‘I THINK I MIGHT HAVE FRIGHTENED MY NEIGHBOURS WHEN RODNEY SCORED’
PORT Vale moved eight points clear of the League Two relegation zone with Tuesday’s 2-1 win at home to Newport.
The Vale are at Colchester on Saturday and will go into that game breathing a little more easily after goals from Tom Conlon and Devante Rodney saw off the visitors who had levelled through on-loan Bournemouth striker Jake Scrimshaw.
The win prompted plenty of reaction from supporters...
Scott Lingard: What a difference this performance was. This was the Vale of the start of the season and that got us to fifth.
Newport now are in the top six, but you wouldn’t have thought it from the first-half performance.
We are still screaming out for a forward, because the chances we created in the first 45 needed someone to put them away.
A burst from Worrall, a great cutback pass and Conlon placed the ball into the net. A great move of quality in a first half.
We could have put the game to bed if we had put the chances away. The visitors made changes, and it worked as they piled on the pressure and equalised, rightly so. It looked as though Vale would capitulate again, but we settled and managed to grab a second through sheer hard graft from that man Worrall again for Rodney to slot away the rebound off Smith’s shot. Clarke must be so relieved to finally get three points, I know I am. Let’s hope this is the start of the hard work finally paying off.
Jamie Barnett: Thank God for that, absolutely delighted for Darrell Clarke. We need to get on to Bournemouth for that Scrimshaw in the summer. We’ll win at Colchester now as confidence will be restored and we have some of our better players back.
Simon Palmer: Deserved win. On top in the first half, Newport just seemed content to chuck themselves on the floor and moan at the officials.
There was an inevitable response from the visitors in the second half and they looked the more likely winners after equalising with their one shot on target.
But we got the run of the ball for a change to retake the lead and were relatively comfortable in seeing the game out.
A fully committed team effort, really pleased for Darrell Clarke. It’s a six-pointer on Saturday when a win could really get us close to safety.
Patrick Scragg: Excellent first half! Newport couldn’t cope with us and barely threatened. Lovely finish by Conlon after great play by Worrall down the right.
In the second half Newport came out well and Vale got a bit shaky but managed to survive the early onslaught.
It was a sloppy goal to concede after not enough pressure on the ball, allowing it to come in the box after some average defending (a huge part of our season’s issues!). We were maybe fortunate to get the winner from Rodders but in my opinion did just about enough to warrant and earn a win.
Some top performances - MOTM Worrall who never stopped running. A massive three points, bring on Colchester!
Paul Dixon: Much better all-round performance. Intensity with positive passing going forward. We could have had it wrapped up in the first half.
We weathered a 20-minute storm but managed to snatch the winner and hold on comfortably. Excellent and much needed three points.
Rob Rhead: At last! A fantastic victory from a fascinating match. The Vale played County off the park in the first half and really should have had more than a one-goal lead at the interval. That’s particularly as we all know what usually happens after we’ve put in a good first half performance.
And lo! It came to pass. Newport made a double substitution at halftime
and took control of the game. It was only a matter of time before they scored and once they had it seemed inevitable that they would go on to win.
It was not to be as the Vale stood resolute and both managers made personnel and formation changes in a bid to obtain the advantage in this chess match.
I think I might have frightened
the neighbours when Devante Rodney’s goal went in, but there was no relaxing as Kevin Ellison was introduced.
Even he couldn’t prevent Darrell Clarke’s first win.
The Vale should be able to take a lot forward from this match, an excellent first-half performance and a second half full of grit and determination.
LEEK Town legend Steve Norris has revealed he has early-stage dementia.
The former Blues midfielder, who converted to a defender later in his career, has dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB), which is a Parkinson’s disease-associated dementia, rare in those under 65 years of age.
The 61-year-old enjoyed an illustrious time at Harrison Park, making 393 appearances across two spells.
He initially joined Leek from Port Vale on loan in 1978 and after a stint away from the club returned toi help them to the league title in 1990 as well as playing in their FA Trophy final defeat by Barrow at Wembley.
Norris managed the club in 1994/95 in the Southern League, finishing in seventh place, before departing.
Away from football, he spent three decades working in the fire service - and it was at work where he first realised there was something wrong with his health.
“I worked in the fire service for 30 years and at the same time played non-league football,” said Norris.
“I took retirement and then went to work with a local housing charity, as a Transitional Advisor, supporting people to get access to training (as an aid to get them employment) particularly those that were homeless.
“I did that for three or four years and then changed roles, moving charities - something in the same mould.
“The systems were slightly different and I couldn’t get to grips with them. Client files were more paper based and I couldn’t process the order things had to be kept in, whilst it was logical, but I found it really difficult but couldn’t understand why.
“I felt too embarrassed to voice this and instead resigned at 60.”
“Me and my wife noticed a few things that were different about me. It was little things like forgetting where I’d put something or carrying out ‘everyday’ tasks. I began to struggle to put the lead on the dog and things I’d done daily for years.
“Dementia runs in the family, my dad and auntie both suffered from different strains.”
Norris concedes that his lengthy career in football played a part in his diagnosis.
And he says more preventative steps can be taken.
“I am torn on the heading issue. Whenever we had a training session I would be heading 30 balls away,” he explained. “I suppose that is something which could be reduced.
“But it is a technique. Heading is a skill. If you don’t practice you can run the risk of more injuries and problems.
“You can’t take heading out of the game. The balls now are different. The ones we used were like heading a house brick.
“The training methods, where you don’t allow young kids to head a ball until they have developed is good. But if you are a centre-back or centre forward, you have to head the ball.
“Some sort of test would help. In the pro game they could be screening you regularly so that dementia just doesn’t hit you.
“There has to be a staged approach for me. Young kids only play for 20 minutes and it needs common sense. Something like a step system where you progress to another level once you’re capable of doing certain things.”
Norris says he wouldn’t swap his football career for anything.
He insists getting in to the system for treatment has been a key breakthrough.
“I am still in the early stages. I have Zoom or telephone consultations and my specialist is happy with where I am at,” added Norris, who is a director at Leek.
“I did have period where I had really bad headaches, but my medication was just tweaked.
“I got in the system, which is crucial. It takes a while, but we pushed and pushed the NHS.
“I had a spell of five scans and that’s when they picked it up. I was more comfortable when I had the diagnosis.
“Before that I was grasping trying to find out what was going on. Now I know.
“Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) is a progressive and challenging condition which is thought to account for 10 to 15 per cent of all those with dementia.
“In the early stages it can be diagnosed wrongly, it also has a strain of Parkinson’s, so it’s a bit of a double whammy.
“My specialist says with the medication I am on I can stay at the same level for six or seven years, but we don’t know what’s going to happen beyond that.”