RELEGATION WOES INCREASE AFTER SETBACK ON ROAD
IT was a case of different manager, same old story for Port Vale.
Poor defending once again cost the Valiants as Darren Moore started his managerial reign with a 3-2 defeat at Cheltenham Town.
Not only did Darrell Clarke and his buoyant hosts edge the contest, they leapfrogged Vale too and Moore’s men are now third-from-bottom in League One and in serious trouble.
There was more fight about the team for sure under Moore, but all the time you are going to ship goals you are going to struggle no matter who is in the dugout.
The reality is Vale are in a real relegation scrap, with the trip to Reading tomorrow taking on a whole new level of importance.
Moore made just two changes to the side that drew with Stevenage 2-2 the previous week.
In came Dan Jones – for his first start since August last year – and Ryan Loft, while Jesse Debrah and Jensen Weir were dropped to the bench.
Loft had a decent game and worked hard again while for Jones it was a familiar story of his season as he hobbled off late in the game seemingly with another injury.
Vale had a strong wind behind them in the first half as they looked to take the game to the hosts early on.
The contest was frenetic and poor quality in the opening phase as the wind seemed to be playing a part as the ball bobbled around.
Cheltenham had the first opening, though, when Nathan Smith lost out to Matty Taylor and George Lloyd received the ball inside the box where Vale’s Kacper Lopata made a wonderful covering clearance to rob the forward of a chance to shoot.
Then, when Ethan Chislett and Conor Grant combined at a corner, Chislett fired a shot that keeper Luke Southwood beat away.
Jones then committed a ridiculous challenge on Taylor to give away a free-kick wide on the right and from the resultant cross Lewis Freestone headed well over.
On 15 minutes Smith found Chislett who had a chance from an angle after beating the offside trap but Southwood did well to come out and smother the shot.
Vale came mighty close in the 20th minute when James Wilson fed Chislett, who stole a yard on his left foot inside the penalty area before sending a piercing left-footed shot which Southwood somehow saved to his left before the ball was cleared.
Just how vulnerable Vale were at the back was highlighted a minute later, though, when Massey lost a headed duel from a long Southwood free-kick with the ball breaking to Freestone whose shot was diverted away.
It was a let off for Vale and they had another soon after thanks to a
brilliant save from Connor Ripley as he somehow stopped Curtis Davies’ towering header from Sean Long’s cross from going over the line. Not only that he fell on the ball to gather it too.
It was another example of just how fragile the Vale defence is, though, regardless of the manager.
It was a crucial moment in the game because Vale took the lead in the 26th minute. This time it was a Grant inswinging corner from the right that was misjudged by the home defence and Smith profited by heading into the net for 1-0.
In the 31st minute Loft picked up a flick on from Massey but wasted the chance when he won possession but overhit his touch when in on goal.
It looked like Vale would go into the break in front but it wasn’t to be as Lopata was adjudged to handle the ball in a central position just outside the penalty area.
Former Vale striker Taylor touched the ball to another ex-valiant, Tom Pett, and received it back before curling in a superb effort low into the bottom corner past Ripley’s left hand.
It was a goal that had been coming in the final 15 minutes of the half and the teams went in at the break all square.
In the second half, Vale were carved open far too easily out wide and the hosts started to press and put the visitors under real pressure, Smith twice charging down efforts.
Taylor cracked a shot that flew off the top of Smith’s head for a corner as the home team turned the screw.
It took Vale 15 minutes to get into the opposition half when Lopata’s long pass found Chislett whose cross was nodded wide by Grant.
At the other end Taylor guided a downward header that Ripley gathered and it only seemed a matter of time before Clarke’s team went in front.
But it was Vale who took the lead for a second time when Chislett was able to find the right angle for a shot which Southwood saved only for Davies to smash the ball into his own net.
It was a goal completely against the run of play.
Immediately, Moore replaced Wilson and Ojo with Baylee Dipepa and Weir.
Cheltenham were level at 2-2 on 67 minutes when Will Ferry’s corner was half cleared by Loft only for Jack Shepherd to swivel and hook a rising ball into the top corner giving Ripley no chance.
You had to say it was a goal the hosts deserved and they weren’t finished there.
A handful of minutes later, Cheltenham exploited a weak defence when one long ball from Southwood was misjudged by Lopata. Ferry pounced on the ball, made a mockery of Massey’s attempts to win it off him as the midfielder stepped inside, then planted the ball with his weaker right foot past Ripley.
Worse for Vale was Jones hobbling off after 86 minutes to be replaced by Rhys Walters. By this point Alex Mighten had been introduced too.
Eight minutes of stoppage time gave Vale a lifeline. A fantastic pass from Jason Lowe split the home defence and when Chislett lofted a delicious cross to the back post it was cleared off the line.
Mighten looked like a livewire and caused one or two problems but the damage had already been done and it ended in Vale’s 15th defeat in 30 League One games this season as they dropped to third from bottom, with Cheltenham still in the drop zone too.
Port Vale: Connor Ripley, Dan Jones (Rhys Walters 86), Kacper Lopata, Nathan Smith, Ryan Loft, Ethan Chislett, Funso Ojo (Jensen Weir 67), Conor Grant (Alex Mighten 83), Jason Lowe, Gavin Massey, James Wilson (Baylee Dipepa 67). Subs not used: Jayson Leutwiler, Tom Sang, Jesse Debrah.
Attendance: 5,600