Toothless attack is heartache for Askey

JOHN ASKEY rued Port Vale’s missed chances after seeing his goal-shy side lose to Morecambe.

Substitute Aaron Collins marked his club debut by bagging the only goal of the game just eight minutes after coming on.

Vale have scored only once in their last six league outings and saw Tom Pope miss a first-half penalty as his wait for a 100th Vale goal continues.

Morecambe keeper Mark Halstead pulled off a string of fine saves to frustrate the hosts and keep the struggling Shrimpers in the hunt.

Askey reflected: “We’re just not taking our chances and if you don’t do that then you won’t win.

“Their keeper has had one of those games.

“When things aren’t going for you, these things test you.

“We got into double figures in terms of chances created, but it means nothing if you don’t score.

“We are creating chances and we’ve just got to start putting them away.

“Where we’re creating chances, hopefully they’ll start hitting the back of the net.”

Speaking after only his side’s second win in 15 games, Morecambe boss Jim Bentley said: “It was a massive win for us. There is no doubt we have played better and lost games this season, and the fact our goalkeeper was outstanding said a lot about the game.

“But we stuck with it and hung on for the win with a goal of real quality with a great cross and fantastic finish.

“Hopefully this can be a step in the right direction for us and we can go on a run.”

Early in the match Steven Old tripped Mark Harris in the box after he was expertly found by Luke Joyce. But prolific striker Pope was denied from the spot by a fantastic Halstead stop.

Down at the other end Carlos Mendes Gomes was superbly kept out by Scott Brown. Halstead frustrated Pope once again with a low reaction stop, tipping his backpost header wide before pushing James Gibbons’s curling effort past a post two minutes later.

After the break a rasping Luke Hannant drive flicked the outside of the woodwork.

The Shrimpers stole the spoils against the run of play with 15 minutes left as Richard Bennett teed up Collins, who had come on for Mendes Gomes.