Question about vacuum hose

[WannaPool]

So I've had my pool for 20 years, and clean it with a TigerShark. Occasionally I need to use an actual vacuum, and perhaps I am an just an idiot, but I can never get it to work correctly.
1) The ribbed hose has a clearly labeled "Attach this to the vacuum head"... which I do.
2) For the other end of the hose, I try to plug it in to the hole under the skimmer basket, which it doesn't fit into.
3) There is also a port in the side of the pool below the waterline next to the skimmer, which today for the first time I unscrewed the plug, and tried to stick the hose end in there... and it also doesn't fit.

(There is a "B" port labeled on the suction side of the plumbing at the pad connected through a 3-way valve (Skimmer/B/Off). It has always (since I purchased the house) been in the position to suck from both B and the Skimmer. This doesn't make sense to me, as B is capped off with the threaded plug in the pool).

Am I missing some kind of adapter/part so this hose plugs in properly?

Thanks!

 

[JohnT]

What you need is a skimmer vacuum plate.

 

[WannaPool]

What you need is a skimmer vacuum plate.

Thanks. We have a skimmer plate at a rental house, but there is no side port in that pool. There is also another hole inside that skimmer basket (on the side), which I think somehow connects to the main drain. The skimmer plate has a plastic tab which covers that hole, creating the suction through the vacuum hose. It would probably still work for me, but I would prefer to use the side port if possible instead of dealing with the skimmer at all. Isn't this what the side port is used for? It is a direct line plumbed right to the pump.

Also, the inner diameter of the hose I am trying to connect is 1.5".

 

[WannaPool]

I am thinking maybe something like this?

Ace Pool Hose Connector 1-1/4 in. W X 9 in. L - Ace Hardware