Barnsley FC will fear Darren Moore star at Port Vale - They know what he’s about as Oakwell return looms | OneFootball

Barnsley are well acquainted with new Port Vale striker Devante Cole, who spent three years at Oakwell.

Barnsley FC have enjoyed a decent start to the new EFL League One campaign under boss Conor Hourihane, but will be well aware of the threat that their next opponents, Port Vale, possess, having been well acquainted with their new star striker.

With Hourihane undertaking his first full season in charge as a manager in any capacity, there is an optimistic feeling surrounding Oakwell at the moment.

Having succumbed to an uninspiring 12th place finish last season, there is much more hope from Tykes fans this season that they can finally find their way back to the Championship.

With the likes of Davis Keillor-Dunn and David McGoldrick in attack, Luca Connell and Adam Phillips in midfield and with Josh Earl and Jack Shepherd at the back shielding Murphy Cooper in goal, the Barnsley squad is in a healthy place at the moment.

Currently sitting sixth in the League One table on 16 points, level with Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town and Doncaster Rovers, the Tykes could certainly have had a much worse start to the new season.

Having lost last time out in the league courtesy of a 98th minute winner away to Blackpool, and with a 6-0 trouncing at the hands of Brighton in the League Cup, Barnsley will be hoping to bounce back instantly when they host Port Vale this weekend, and will recognise a familiar face in the away side in Devante Cole.

Barnsley will be well aware of the threat of Port Vale striker Devante Cole

Barnsley signed striker Cole on a free transfer in the summer of 2021 from Scottish side Motherwell, after the former Manchester City academy player impressed during his time north of the border.

Cole had previously spent six months on loan with Barnsley in the 2014/15 season whilst he was still on the books at Manchester City, scoring five times and assisting twice in 19 appearances in League One, before spending the next six months with MK Dons.

His first season back in South Yorkshire didn't exactly go to plan, scoring once and assisting another as the Tykes were relegated to League One in 21/22, but it would be in the third tier where Cole would come to life.

Across his next two seasons in the red of Barnsley, Cole would score 33 goals and assist a further five times, as he finished as the club's top scorer in both the 22/23 (15 goals) and 23/24 (18 goals) campaigns respectively.

This strong return for the Tykes earned him the biggest move of his career to date, joining Championship heavyweights West Brom on a free transfer last summer.

However, his time at the Hawthorns didn't exactly go to plan, not scoring a single goal in his solitary year with the club despite making 16 total appearances for the Baggies, with 14 of those coming in the second tier.

Now with Port Vale, the Staffordshire outfit travel to South Yorkshire this weekend, and Cole will be eager to remind Barnsley fans exactly what he is capable of.

Devante Cole has had an excellent start to life with Port Vale under Darren Moore

Since his switch back to League One, Cole has seemingly found his goal-scoring touch once again.

The son of former Manchester United striker Andy Cole, the former Barnsley man has scored in each of his first three league outings for the Valiants, contributing to wins over both Mansfield Town and Exeter City.

Having assisted the opening goal and scoring the equaliser to make it 2-2 at home to Leyton Orient, Vale fell to a late 3-2 defeat, and currently sit just outside the relegation places in League One after nine games.

It's still relatively early days in the season, and manager Moore will know better than to panic just yet, as there have been plenty of positive signs from his Vale side despite their position in the table.

Indeed, they've been able to keep three clean sheets, which is joint-sixth best in the division heading into this weekend, and have an expected goals (xG) tally of 12.3, which ranks as the fifth best in the third tier, as per FotMob.

On the flip side of that, Vale have also missed the second most chances in the league so far this term, with only Wigan's 18 more than their 16.

That suggests that there's plenty of good chance creation work going on in the team, and with Cole in the goalscoring form he's in, he could be on for a bumper individual season if those big chances can be converted into goals.

If Cole's start to life at Vale Park is a sign of things to come, then the Stoke-on-Trent-based side will almost certainly be in no danger of a relegation battle this season.

Vale head to Oakwell this Saturday after Wednesday's 2-0 home defeat in the League Cup to Premier League outfit Arsenal, with Cole rested ahead of the trip to his former club.