Penalties prove to be the difference as vale sample success in league and cup
PORT Vale writer CLIVE YOULTON continues his review of the season with more Valiants success in the league and also a cup shoot-out win...
ANOTHER Saturday, another win for Port Vale. Andy Crosby’s side seemed to be riding on the crest of a wave as they made it five games unbeaten, including four victories, thanks to a 1-0 success against Carlisle United on August 26.
It was also a third clean sheet in the opening six matches as James Wilson’s penalty was enough to send home fans home happy.
In front of a home crowd of 6,997 Vale had 51 per cent of the possession, five efforts on target and 12 off target.
Looking back on some of the other less creative days, it seems remarkable that Vale were making that many opportunities.
But rather like the hundreds of salmon in Alaska’s Katmai National Park trying to escape the clutches of Grizzly Bears, most of them weren’t taken.
Once again Vale passed the ball slickly and played with great energy but could not score. It took a while for Carlisle to get going but when they did they showed they had more to offer than a team which had won no games.
Vale were awarded a penalty and Wilson duly obliged with an emphatic finish from the spot. There were substitutions aplenty but no further goals.
It was surprising to see Ben Garrity on the bench but this was Andy Crosby’s preference, to keep players rotating so others got game time.
Once again Vale’s players performed well and there was no indication of the slide in form to come.
Crosby said: “It was a really hardearned victory for us. We tried our hardest to control the game and that did prove difficult at times. What is disappointing is that we didn’t necessarily capitalise on the periods when we were dominant. When you allow a game like that to head into the latter stages and you’re still only 1-0 up, you know you’re only an individual error away from throwing away two points.
“We should really have finished the game off sooner but we ran around a lot, showed a real togetherness, and in the end that has got us the result.”
It was quite prophetic to talk about individual errors because they, more than anything else, became more prevalent as the season progressed.
There was no doubt Vale were coming down on the right side of tight moments in games and that their good run of results could quite easily have come to an end sooner.
It was on to cup action in midweek as Vale played the first of two ties against League Two Crewe Alexandra at Vale Park in the space of seven days.
First up was the second round of the League Cup, which saw the clubs go head-to-head for the first time
since Vale’s 1-0 win in League Two back in 2019.
The second clash was to be the EFL Trophy fixture, with Wrexham and Newcastle United Under-21s also in Vale’s group.
“It’s a local game, local derby, and big for the supporters,” said Crosby. “It’s obviously a nice reward for getting through against Fleetwood but them being in League Two is not something I’ve thought about. We treat every opponent with the same respect and that’s what we will do.”
Showing teams respect was one thing, giving them too much was another.
The two clubs made a joint statement ahead of the first fixture, warning fans against ‘tragedy chanting’ saying it will never be tolerated inside their stadiums.
The only tragedy for Vale was not being able to score against lowerleague opposition as they drew 0-0 and had to rely on penalties to win it.
Remarkably, the game ended 2-0 on spot-kicks with Crewe missing all four of theirs.
Connor Ripley only had to save one of those, as Wilson and Ollie Arblaster found the net. Tom Sang spurned his chance to win it for Vale but it didn’t matter as Crewe’s Joel Tabiner missed the vital last kick.
Lee Bell’s Crewe – 14th in League Two after one win and three draws from five – had knocked out
Sunderland on penalties at the Stadium of Light in the first round but were found wanting from 12 yards here.
For Vale, only Ripley, Lewis Cass, Nathan Smith and Alex Iacovitti retained their places in the team from that which beat Carlisle on Saturday with Crosby making seven changes including a first start for Rhys Walters.
The youngster went on to have a decent season in the games he played.
There might have been only three sides to the ground open at Vale Park but there was a raucous atmosphere with more than 1,000 visiting fans in the Bycars Stand and a full Hamil Road Stand packed with the vociferous home support.
Arblaster was proving Sheffield United have a quality player on their hands and since his return to the Premier League club – for this season at least – the midfielder has been featuring in the top division.
He owes much of his development to Vale and Crosby, who gave him his chance in senior football during his first loan away from Bramall Lane and took his opportunity.
It says a lot about the reputation of Crosby and Vale as a club that they were entrusted with Arblaster’s development.
The only downside is he eventually left and Crosby’s side were no longer the force they were without him in the team. His rapier-like passes were in stark contrast to the likes of Jason Lowe’s efforts, for example, which were sideways or backwards.
It was interesting that No 2 keeper Jayson Leutwiler didn’t even get a sniff in the two League Cup games and his only chances came in the Football League Trophy.
The dilemma for Crosby was keeping everyone happy at that point.
We needn’t have worried on that front as injuries were about to take their toll.
Such was the focus of Ripley he didn’t realise Crewe had missed all their penalties but he was certainly aware that Chris Long would go down the middle with his kick and he managed to stick out a leg to save.
He credited goalkeeping coach Carlo Nash for the research.
Ripley loved the theatre of performing in front of the home fans in the shootout and reflected: “It was electric. I’m walking towards them and I can see how passionate they are about this club. I was dead happy with how they were and how they have been with me since I’ve been here.
“I just feel like that Spanish trip we went on pre-season, it just got us a lot closer. The stuff the gaffer made us do to open up and we kind of just want to work for each other, that’s how he wants it to be and that’s the way Carol [Shanahan, joint owner] wants us to be. It’s a really family club.”
For his part Crosby didn’t look at any of the penalties being taken, something he has stuck to throughout his career.
“I couldn’t tell you where any of the penalties went as I sat in the dugout and watched for the reaction of the crowd,” said Crosby.
“But Connor has got a reputation for saving penalties and I’m sure their [Crewe’s] players knew that.
“And with the home fans behind him making it difficult for the Crewe penalty takers, it created a situation of pressure for them. Credit to the fans, I thought they were amazing and collectively we all got over the line.”
It made it six games unbeaten for Vale with their impressive home form continuing.
The supporters were happy too. “I think you can see now a real connection between a new group of players and staff and the supporters,” said Crosby. “Winning helps that.”
Indeed it did. Until that is, the wheels started straining on their axles before shearing off which wasn’t long in coming.
But first came a trip to high-flyers Oxford United where the love-in between fans and players reached its peak.