Port Vale: Chris Shuker ready to battle Bradford City
CHRIS Shuker says Port Vale can rise to the big occasion at Bradford City today.
The midfield ace is expecting a bumper crowd and a fantastic atmosphere against the high-fliers (3pm) and insists the Valiants can't wait to take centre stage.
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Chris Shuker says Port Vale can rise to the big occasion against Bradford City today.
The 30-year-old says the players always relish big games and can use the extra noise to help them bounce back from last week's defeat by leaders Gillingham.
"It will be a tough game and there should be a big crowd," he said.
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"We can be lifted by a large attendance, even if they are supporting the opposition.
"And I'm sure we will have a good following too.
"Our away support has been fantastic this season, so more of that would be good.
"It should be a great occasion."
Dead ball specialist Shuker has four assists to his name so far, and goes gunning for more against a Bradford team who extended their home record to five straight wins with a Capital One Cup win against Burton in midweek.
"I love taking our set-pieces and it's something I've always done," he said.
"I've been putting in some decent ones and maybe we should have scored a few more goals off them.
"Set-pieces are a massive part of the game, particularly in League Two.
"I read a crazy statistic somewhere that 40 per cent of goals in this division stem from set-pieces.
"They're obviously vital to every team, so hopefully I can keep delivering quality into the box and I'll get a few more assists."
Meanwhile, Darren Murphy faces another spell on the sidelines after being ruled out of today's game.
The Irish midfielder has been hit by a recurrence of the hamstring problems which have hampered his Vale Park career.
The 27-year-old pulled up after just 19 minutes of the reserves clash at Morecambe in midweek.
But the news isn't as bad as first feared and physio Andy Foster reckons Murphy could be back in action before long.
"The injury is in a different part of the hamstring than before and it looks to be settling," he said.
"It seems to be more related to his back than a hamstring pull, as he can still run.
"I think it's likely he will return fairly quickly."
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