derby County	Burslem
19:45 GMT	Ojo 56'	Report	McGoldrick 87' Mendez-Laing 89'	Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 10,307 Referee: Ben Toner

Port Vale v Wycombe Wanderers

4 February 2023 28	Port Vale	0–3	Wycombe Wanderers	Burslem
15:00 GMT		Report	Hanlan 13' Jacobson 79' (pen.) McCleary 82'	Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,237 Referee: Marc Edwards

Port Vale v Accrington Stanley

7 February 2023 29	Port Vale	1–1	Accrington Stanley	Burslem
19:45 GMT	Worrall 57'	Report	Pressley 52' (pen.)	Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 4,729 Referee: Ben Speedie

Shrewsbury Town v Port Vale

11 February 2023 30	Shrewsbury Town	3–2	Port Vale	Shrewsbury
15:00 GMT	Dunkley 27' Leahy 33' Phillips 43'	Report	Politic 13' Proctor 52'	Stadium: New Meadow Attendance: 8,502 Referee: Thomas Parsons

Port Vale v Barnsley

14 February 2023 31	Port Vale	1–3	Barnsley	Burslem
19:45 GMT	Smith 14'	Report	Connell 1' Kitching 21' Phillips 61'	Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 5,663 Referee: Samuel Barrott

Port Vale v Exeter City

18 February 2023 32	Port Vale	1–0	Exeter City	Burslem
15:00 GMT	Forrester 60'	Report		Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,209 Referee: Andrew Kitchen

Morecambe v Port Vale

21 February 2023 (2023-02-21) 33	Morecambe	1–0	Port Vale	Morecambe
19:45 GMT	Mayor 51'	Report		Stadium: Globe Arena Attendance: 4,360 Referee: Ross Joyce

Bolton Wanderers v Port Vale

25 February 2023 34	Bolton Wanderers	2–1	Port Vale	Horwich
15:00 GMT	Adeboyejo 18' Sheehan 27'	Report	Harrison 8'	Stadium: University of Bolton Stadium Attendance: 19,857 Referee: Will Finnie

Port Vale v Milton Keynes Dons

4 March 2023 35	Port Vale	1–0	Milton Keynes Dons	Burslem
15:00 GMT	Donnelly 22'	Report		Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,696 Referee: Darren Handley

Fleetwood Town v Port Vale

11 March 2023 36	Fleetwood Town	1–1	Port Vale	Fleetwood
15:00 GMT	Marriott 83'	Report	Taylor 57'	Stadium: Highbury Stadium Attendance: 4,187 Referee: Paul Howard

Port Vale v Burton Albion

18 March 2023 37	Port Vale	2–3	Burton Albion	Burslem
15:00 GMT	Harrison 2' Proctor 80'	Report	Taylor 8', 67' Smith 48' (pen.)	Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,897 Referee: Sam Allison

Portsmouth v Port Vale

25 March 2023 38	Portsmouth	2–2	Port Vale	Portsmouth
15:00 GMT	Bishop 67' (pen.) Jacobs 70'	Report	Taylor 8' Ojo 39'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 18,046 Referee: Neil Hair

Port Vale v Cambridge United

1 April 2023 39	Port Vale	0–2	Cambridge United	Burslem
15:00 BST		Report	Smith 48' Jones 52'	Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 6,730 Referee: Tom Reeves

Accrington Stanley v Port Vale

7 April 2023 40	Accrington Stanley	3–0	Port Vale	Accrington
15:00 BST	Stevens 31' (og.) Rodgers 40' Pressley 68' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Crown Ground Attendance: 3,444 Referee: Andy Woolmer

Lincoln City v Port Vale

15 April 2023 42	Lincoln City	3–2	Port Vale	Lincoln
15:00 BST	Sørensen 11' House 42' Jackson 87'	Report	Taylor 30' (pen.) Butterworth 33'	Stadium: Sincil Bank Attendance: 8,290 Referee: David Rock

Ipswich Town v Port Vale

18 April 2023 43	Ipswich Town	2–1	Port Vale	Ipswich
19:45 BST	Broadhead 53', 84' (pen.)	Report	Benning 45+2'	Stadium: Portman Road Attendance: 27,696 Referee: Robert Lewis

Port Vale v Bristol Rovers

22 April 2023 44	Port Vale	2–0	Bristol Rovers	Burslem
15:00 BST	Harrison 22' Pett 29'	Report		Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 7,669 Referee: Sunny Sukhvir Gill

Charlton Athletic v Port Vale

29 April 2023 45	Charlton Athletic	3–2	Port Vale	Charlton, London
15:00 BST	Campbell 14' Rak-Sakyi 58' Leaburn 77'	Report	Plant 62' Taylor 90+7'	Stadium: The Valley Attendance: 15,314 Referee: Carl Brook

Port Vale v Plymouth Argyle

6 May 2023 46	Port Vale	1–3	Plymouth Argyle	Burslem
15:00 BST	Plant 3'	Report	Randell 34' Edwards 38' Azaz 61'	Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 11,998 Referee: Simon Mather