FOOTBALL: Glamour friendly for Vale (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

FOOTBALL: Glamour friendly for Vale

9:00am Saturday 16th June 2012 in Football By Dan Barnes

PEWSEY Vale have secured a plum pre-season friendly against npower League One side Crewe Alexandra next month.

Wessex League Vale will take on the Railwaymen’s first-team at Ball Road on Thursday, July 26 (7.45pm) after Crewe boss Steve Davis and assistant Neil Baker visited the club to finalise details of the match on Tuesday.

Crewe, who secured promotion by winning the League Two play-off final at Wembley in May, struck up a relationship with Pewsey after 19-year-old defender Jon Guthrie completed a switch to the Cheshire club in February.

Vale boss Lewis Taylor said: “It’s really exciting and the players have already been talking about it a lot on Facebook and Twitter.

“Crewe have got a training camp at the army base in Tidworth and the friendly comes as part of their gratitude for letting them sign Jon Guthrie. They’ll be playing all of their first team and hopefully Jon will be fit and can feature for Crewe.

“Players from our level usually don’t ever get the chance to play against guys from League One and we’re anticipating a lot of interest and spectators on the day.’’

Pewsey are also set for home friendlies against Wootton Bassett (July 14), Clanfield (July 21), and Bradford Town (July 28), as well as a trip to Downton (July 24), this summer.