Port Vale vs Tamworth

Port Vale took just ten minutes to open the scoring. George Byers split the Tamworth defence with a defence-splitting pass, Onel Hernández collected and teed up Mo Faal to convert from six yards out.

Hernández doubled the lead in the 24th minute after another Byers pass found the winger's run. The Cuban cut inside onto his left foot and curled into the goalkeeper's top-right corner.

With 34 minutes played, Hernández turned provider, beating his man down the right and setting up Jordan Gabriel, who found the net from just inside the area.

Faal grabbed his second with what proved the last kick of the first half. The Tamworth goalkeeper saved a low Hernández effort, but the 6ft 5in striker reacted quickest, feigned a shot to beat his marker and fired into the bottom corner from close range.

The fifth and final goal came in the second half. Trialist C latched onto a ball over the top of the Tamworth defence, saw his effort blocked, and Charlie Bussell — an academy graduate — swept the rebound across the goalkeeper and into the bottom-left corner.

The game was effectively settled inside the opening 34 minutes. By the time Gabriel made it 3-0, Port Vale had already demonstrated the chemistry between their new arrivals. Hernández (re-signed on 8 July) and Faal (returning on a season-long loan from Wrexham) combined for two of the first three goals. Tamworth had no answer to the movement and quality of the Vale frontline.

Mo Faal — The 23-year-old striker, back at Vale Park on a season-long loan from Wrexham, scored twice in the first half. His first was a poacher's finish from six yards; his second showcased sharp reactions and composure to convert a rebound on the stroke of half-time.

Onel Hernández — The Cuban winger, who re-signed for the 2026/27 season on 8 July, was directly involved in three of the first-half goals. He scored one, assisted another for Gabriel, and his effort led to Faal's second.

George Byers — Pulled the strings from midfield with two defence-splitting passes that created the opening two goals.

Charlie Bussell — The academy graduate capped a productive evening by scoring the fifth goal after coming on in the second half.

Port Vale used entirely different XIs in each half — a standard pre-season approach to maximise fitness minutes across the squad. The first-half XI, featuring six players who started regularly last season plus new signings Hernández and Faal, scored all four of their goals before the break. The second-half XI, a mix of youth prospects and trialists, added one more through Bussell. The 5-0 scoreline reflects the gulf in match sharpness between a League Two side in full professional preparation and a National League opponent still early in their own pre-season schedule.

This was Port Vale's first pre-season fixture of the 2026/27 campaign, played behind closed doors as Brady's side builds towards the new League Two season. Tamworth, who finished 16th in the National League last term, used the fixture for early fitness work. Port Vale's next pre-season fixtures will be key tests as Brady integrates his new arrivals — including the recently signed Oliver Lynch — into the squad ahead of the competitive season opener.

A routine, professional start for Port Vale. The combination play between Hernández and Faal in the first half was the clear positive — both new arrivals looked sharp and dangerous. The margin of victory was appropriate for the gap between the sides, and Brady will have been pleased with the fitness levels and the clean sheet. The real tests lie ahead against stronger opposition in the remaining pre-season schedule.