FA Cup fourth round tie postponed 24 hours before clash – and immediately rescheduled for next month

Port Vale have announced that their FA Cup fourth round clash with Bristol City has been postponed.

The League One outfit revealed the news just 24 hours before kick-off following a pitch inspection at Vale Park.

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Weather conditions in the Stoke-on-Trent area have affected the FA Cup fixture scheduled for Saturday afternoon.

“We can confirm that following a pitch inspection by a match official, the playing surface at Vale Park has been deemed unplayable and our Saturday 3pm kick-off against Bristol City has been postponed,” they said.

The match has already been rescheduled for March 3, which is just four days before the fifth round will commence.

Port Vale fans have become accustomed to postponements over the past few weeks.

A waterlogged pitch at their home ground meant they couldn’t face Bradford City on December 9.

There were a number of postponements across English football on January 4 amid freezing temperatures, such as Port Vale vs Barnsley.

And standing water on the Vale Park pitch as a result of Storm Chandra postponed their match against AFC Wimbledon on January 27.

Longer wait for cup run

Port Vale will be looking to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time since 1996 when they take on Bristol City.

They have exited in the first round in two of the past three seasons.

Vale are currently bottom of League One on 22 points, with just five wins from 28 matches.

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Bristol City on the other hand are eighth in the Championship and one point outside the play-off spots.

They last reached the FA Cup fifth round in 2023, where they lost to eventual winners Manchester City.

More to follow…