Port Vale vs Leicester City friendly: Reserve players bolster first-team claims
Latest updates on Port Vale. What happened in the Port Vale vs Leicester friendly match? Which players made a mark? Get all the news right here.
The Port Vale reserve squad locked horns with the reserve team of Premier League club Leicester City on Tuesday afternoon. The game ended in favor of Port Vale, as David Amoo drove them to a 1-0 win at the Vale Park training facility with an influential performance.
The reserve friendly was arranged in order to benefit the second-team players from both Port Vale and Leicester, as they lacked proper game time on the pitch. Their situation worsened because of the international break. Many top players were away on international duty, and such a friendly match had a win-win vibe all along.
Although it’s hard to take away concrete conclusions from a reserves friendly match, it was certainly Port Vale who shined the brightest. David Amoo fired home from inside the penalty box on the 66-minute mark after he got a stellar pass from George Lloyd.
In fact, the Port Vale reserves are having a great month or so, with friendly wins against Stockport and another Premier League side Burnley, home and away respectively. This friendly-winning streak, though, was marred by the recent allegations against a Port Vale fan racially abusing a Leyton Orient player, Lawrence Vigouroux, online. The fan was identified, reported to the police and banned from all kinds of Port Vale activity for an indefinite amount of time.
Leyton Orient released a statement on the Port Vale fan issue:
“As part of initial discussions, Port Vale’s safety officer was advised of the situation along with our dedicated football officer who immediately contacted Lawrence privately to apologize and explain that she would investigate the matter thoroughly.
“Port Vale also contacted the CEO and secretary at Leyton Orient FC to advise them of the steps that had been taken on the evening of the game and reassure them that swift action would be taken.
“Leyton Orient would like to thank the staff at Port Vale for their quick and efficient handling of the process.”
Port Vale, who are fourth in the table right now, will try to move away from the toxicity, when they play their next match in League Two on Saturday, October 16, against Barrow. Not all English Football League matches are telecast live on TV. But, you can always stream the matches online. You can use this guide on Fire Stick Tricks to check out where you can watch the matches live.
Port Vale manager Darrell Clarke, too, didn’t let any speculation about the club and its fans influence the proceedings against Leicester, as his installation of a proper game plan and a winning mentality could be seen on the pitch. He fielded a lineup of promising talent. The focus was on keeping the players sharp and match-fit, as a busy schedule follows in the next month or so. Reserve team players might need to play first-team matches too in that process, and they have prevailed.
It could have been an even better scoreline for Port Vale if on-loan Cheltenham striker Lloyd could score from close range. But, his effort was cleared off the line. Osman also had a valiant shot saved by the opposition keeper. Another reserve player Alex Hurst was forced off on the 8-minute mark, and on came exciting youth team player James Plant. Clarke also tested out an unnamed trialist in the game.
The biggest news from the game, though, was the return of Aaron Martin from injury, who has been suffering a long-term back problem. The game time against a side like Leicester will also benefit academy graduates like Abdi Osman, Ellis Jones, and John Clarke.
Here’s the full Port Vale squad that was fielded in the game: Stone, Benning, Martin (subbed by Osman on 45 minutes), Amos, Unnamed Trialist (subbed by Clarke on 52 minutes), Walker, Taylor, Hurst (subbed by Plant on 8 minutes), Politic (subbed by Jones on 45 minutes), Amoo, Lloyd.
The biggest takeout from all these friendly matches for Clarke and Port Vale has been David Ammo’s performances. He’s finally starting to reap the rewards for being patient at the start of the League Two season. The 30-year-old has not seen his name on the starting line-up yet in the league, but his recent performances will possibly see him get back into Clarke’s starting XI for the next league match. He came on as a substitute in Vale’s last league match against Leyton Orient and was instrumental in helping the team overcome a 1-2 deficit, and clinch a thrilling come-from-behind 3-2 victory.
Port Vale will continue on their merry way aiming for the all-important promotion to League One.