Crawley 1-3 Port Vale match report

Crawley 1-3 Port Vale: the Valiants made it three straight wins after an excellent away performance at Crawley.

What did you think of the Vale performance? Share your thoughts and post a comment at the end of the article.

After two successive wins, manager Darrell Clarke named an unchanged starting eleven and Vale got off to a strong start. On five minutes, Manny Oyeleke threaded a through ball to Theo Robinson whose shot was saved by Glenn Morris.

As Vale pressed, strike partner Devante Rodney saw a shot palmed over before the away side took the lead on thirteen minutes. David Worrall’s cross found the head of Leon Legge and after confusion in the area, captain Tom Conlon half-volleyed the ball home from the edge of the box. It was the Vale skipper’s seventh of the season and second in three games.

The Valiants continued to be dangerous in the first period with a Robinson tap-in ruled out for offside while Worrall and Rodney both put efforts wide.

For the first 44 minutes, Crawley had two chances comfortably saved by Brown but equalised with a minute of the half remaining. Powell put in a good ball and Nadesen’s glancing header was too good for Brown. It was level pegging at the break.

However, the Valiants continued to press after the break. There were early calls for a penalty before Theo Robinson’s header struck the woodwork on 58 minutes. Eight minutes later, Vale did take the lead when fantastic play by Conlon saw him keep the ball in and deliver a low cross into the area which Nathan Smith hammered home.

Robinson had another chance before Vale put the game to bed on 68 minutes. A poor header by a defender went over the keeper and David Worrall nipped in to steer the ball into an open net. It was enough to secure a deserved three points for the Valiants as they comfortably held on in the closing stages.

It means Vale are probably safe from the relegation zone after their excellent mini run. It was a good all-round performance by the team with skipper Conlon leading by example. Credit was due to strike partners Rodney and the much maligned Robinson who put the defence under pressure for much of the game.

Full-time: Crawley 1-3 Port Vale

Port Vale: Brown – Smith, Legge, Brisley – Worrall, Oyeleke, Joyce, Conlon (Amoo), Montano (Olagunju) – Robinson (Guthrie), Rodney

Subs: Scott, Cullen, Hurst, Taylor

What did you think of the Vale performance? Share your thoughts and post a comment at the end of the article.