the five towns
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Barnsley 0-2 Port Vale: Exorcising Ghosts
Saturday 27 September 2025, 3pm. Oakwell Stadium, Barnsley. We rolled into Oakwell like pilgrims chasing absolution, minds heavy with the weight of August 5th, 2023 — opening day, opening wound. The sun was high but the memory low, seven goals… Continue reading
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Port Vale vs Arsenal: Breakfast And A Morning Stroll
Wednesday 24 September 2025, 08:30. The morning began, as mornings ought, with a ceremony of nourishment both modest and magnificent. An omelette, golden and obedient, enfolded within its curving embrace a portion of smoked haddock – firm, fragrant ,and faintly… Continue reading
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Port Vale 0-1 Doncaster Rovers: Our Grim Smile
Saturday 23 August 2025, Vale Park, Burslem. Ah, there it is. That look on the faces on those adventurers from Doncaster on reaching the mother town. It tells us everything we need to know. The dawning realisation that they do… Continue reading
tales from the paddock 