No football for us this weekend. Why? Because Sky Sports, the great puppeteer of the modern game, wanted it played on a Monday night for the cameras. That’s why. And what Sky wants, Sky gets.

So here we are, Stockport County at home, next Monday – 27th October – 8pm sharp. Under the lights.

For those Vale faithful who travel into Burslem (there are plenty of them) and rely on National Rail, with its schedule of delays and cancellations, this poses a big question: attend, or not? The same goes for those with work commitments. Far too many games these days aren’t being played on Saturdays. And it’s starting to show. It’s a shame, really. This one had the makings of a proper Saturday showdown — 3pm, crisp autumn air, a good crowd, Vale Park a cathedral of singing and swearing and hoping. Stockport, just 40 miles up the road, a little trip down the M6 for them. They would’ve come in droves.

They’ve made a decent start to the season. Seven wins, two defeats, four wins in their last five. Sitting fifth, confident, sharp. Ollie Norwood pulling the strings. They’ll fancy turning us over. And why wouldn’t they?

And us? Well, we had a little run — five unbeaten — but it ended with a whimper at Wigan. After 13 games, we sit 19th. Six defeats. Just three wins. And by the time Monday rolls around, we might be even lower. Three of the five teams below us have a game in hand. Blackpool, at the bottom, are just four points behind us. Despite all this I think the majority of us Valiants are positive. Positive that come May 2026, we’ll be alright. Safe. But why? Why the leap of faith?

Some stats dropped this week showing that not much gets past Joe Gauci — and fair play, we haven’t been leaking goals. But the ones we have conceded? Absolute horror shows. The back line is a bomb scare. Connor Hall and Ben Heneghan often look like they’re chasing shadows or trying to remember the punchline to a joke they never quite got. It’s nerve-shredding stuff. The wing-backs haven’t escaped the chaos either — Headley, John, even Ronan Curtis on Saturday — all tangled up in the nonsense. Dumb mistakes are piling up. It’s more than just a blip.

Injuries haven’t helped. Our army of wing-backs obliterated. Cam Humphreys, our beacon of calm, currently out. Our resources stretched.

Up front? More stats this week tell us that we are creating plenty of big chances. So, what is the problem? It’s simple. We have too many strikers who are just not good enough. Devante Cole is the heartbeat, the hope. What if he picks up an injury? What if he’s out for five, six weeks? It’s a terrifying prospect. Without him, we’re a ship without a sail. Mo Faal? Dajaune Brown? They’re not the answer. January might need a reset. Ideally this would see Mo and Dajaune returning to their respective clubs, a couple of new loanee strikers to come in. Another roll of the dice.

Rauri? I’m not having it. This supposed ‘new and improved’ Rauri Paton? I don’t buy it — not for a second. That first half at Exeter? They practically gift-wrapped two chances for us. And Ronan Curtis? I keep wanting him on the pitch, clinging to the faint hope he’ll conjure up an 89th-minute equaliser — or winner (delete as appropriate). It’s crackers. We’re grasping at straws, and deep down, we know it.

Jayden Stockley is edging back to full fitness. He’s knocking on a bit now, sure — and not exactly the most mobile forward in League One — but there’s still a role for him. Off the bench, for the final twenty or twenty-five minutes, he can still be a real asset. Could he start games? Occasionally, perhaps. There’s even the hint of a partnership in the making with Devante Cole: Stockley doing the graft — the nods, the flicks, the dirty work — while Cole brings the panache, the incision, the finishing touch. It all comes down to how we want to use him. He’s not a ninety-minute man anymore. So do we start him, set the tone early, and sub him off? Or do we hold him back, unleash him when legs are tiring and minds are wandering?

And let’s not forget our international striker, Ben Waine — seemingly gift-wrapped for a League Two loan come January. If “surplus to requirements” needed a dictionary entry, Ben Waine would be it.

The midfield. That’s where the poetry lives. On paper, it’s our strongest suit. Options everywhere. But combinations? That’s the puzzle. Where does George Hall fit best? For me, it’s in the pocket, roaming behind a striker, ghosting into space. Should Garrity be starting? Is he doing enough at the moment? Funso Ojo — where’s he gone? He was electric early doors.  Rhys Walters. Stay or go in January? Beyond his trademark pirouette in tight spaces, what else does he contribute? Last season’s Player of the Season – Ryan Croasdale – is he spending too much time watching from the bench? Is he the right fit when he starts? Shipley? He’s yet to make any meaningful impact—too often, he’s just a shadow in the fog. There’s a hint of promise in his ability to ping a forty-yard pass, but it’s undermined by a lack of consistency and care. His dead-ball delivery has been erratic at best, dreadful at worst—though he’s far from the only culprit. As a team, we’ve consistently failed to generate any real threat from set-pieces, whether free-kicks or corners.

George Byers is the one absolute for me at the moment. Some people struggle to see his worth, but he keeps the whole thing together. Everything flows through George, he keeps the beat going – even on an off day. We’ve got all the pieces. Darren Moore just needs to find the right rhythm, the right tune for the right gig. Monday night we’ll need our battlers on the pitch, it’s a game that should be perfect for Garrity and Croasdale. Croasdale in particular should be relishing the prospect of facing the club that let him go, that decided he did not have enough in his locker for League 1 football. That has to have burned deep.

I want to see Marvin Johnson in that starting eleven. Give him a run of games and let’s see what he’s really about. Looked class when he came on at Wigan — composed, confident, and with real presence. Experienced. Probably knows exactly when to take a yellow, which is a quality we need at the back. Vale Park feels like the perfect stage for him.

Here we go then, my line-up for Monday coming: Aussie Joe in nets, Jesse, Heneghan, Connor Hall across the back. Kyle John and Hank as our width. Byers, Garrity and Croasdale as our holy trinity. Devante – our assassin, George Hall – the free-to-roam magician.

Monday will reveal something. It always does. The floodlights will buzz, the crowd will sing, and the game will unfold like a magnificent Jazz album; messy, brilliant, and full of wrong notes that somehow work. Our belief is our beauty.

So, let’s enjoy the gig. Let’s lean into the lights. Let’s see what Vale Park has to say under the stars.