Eisa does it for Mo as treble lifts Town
GARY Johnson hailed hat-trick hero Mo Eisa after watching him fire Cheltenham Town to an emphatic home win over Port Vale.
The Robins manager held a meeting with his leading scorer during the week to demand greater concentration and it paid off with the club’s first Football League treble for eight years.
“Some people wanted him dropped the other week, but he has been a revelation for us this season,” Johnson said.
“Scoring three more puts him right up there with the top scorers in the league and they were three super finishes and well-made goals too.
“We knew he had it in him and we’ve been talking to him about getting into more dangerous positions.
“He’s worked hard this week on his concentration and at times he has a smile on his face at the wrong time, when he is training and when he has to concentrate a bit, but he’s done that this week and got his rewards.”
As for Port Vale boss Neil Aspin, he admitted his team let their travelling fans down after an encouraging start to the game.
“The players need to do better and represent the supporters better,” Aspin said.
“It’s hard to sum up the performance. We started well and we were the better team in the first half, but two poor errors gave them their goals.
“We had a 20-minute spell when we let the game get away from us and you can’t stick up for the players during that spell.
“The only good thing is that it only cost us three points, even though the goal difference took a battering.”
Eisa’s first was set up by Sanmi Odelusi, making his first Cheltenham start, in the 13th minute.
Vale’s top scorer Tom Pope levelled from the penalty spot in the 35th minute after Harry Pell brought down Luke Hannant.
But a mixup between goalkeeper Rob Lainton and his defence allowed Odelusi to nod down for Eisa to restore the home side’s lead a minute before the break.
Substitute Elijah Adebayo made it 3-1 in the 66th minute, the second goal of his loan spell with the League Two club after Kevin Dawson teed him up by winning a challenge.
Eisa completed his first Football League hat-trick in the 79th minute, finishing clinically as Vale’s defence crumbled.
Centre-half Boyle rounded off the scoring with a header at the far post after Dawson’s corner in the 86th minute for his second goal in two games.