Joe Gauci praised as outstanding MOTM display is produced away from Aston Villa
Joe Gauci was excellent in Port Vale’s 0-0 draw at home to Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday.
After months of speculation that Gauci would leave Aston Villa on loan, the goalkeeper made this a reality in the summer when he joined the Staffordshire club.
Here, the Australian international has quickly established himself as the number one in their fight against the drop in League One.
Now, his best performance arguably came on the weekend as they managed to secure a point against the odds, earning praise for the display from his manager, Darren Moore.
Joe Gauci the hero in Port Vale vs Wycombe
While Gauci may have struggled with Villa in pre-season, this has not necessarily been the case with Port Vale, with the keeper putting in numerous solid displays.
On Saturday, against Wycombe, he was excellent, with Fotmob on 16 November giving the Australian the man-of-the-match with an 8.7 rating.
Here, Gauci made three saves and managed to keep out a 1.62 xG as the visitors pushed for a winner.
| Joe Gauci stats vs Wycombe | |
| Saves | 3 |
| Goals prevented | 1.62 |
| High claim | 1 |
| Punches | 2 |
| Recoveries | 12 |
| Goals conceded | 0 |
The point now means that Port Vale are just three points from safety in what has been a difficult season to date.
Speaking after the match, Moore discussed Gauci with One Vale Fan on 16 November.
He said: “Credit to the players for the resilience and determination they showed. I just thought we went about our business in a manner that we probably haven’t seen for a couple of weeks. I thought every single one of them stuck to the game plan.
“We knew Wycombe put the ball into the box a lot, they have one of the highest percentage crossing rates in the division. So we brought the big man Ben Heneghan back in there and I thought he was a Colossus; he headed and blocked everything.
“Joe Gauci came and took a lot of catches, but the big thing for me was we stood resilient.
“We picked a really attacking team. The best form of defence is probably attack, and we wanted to do that at home. We wanted to take the game to them and not let them build or impose their physicality.”
Does Gauci have a future at Aston Villa?
Upon completing his loan move at Port Vale, Gauci will still have two years left on his contract at Villa.
Given Gauci’s past poor performances for Villa, it is hard to see a future for him in the first team, especially with Emi Martinez holding down the number one spot.
However, if he continues to perform for Port Vale, there is no reason why he can’t get a Championship loan next season.
From there, he would only be one step away from potentially returning to the first-team fold at Villa Park.
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