IT WAS VITAL TO MAKE MANSFIELD POINT, SAYS SKIPPER TOM
PORT Vale aren’t talking about promotion, but managing to sound like a promotion-chasing team all the same as they prepare for tomorrow’s home game with Colchester.
‘If you can’t play well, don’t lose’, will feature in every top-seven team’s journey so, as captain Tom Conlon made clear, the Vale players weren’t too disheartened about Tuesday’s 1-1 draw at Mansfield.
“The message inside the dressing room is, if we’re not going to play to our best, then at least come away with a point,” he said. “That‘s exactly what we have done. We weren’t at our best, but it’s a good point.
“I think Mansfield are a good team. The league doesn’t say so at the moment but they could be up there, they have some really good players.
“We have to flip this to Colchester at the weekend, if we can take all three points then this is an even better point.”
The Vale have picked up 16 points from their last seven league games so manager
Darrell
Clarke was keen to put the Mansfield performance into context even though he was hoping his side would produce much better in front of their 700 travelling supporters.
This was largely a defensive performance against a Stags side that looked much better than their position fourth from bottom. That said, the game’s outstanding moment of quality belonged to Vale when Conlon bent a 20-yard free kick into the top corner to put his side in front.
The captain added: “It was close so I thought it’s got to be perfect to go over the wall. So, I thought I would whip it a hard as I could on the keeper’s side.
“We haven’t really had many free kicks this season. I had one at home recently that I put wide, didn’t hit it right. But it’s nice to get a free-kick and get on the scoresheet.”
Conlon’s goal made him the only serious rival to goalkeeper Lucas Covolan for Vale’s man of the match, but the midfielder isn’t taking his place for granted.
He, Tom Pett and Ben Garrity are the preferred midfield three but, with Jake Taylor waiting for his chance and Brad Walker getting closer to full fitness, Clarke, pictured, has options within his preferred 3-5-2 system. Conlon added: “You have players that aren’t in the team that could easily come on. I have a chat with Ben and Petty all the time and think the people coming for our places at the moment could walk into more or less any League Two team. “That is credit to the club for the work they have done in the summer. So, we have to be right at it. Myself, Ben and Petty have the shirt, but there are other players that want them so even more reason for us to play well every week.” It would be a surprise of Clarke changes his midfield three this weekend as his side return to Vale Park looking to climb back into the automatic promotion places after dropping a spot to fourth in midweek. Colchester are 19th but, like Vale, have taken four points from their week so far. Sylvester Jasper’s 88thminute goal gave them a 1-0 win at home to second-placed Harrogate on Saturday before they again left it late on Tuesday, equalising on 88 minutes through Noah Chilvers to earn a 1-1 draw at home to Bristol Rovers. Vale will start as favourites, but will have to prove their Mansfield performance was an aberration. Conlon added: “We are not going to
be brilliant on the ball for 46 games, that’s just not going to happen. We want to spin it around on Saturday and take all three points.
“We can’t get carried away. The moment you start doing that is when you are probably going to come off it. We are 13 games in and happy where we are, but we want to keep striving for more, starting on Saturday against Colchester.”