VALE NEED NEW BOSS AND FAST!
PORT Vale caretaker manager Ned Kelly has urged the club to appoint a new manager as quickly as possible after goals from Danny Newton and Jonathan Smith made it three wins in eight days for inform Stevenage.
Managerless since Michael Brown departed two weeks ago, Vale never looked like getting anything out of this game after Newton curled home Boro’s opener on 22 minutes and were booed by fans on several occasions during the game.
“There's got to be clarity for everybody. For the good of Port Vale, the quicker the decision the better,” said Kelly. “The club needs a lift, especially after that performance, because it wasn’t good enough.
“There’s a negativity around the club and the new manager has to lift that. But regardless of whoever is in charge of the football club going forward, the players have got to get themselves out of the situation. They’ve got to stand up and be counted for the good of the club.”
Vale actually started brightly, as Tyrone Barnett’s shot on the turn from distance forced Joe Fryer into a good save on six minutes.
But after Matt Godden wasted a golden chance to open the scoring for the hosts, shooting straight at Kelle Roos following Tom Anderson’s slip, striker Newton fired home his sixth of the season from an acute angle.
Boro were only denied a second before the break when Roos parried Tom Pett’s stinging 25-yard drive.
However, seconds after the Vale goalkeeper almost fumbled Newton’s low drive into his own net, Smith brilliantly curled into the top corner on 54 minutes to double Stevenage’s advantage. “Defensively we gave away two very poor goals,” added Kelly.
In their bid to get back in the game, experienced striker Tom Pope missed the target from Tyler Denton’s delivery approaching the hour and Anderson’s goalbound header was blocked by Fraser Franks on 70 minutes. Substitute Marcus Harness also shot wide from 25 yards.
Boro boss Darren Sarll said: “This has been an outstanding week’s work. To play the three games that we have, to travel to Carlisle and back, and collect the points that we have has been a fantastic effort. “The thing I love at the moment is that, despite the three wins this week, there’s an expectation for more. I can sense that in the fans and I applaud them for wanting even better. “We’re starting to see a few signs and habits that we’ve worked on in training emerge in the players’ performances and that I really like. The culture at the club is absolutely terrific.”