‘Lots of questions answered’ after Vale’s away win
PORT Vale boss Darrell Clarke says his team has handled pressure ‘superbly’ over the last two games after a 1-0 win at Colchester lifted them 10 points clear of the relegation zone.
Vale followed up Tuesday’s 2-1 victory at home to Newport with another impressive performance as Devante Rodney’s 19th-minute strike separated the sides.
Clarke’s side were superior before the break and then saw out the win with few alarms in the second half to move up a place to 19th.
The manager said: “We were game with a bit of quality at times. I am really pleased, that is two big games where a lot of questions have been rightly answered about the group. We have answered them in these two games and we are delighted to get the clean sheet and the 1-0.
“I thought we had the better chances. It was a scrappy game, a scruffy game, but you have to find ways to win matches.”
The win puts Vale on the brink of safety, but Clarke isn’t accepting that just yet.
He said: “We just concentrate on winning our next game. There’s a lot of pressure, the lads are well aware of that. but they have handled the pressure superbly.”
Meanwhile, Tom Pope is scheduled to make his comeback from injury by playing in a reserve match at home to Hereford today.
The striker, who has been out since January 12 with a broken arm and a shoulder injury, will feature a strong Vale side that should also include Jake Taylor, Scott Burgess and other senior players needing match fitness.