Valiants’ prayers answered by Pope
THE breakthrough may have been a long time in coming, but Port Vale boss Neil Aspin insisted he was always confident.
And after keeping a clean sheet, the manager was full of praise for his side’s patience.
“During the game, you’re always torn between not losing the game and trying to go for three points,” Aspin reflected after Tom Pope’s 80th-minute penalty gave his men victory in their bottomof-the-table clash with Barnet.
“But I thought that if we kept a clean sheet, we would get a break, and that’s what happened.”
Pope could have given the hosts an early lead when Dave Worrall centred but Barnet keeper James Stephens produced the first of a series of impressive saves to deny the Vale striker.
The hosts stepped up a gear after the restart, with Marcus Harness going close with a bending 20-yard free kick two minutes after Ricardo Santos fouled Anton Forrester.
And it took a superb reflex save from Stephens to deny Forrester from point-blank range three minutes before the hour, the Barnet stopper reacting brilliantly to paw Forrester’s scuffed finish into the turf before grasping the ball.
Stephens produced another fine stop to push a fierce low strike from Harness around the post eight minutes later.
Barnet’s John Akinde found space between the Vale centre-backs at the other end after a rare counter for the visitors 14 minutes from time, but saw his shot well blocked by Ryan Boot.
And Vale were eventually rewarded for their persistence when Bees substitute Simeon Akinola clumsily brought down James Gibbons as he entered the box from the right.
Stephens had excelled throughout in the Barnet goal, but was finally beaten as Pope dispatched an emphatic right-footed spot kick high to the keeper’s left.
Aspin was surprised to see referee Anthony Backhouse initially hesitate but applauded his assistant who indicated that Akinola had committed a clear foul.
“The linesman’s done great for us, because he’s been the difference there in us getting the penalty.”
New Barnet boss Mark McGhee was unconvinced by the decision: “I think the result was probably just about right,” he said.
“I thought that mostly we defended really, really well.”
“The penalty looked dubious. It’s always dangerous when you go to ground, but I thought he got the ball.”