BRING ON THE PLAY-OFFS!
Assistant manager Crosby says focus has quickly turned to Swindon after Vale seal top-seven spot
ANDY Crosby made it clear Port Vale won’t waste time celebrating their win at Exeter City as they prepare for their play-off semi-final tie against Swindon.
The Vale will travel to the Robins for the first leg on Sunday (noon) after clinching their place in the League Two play-offs with a 1-0 victory at St James Park. After the game at the County Ground, they welcome Swindon back to Vale Park for the second leg on Thursday, May 19 (7.45pm).
Vale went into the Exeter game knowing they needed a point to guarantee a play-off spot, but did better than that as James Wilson’s 36th-minute strike saw Vale finish in fifth and denied Exeter the title.
On a dramatic final day of the regular season, Bristol Rovers pipped Northampton to the third and final automatic promotion spot on goal difference after hammering Scunthorpe 7-0. That means Northampton drop into the play-offs, and play Mansfield, with the victors taking on the winners of the Swindon-vale tie.
Assistant manager Crosby said winning the play-offs doesn’t come down to luck.
He said: “It’s not a lottery, it is two more games and you have to prepare for them in exactly the same manner. You have to find a way to win. It’s not a lottery.
“Northampton have finished fourth, and other teams have got there in different ways. We have two games now against Swindon and we’ll see where that takes us.”
Vale kicked off with an outside chance of finishing third, but needed three points while hoping Northampton, Bristol Rovers and Mansfield all failed to win. Wins for Northampton and Bristol Rovers put paid to those chances and Vale would have dropped out of the play-offs completely had they not got at least a draw.
Crosby said manager Darrell Clarke helped to guide the players and relieve pressure on a group who had suffered three straight defeats before the Exeter City game.
He added: “He is an experienced manager, he has been in this situation before and you can see what he brings to the group. He has been great around the group in the last few days.
“It is very difficult to say what you are thinking, how can you deflate the pressure, how do you take the
heat away from the players. So, you are communicate the right messages.
“We had a game of bingo (on Friday night), the gaffer was the bingo caller. We haven’t reinvented the wheel, let’s say in terms of our preparation! It is credit to absolutely everybody.”
Vale had to defend for long periods at Exeter, but frustrated the home side to the delight of their 1,300 travelling supporters and more than 2,000 who watched the game screened live at Vale Park.
Crosby added: “We wouldn’t be in the position we are without this group of players, staff, the football club being able to overcome problems.
“We have done it all season. You could see from the line-up and the substitutes’ bench, we just seem to pick up so many injuries but we find a way.
“You have to. Credit to everyone at the football club. Seventy eight points is a big total to achieve over the season and we now go into the play-offs.”