Port Vale's Justin Richards will miss namesake Marc

Marc Richards has scored 52 goals in 148 appearances for Port Vale

Port Vale's Justin Richards has admitted strike partner Marc Richards will be a big loss for the FA Cup third round tie at Burnley on Saturday.

Marc, Vale's top scorer this season with 14 goals, was sent off in the 2-1 win against Burton on Monday, meaning he will miss the trip to Turf Moor.

"There's not been many times when we've not lined up together so it will be strange," Justin told BBC Radio Stoke.

"He's a focal point of the team and an strong member of the squad."

The pair have contributed 23 goals for Vale this season and propelled them into the League Two promotion battle.

Justin gave Vale, who are still without a manager following the departure of Micky Adams to Sheffield United, a 2-0 lead after just six minutes at Vale Park, adding to an earlier strike from defender John McCombe.

Despite the red card shown to Marc in the second half, and a goal from Burton substitute Shaun Harrad, Vale held on for their first win under caretaker managers Geoff Horsfield and Mark Grew.

Prior to that victory, the Valiants had lost consecutive matches against Morecambe, Gillingham and Rotherham without scoring a goal, and Justin admitted it was good to get back to winning ways.

"We started very well," the former Cheltenham striker added. "It's not easy to score against Burton because they're a solid unit.

"We had to get a result just to stop the negative feeling and change the way people were looking at things.

"It seemed as if the manager leaving had turned everything a bit pear-shaped but we had to prove that it hasn't."

Vale defeated non-league Dartford and fellow League Two side Accrington to reach the third round of the FA Cup.

They will be taking on another club looking for a new boss following Burnley's decision to sack Brian Laws on 29 December, and Vale be hoping to cause another upset against Championship opposition, having beaten current league leaders Queen's Park Rangers 3-1 in the first round of the Carling Cup in August.