NO CHEER FOR VALIANTS AS
HOW fitting it was that Port Vale should score nil for the 25th team this season in all competitions to round off a dismal season.
The 0-0 draw with Cambridge United on the last day was the fifth time they’ve drawn a blank in front of goal in their final seven League One matches.
If Darren Moore’s side wanted to sign off with a flourish and give the Vale fans something to smile about and cling on to, they failed with a capital F.
This was an awful game of football.
Vale midfielder Ben Garrity had said in the build-up to this clash, “if we are going down, why not drag Cambridge down with us?”
The only thing the players ended up dragging down was the spirits of those who pay to watch them every week. And they were low enough to start with.
There were positives for Vale. They grabbed a point and it was the first time since 2012 they didn’t lose in their final home game of a league season.
There were plenty of negatives, not least Uche Ikpeazu conjuring up the miss of the season from inside the six-yard-box with a free header into an open goal.
Ikpeazu somehow glanced his effort wide in a jaw-dropping moment that drew derision from the home crowd.
Thankfully the final whistle brought the ‘entertainment’ to an end.
By the time Moore, his staff and the players applauded the supporters from the centre circle after the game, there were vast swathes of seats.
If this final game was a box of chocolates, it certainly wouldn’t be described as Quality Street and there were definitely no Heroes.
There were no Celebrations either, except for the Cambridge fans being able to acknowledge their team as having secured the point to ensure safety in League One.
Even that wasn’t necessary as Cheltenham Town lost and Burton Albion did too. Both those clubs continue to serve up poor results to the bitter end. More’s the pity that Vale couldn’t capitalise on their charity despite a host of chances to do so.
Moore, who has been associated with two relegations this season as Huddersfield were all-but relegated too, opted for a back four and four in midfield, with Ikpeazu and Baylee Dipepa in attack.
Mitch Clark was back from injury on the bench and there was a first start in the squad for academy youngster Karl Agnero.
It was an understandably flat atmosphere inside the stadium and even the Cambridge fans were lacklustre given the results elsewhere were consistently in their favour throughout the game.
Cambridge began the contest well but the visitors were only sending us all a red herring.
They actually weren’t very good at all and, like Vale, look like they need a major rebuild.
A couple of shots flashed wide of Vale’s goal and Jubril Okedina was allowed the obligatory free header, which thankfully for Vale he wasn’t able to convert.
Dipepa linked well with Jensen Weir and Rhys Walters but his eventual effort was easily gathered by Will Mannion.
Ikpeazu couldn’t hold the ball up and the game was substandard with both teams unable to play with any fluency while passes were errant.
News that Burton were losing after 18 minutes at Fleetwood calmed the United fans who never needed to be worried after that point.
Walters limped off in the 22nd minute to be replaced by Funso Ojo, who along with Garrity and Ethan Chislett, did well.
Chislett, who himself has suffered two League One relegations in three seasons, had a deflected shot which flew straight at Mannion while Ikpeazu seemed to be targeted by United’s player and he became embroiled in a fracas at one point.
Nothing was really flowing for Vale and Chislett’s underhit pass to Ojo was an example, and even when Ojo recovered the situation with a neat turn to great applause, he then passed it straight to the opposition. After Ikpeazu was fouled, Chislett’s free-kick to the back post found Garrity but his looping header didn’t trouble Mannion.
Cambridge centre-back Okedina forced Connor Ripley into a save eight minutes before half time after Nathan Smith had slipped and allowed the cross.
Half time came and, bizarrely, in the fanzone the sound of Down Down by Status Quo boomed out loud – a spot of gallows humour no doubt.
The second half got under way with Ikpeazu working himself some
space outside the box before passing the ball straight to Cambridge left-back Danny Andrew.
Ikpeazu then had a chance outside the box but tamely sent a side-footed effort which Mannion could have thrown his cap on had he been wearing one.
Garrity let Ikpeazu know in no uncertain terms what he thought of the decision to shoot rather than play him in after he’d made an excellent decoy run.
When Chislett worked his magic to set up Ikpeazu for that sitter that should have given the hosts the lead, the feeling in the stadium became more muted.
Were Vale ever going to score? Well, but for the odd shot from distance and a header from Alex Iacovitti from a Jack Shorrock
delivery which flew straight at Mannion instead of either side of him, they didn’t come close.
“Stand up if you’re going down’ roared the Vale fans towards the close followed by “Vale ‘til I die”.
You had to feel sorry for the people of Burslem who are full of passion, character and spirit.
As they all trooped away in sombre silence, you could tell they were thinking, ‘if only we had a team with the same qualities’.
Port Vale: Connor Ripley, Nathan Smith, Ben Garrity, Ethan Chislett (Andrew Buah 83), Uche Ikpeazu (Jason Lowe 69), Alex Iavovitti, Jensen Weir (Mitch Clark 83), Jack Shorrock, Rhys Walters (Funso Ojo 22), Baylee Dipepa, Jesse Debrah. Subs not used: Jayson Leutwiler, Kacper Lopata, Karl Agnero.
Att: 6,738 (1,066).