ACE POPE PRODUCES A MARVEL
PORT Vale tore league leaders Luton to shreds and condemned them to their first defeat since October.
Courtesy of a brace from Tom Pope, a Ben Whitfield effort and an own goal from Dan Potts, Vale are now unbeaten in five – it was a home win that defied logic and confounded the game’s luminaries.
Luton boss Nathan Jones made four changes from the team that won 5-0 at Swindon on Boxing Day but may regret changing a winning team as his side were second best from start to finish.
Jones’ counterpart, Neil Aspin, however, was understandably upbeat.
“I feel very proud of this performance; the best since I’ve been here,” he said.
“Since I have been manager, we’ve focused on what we do rather than what the opposition do.
“Luton are the best footballing side in this league and have turned over plenty of teams. We decided, rather than trying to contain them, we would take the game to them.
“I felt we deserved to be more than one-up at half-time. In the second-half, we continued to assert and our positivity produced the points.”
At no time in this pulsating game did Luton present a picture of promotion candidates presumptive.
In the opening 15 minutes, crosses rained down on Marek Stech and the heart of the Hatters defence like artillery fire.
Luton were riding their luck omewhat and it deserted them on 23 minutes.
Cristian Montano turned James Justin and found Whitfield on the right, and the Bournemouth loanee’s low drive appeared to be going across goal, only for Potts to divert the ball past a stranded Stech.
Vale, full of undentable commitment and energised endeavour, continued to dominate and could have added to their tally, Pope heading inches wide, whilse Stech beat away a Montano piledriver.
Whitfield led by example, tackling sharply, anticipating cleverly and distributing wisely.
On the hour, he dispossessed Justin and showed Johnny Mullins a clear pair of heels before a glorious ball from the right found the advancing Pope, who calmly steered home from 12 yards. Whitfield was not done – on 70 minutes, good work on the left by Pope found Whitfield in more space than Captain Kirk and he sidestepped Stech to roll the ball into an empty net. On 82 minutes, substitute Worrall crossed from the left, Pope headed against the bar but reacted quickest to nod in number four. “We didn’t deserve anything from that,” said Jones. “We were second best in all areas. “Vale out-fought, outthought and out-played us. “We were soundly beaten on the day.”