The need for a win is paramount as we've slipped out of the play-offs and down to 10th, given the run in the FA Cup.
Now we can concentrate on the League and start to make up some lost ground on the teams above us.
The team news being reported is that we ought to largely unchanged. The only known injuries are to Neil Young, who is recovering from his hernia operation, Dani Rodrigues (knee) and Jason Tindall, who seems to have been out of the picture for ages!
For Port Vale, they appear to be without four players as they attempt to halt their slide towards a relegation scrap. The missing players are Michael Cummins (knee), Simon Eldenshaw (ankle), Lee Matthews (calf) and Levi Ried (also calf). A fifth possible absentee could be Ian Armstrong following a double hernia operation!
Our record at Vale Park shows that of the 30 previous League visits, Vale have come out on top on 13 occassions, Bournemouth 7, with the remainder as draws. Click 'Head-To-Head' on the left hand navigator for the full record.