Match report

Port Vale Defeats Fleetwood Town 1-0 in FA Cup Thriller

Port Vale
Port Vale
1–0
FT
Fleetwood Town
Fleetwood Town
Jan 9, 2026

Port Vale held off Fleetwood Town to clinch a hard-fought 1-0 win at the Valley Parade. The decisive strike came from J. Shipley as Port Vale's defense thwarted multiple attempts by the away side, securing their place in the FA Cup.

Key Facts

  • • Port Vale secured victory over Fleetwood Town with a 1-0 scoreline.
  • • J. Shipley scored the only goal of the match at the 45th minute, assisted by D. Cole.
  • • Fleetwood Town saw T. Mullarkey and H. Neal receive yellow cards in the first half.
  • • Port Vale's J. Shipley and Joe Gauci were also cautioned for fouls and time-wasting respectively.

Lineups

Port Vale

Formation: 4-4-2

Starting XI

  • 46 J. Gauci (G)
  • 2 M. Clark (D)
  • 4 B. Heneghan (D)
  • 25 C. Humphreys (D)
  • 28 M. Johnson (D)
  • 33 G. Hall (M)
  • 7 G. Byers (M)
  • 26 J. Shipley (M)
  • 19 B. Waine (M)
  • 44 D. Cole (F)
  • 9 J. Stockley (F)

Substitutes

  • 13 B. Amos
  • 3 J. Headley
  • 10 D. Brown
  • 12 R. Walters
  • 17 R. Paton
  • 18 R. Croasdale
  • 24 Kyle John
  • 30 B. Lomax
  • 36 M. Faal

Fleetwood Town

Formation: 3-1-4-2

Starting XI

  • 1 D. Harrington (G)
  • 44 T. Mullarkey (D)
  • 35 C. Haughey (D)
  • 3 Z. Medley (D)
  • 20 H. Neal (M)
  • 10 M. Helm (M)
  • 15 J. Davies (M)
  • 6 E. Bonds (M)
  • 16 E. Ennis (M)
  • 14 L. McCann (F)
  • 9 W. Davies

Substitutes

  • 13 J. Lynch
  • 34 L. Roberts
  • 8 M. Virtue-Thick
  • 17 C. Evans
  • 23 G. Morrison
  • 26 S. Rooney
  • 29 O. Devonport
  • 32 K. Hughes
  • 38 C. McLean

Timeline

  1. Fleetwood Town
    25' Fleetwood Town Card · Yellow Card
    T. Mullarkey

    Foul

  2. Fleetwood Town
    42' Fleetwood Town subst · Substitution 1
    Off: L. McCann · On: Ched Evans
  3. Port Vale
    45' Port Vale Goal · Normal Goal
    J. Shipley · Assist: D. Cole
  4. Fleetwood Town
    52' Fleetwood Town Card · Yellow Card
    H. Neal

    Foul

  5. Fleetwood Town
    59' Fleetwood Town subst · Substitution 2
    Off: T. Mullarkey · On: Shaun Rooney
  6. Fleetwood Town
    59' Fleetwood Town subst · Substitution 3
    Off: H. Neal · On: Kayden Hughes
  7. Port Vale
    62' Port Vale subst · Substitution 1
    Off: J. Stockley · On: R. Croasdale
  8. Port Vale
    62' Port Vale subst · Substitution 2
    Off: G. Hall · On: M. Faal
  9. Port Vale
    69' Port Vale Card · Yellow Card
    J. Shipley

    Foul

  10. Fleetwood Town
    71' Fleetwood Town subst · Substitution 4
    Off: J. Davies · On: M. Virtue-Thick
  11. Fleetwood Town
    72' Fleetwood Town subst · Substitution 5
    Off: W. Davies · On: O. Devonport
  12. Port Vale
    75' Port Vale subst · Substitution 3
    Off: M. Johnson · On: Jaheim Headley
  13. Port Vale
    78' Port Vale subst · Substitution 4
    Off: B. Waine · On: D. Brown
  14. Port Vale
    85' Port Vale Card · Yellow Card
    Joe Gauci

    Time wasting

Match Stats

Stat Port Vale Fleetwood Town
Fouls 8 13
Pass Accuracy 67% 67%
Offsides 5 1
Red Cards — —
Total Shots 13 15
Corners 8 8
Total Passes 293 353
Yellow Cards 2 2
Blocked Shots 4 6
Shots on Target 4 1
xG 1.00 1.02
Shots off Target 5 8
Possession 45% 55%
Goals Prevented — —
Accurate Passes 195 235
Shots Inside Box 9 10
Saves 1 3
Shots Outside Box 4 5

Key Match Notes

  • ▸ The match shifted decisively when J. Shipley scored at 45 minutes, giving Port Vale a crucial lead.
  • ▸ Multiple substitutions by both teams failed to change the game's momentum, with Fleetwood Town struggling to break through Port Vale’s solid defense.