PORT Vale boss Darren Moore has warned his side that any mistakes will be ruthlessly punished by an ‘expectant’ Newport County AFC this afternoon.

The Valiants head to Rodney Parade buoyed by a penalty shootout win against Wolves Under-21s in the EFL Trophy.

That boosted morale after a solid start to the season that featured a win at Salford and draw against Tranmere was derailed by a heavy 4-0 loss at Barrow and 3-2 home defeat to a Doncaster side tipped as one of the main promotion candidates.

Vale are also expected to be in the mix at the top as they bid to bounce back from last season’s relegation from League One.

However, Moore knows they will need to be at the top of their game when facing an Exiles team who are fresh from wins against Donny, Accrington and Morecambe.

“Newport are in great form,” said the former central defender. “They’ve started the season as well as anyone in the league.

“They’re in their own backyard so we’ll be facing a team on Saturday that’s expectant, we’ll be facing a team that’s full of confidence and a great belief.

“What we have to do is make sure that our game is 10/10, at the moment we’re getting caught and punished for every slight mishap or lapse in concentration.

“We have to focus and make sure that our game is flawless because when we do that, we feel like we have a group of a players and squad that’s as strong as anybody in this division.”

County have lost just one of their last nine Football League games against Vale and did the double over them in 2021/22 thanks to terrific winners by loanee Finn Azaz in both Newport and Staffordshire.

Three clubs - early leaders Gillingham, Notts County and Tranmere - go into this weekend with unbeaten records while Morecambe, Swindon and Accrington hunt first wins.

League Two fixtures: Barrow v Swindon, Bradford v Carlisle, Cheltenham v Harrogate, Chesterfield v Grimsby, Colchester v Bromley, Crewe v Morecambe, Doncaster v Gillingham, Fleetwood v Salford, MK Dons v Walsall, Newport County v Port Vale, Notts County v Accrington, Tranmere v Wimbledon.