IMPS ARE MADE TO PAY BY KAY
PORT Vale boss Neil Aspin was delighted with his side’s battling performance as they all but secured their league status for another season with victory over play-off hopefuls Lincoln.
A second-half Antony Kay header secured all three points at Vale Park to leave the Valiants closer to survival but left Lincoln City nursing a hangover from last week’s EFL Trophy win and their hopes of a play-off place dangling by a thread.
Aspin said “It’s such a relief after last week’s disappointment where I felt the whole world was against us but today all praise must go to the players, they competed from the start to the finish and they were under pressure to get a result against a team that is flying.
“To get anything against Lincoln, you have to be physically strong and compete and play for the full 90 minutes and they’re a very difficult team to beat, so it’s a massive win for us.”
There was little to separate the two sides in the first-half as both had chances to take the lead with Luke Hannant firing over for the home side after Anton Forrester’s initial shot was blocked.
The visitors could only muster halfchances with Elliott Whitehouse firing wide from the edge of the box, whilst Luke Waterfall failed to keep his header down from a Lincoln corner as the half ended in stalemate.
With Lincoln needing to win to maintain their place in the play-offs, the Imps went in search of the crucial first goal with Lee Frecklington volleying just wide after Matt Green had created the opportunity with his tenacious drive into the box.
As the visitors pressed, it was the home side that got the crucial goal as Kay directed his header from the edge of the box, beyond a stranded Ryan Allsop in the Lincoln goal and send the home fans into raptures.
The inevitable pressure on the Vale goal came from the Imps and the hosts were thankful to their goalkeeper Sam Hornby after he superbly tipped a vicious swirling Green shot, fired in from the edge of the box, over the bar to keep the home side ahead.
With time running down, Aspin’s side managed to see out the game and leave Lincoln boss Danny Cowley exasperated with his side’s display after the highs of the previous week.
“We’re disappointed, particularly with our second-half performance. It was always going to be a tight game but second-half we looked lethargic and there was no intensity there.
“You know the first goal is important and it’s frustrating to concede from a setpiece.
Our levels were not there and we didn’t do what we set out to do.
“Its disappointing and I think we’ve beaten ourselves more than anything but there are no excuses, we didn’t perform out there.”