Quarter-final now within reach for Port Vale after lineup changes vs Sunderland

A place in the FA Cup quarter-finals is now squarely at stake for port vale supporters, with a reshaped XI and a near-capacity feel expected at Vale Park. As of Sunday at 1: 42 p. m. ET, confirmed selections and a shock early lead against Sunderland have raised the ceiling on what comes next.

Confirmed Port Vale changes: Brown, Ojo and John start; Gray on bench

The immediate change fans will notice is on the team sheet: Dajaune Brown, Funso Ojo and Kyle John come into the XI, replacing Tyler Magloire, Jordan Shipley and Martin Sherif after Tuesday’s 1-0 win that stretched to 120 minutes. Ben Waine leads the line again, while veteran Andre Gray is named among the substitutes.

Port Vale start with Gauci; C. Hall, Gabriel, Brown, Archer; Walters, Ojo, Gordon; Waine, John, and Humphreys. The bench features Amos, Headley, Shipley, Campbell, Ward, G. Hall, Magloire, Gray and Hernandez. Three changes in one hit underline Jon Brady’s readiness to balance recovery from midweek exertions with the urgency of a knockout tie.

Vale Park turnout nears 12, 000 as Sunderland’s Le Bris tweaks his XI

Ticket momentum has been swift: more than 10, 000 seats were sold in recent days, with the attendance expected to brush the 12, 000 mark. That added noise has mattered already—Port Vale took a shock lead against Sunderland—amplifying the sense that one result can flip the club’s season narrative in real time.

Regis Le Bris has made two changes to the visitors who beat Leeds 1-0 on Tuesday, introducing Chris Rigg and Chemsdine Talbi for Trai Hume and Noah Sadiki. Sunderland’s starting side lists Ellborg in goal; O’Nien, Ballard, Alderete and Geertruida across the back; Rigg and Le Fee in midfield; Diarra, Talbi and Angulo supporting Mayenda. The bench includes Moore, J. Jones, Xhaka, Whittaker, Aleksic, H. Jones, Isidor, Geragusian and Abdullahi.

Port Vale’s Brady leans on Andre Gray’s big-game history to raise belief

The broader stakes are clear: this is the first time in 30 years the club has reached the fifth round, and the reward is a last-eight spot. Head coach Jon Brady has been explicit about the target—delivering a performance that lives in memory—and has the personnel to chase it after a grueling midweek. “You want to create special memories that will live long, ” he said in an official statement this week.

That conviction is backed by pedigree. Andre Gray, signed a month ago, helped Watford reach the 2019 FA Cup final and supplied the pass that sprung Waine for Tuesday’s extra-time winner over Bristol City. Big-stage experience is rare in League One squads; the 34-year-old’s presence, even as an impact substitute, gives Brady a different late-game lever than he had earlier this season.

The club’s own history is a motivator. Memories of beating Everton 2-1 in a 1996 fourth-round replay under John Rudge still line the walls at Vale Park. Now, for the first time since then, port vale have arrived at the fifth round again—this time with a chance to push into the last eight if they can hold firm against top-tier opposition.

There has been a human scramble behind the scenes too. Brady had earmarked this Sunday for the Cambridge half marathon while training for London, a plan he has since shelved after the Bristol City win extended the club’s Cup schedule. That pivot captures the week’s energy shift: the Cup run has nudged relegation worries aside, at least for a day, in favor of a one-match gateway to the quarter-finals.

Still, the work is on the pitch. Sunderland’s refreshed lineup, including prospects like Rigg and finishers on the bench, presents a different set of problems than Bristol City did after 120 minutes. For Vale, the three starting changes, Waine’s form, and Gray’s late-game option give Brady multiple routes to manage game states—from protecting a lead to chasing a decisive goal.

Full-time at Vale Park will settle the question. If the early advantage and home surge hold, a quarter-final place follows on Sunday; otherwise, attention turns back to the League One fight with the Cup memories intact and the margin for error unchanged.