Reaction: Nathan Smith even earns praise from Rochdale’s assistant manager
Nathan Smith was named man of the match on Tuesday night and even Rochdale assistant manager Chris Beech had praise for the young defender.
Talking about the game’s only goal, Beech told the official Rochdale website: “Smith, who played very well today, got the contact and that slight deflection saw it loop into the far corner.”
Meanwhile, Vale manager Bruno Ribeiro added: “You know I am very happy every day – but now I am more happy!
“The players were fantastic. They worked hard from the first second until the end. When we didn’t score the penalty, the last five minutes were hard waiting for the referee’s whistle but we are still improving the team and this was a clean sheet again.
“I said to the players that if we don’t concede goals then we will score and win the games. The players on the pitch were fantastic. There was some good movements.”