‘CLARKE GOT IT WRONG AT SUTTON, BUT HE WAS SPOT ON TODAY’

PORT Vale fans have their say on the 3-1 win at home to Barrow.

Rob Rhead: Things we learned from today’s match... Vale matches really are games of two halves. Playing the wingbacks in behind their defenders is effective until the opposition works it out. Lucas Covolan can’t construct an effective wall and can’t defend his half of the goal. We need to play with energy and close teams down or they will run rings around us. Playing the ball sideways and backwards may look good statistically but doesn’t create chances. The lost art of working substitutions out for yourself when the scoreboard, Bycars tannoy and the fourth official’s board don’t work. Dennis Politic only scores within a couple of minutes of coming on. Mal Benning proved you can score from your own assist by passing to himself off the post. James Wilson can play 90 minutes!

Alex Stevenson: First half, we’ll pretend that never happened shall we? Flat, one-paced, a lot of the ball and not a lot done with it. Covolan needs to do better on their goal too. Second half, the changes and the formation came and we looked much better for it. Also, we played with a greater tempo and put them on their heels a bit. Good three points but can we have that second half for 90 minutes please?

Richard Jones: Substitutes spot on today. Change of formation worked as well. They couldn’t live with us in the second half. When two subs come on, score and we win, you know it was the right decision. Well done gaffer.

He got it wrong last week at Sutton in my opinion, but spot on today and well deserved victory.

I just hope we can keep it going in the next two games against bottom sides. Up the Vale.

Neil Gilson: Another game of two halves...

The first half was very iffy in parts and, apart from getting in behind their defence, there didn’t seem much of an end product. I also think Covolan should have done better when they scored, maybe the wall wasn’t in the right position.. The second half was totally different, bringing on Politic and Benning and going to a flat back four was a gamechanger and, as Barrow commentators were saying, they just couldn’t cope with Vale at all in the second half.

In the end Vale thoroughly deserved the three points even if only going on the second half showing.

On we go to Mansfield on Tuesday ..... UTV!

Scott Lingard: I felt like last week would be a shock to the system for the Vale. And it looked after the first half it was.

Barrow controlled the game, making attacks almost impossible. They played out slowly and looked to disrupt at every given chance. Then a sloppy bit of play by Pett gave the visitors a dangerous free-kick. The wall split, but Covalan failed to stop the ball. The keeper was probably at fault for the goal, but it was a poor free kick to concede. Last week, Clarke would be the first to admit the subs he made probably didn’t work. So, to make two at half time could have been a risk, but it paid off.

The impressive Politic bagged his second goal in a Vale shirt with a goal Fagin would of been proud of, as he picked the pocket of the Barrow defender, rounded the stranded keeper and slotted the ball home from a seemingly tight angle.

Vale pushed on with some great interplay from Gibbo and Worrall worked the ball into the box where Wozza put in a great ball that the Barrow defender turned into his own net.

As the visitors pegged us back, Worrall hit on the break again, and a great ball found Benning in the clear and his first blistering effort hit the post, bounced back to him and he calmly slotted the ball away to make it 3-1. Great performance from Wilson, who deserved MOTM today, but another gritty fight back gave the Vale all three points and we are back in the top three.

Stephen Cooper: Fair play to Clarke. His decisions cost us last week. This week his changes won us the game. A bore-fest first half with a slow-paced game. The half-time subs changed the outlook and Vale were by far the better team in the second half.

Ryan Slater: A game of two halves. The half-time substitutions were the difference.”