Port Vale 5-1 Accrington Stanley – Wilson hat-trick as five star Valiants surge into FA Cup second round

Port Vale 5-1 Accrington Stanley: striker James Wilson scored three goals as Port Vale upset their League One opponents to reach the second round of the FA Cup.

Manager Darrell Clarke brought back David Worrall as wingback and David Amoo to start upfront against the League One opponents. Accrington had the first chance when Hamilton fired over in the opening period.

However, the Valiants took the lead on the half-hour through a great piece of skill from striker James Wilson who beat a couple of defenders and bent his shot around the goalkeeper.  The opponents countered but the game’s pantomime villain, Harry Pell, was expertly tackled by Dan Jones.

There were further chances for both sides with Hamilton again having a change for the opponents. However, it had been an impressive performance from the Valiants with Amoo looking lively upfront alongside Wilson who had showed his quality. Meanwhile, Vale’s defence had showed their resilience against their League One opponents.

Half-time: Port Vale 1-0 Accrington Stanley

The Valiants started the second-half well, putting their opponents under pressure. Sub Ben Garrity set up Wilson but his effort went wide. James Gibbons had another chance after a long ball from Dan Jones while Wilson threatened from a corner. Good work by David Worrall then saw the ball reach Gibbons in the box but his effort was cleared off the line.

The afternoon got worse for the opponents when for the second week running, a challenge on Nathan Smith resulted in a red card. This time it was Colby Bishop who was dismissed on 70 minutes for kicking out at the Valiants centre-half.

Vale almost took the lead moments later when Garrity’s shot drew a fine save from the keeper. However, Vale didn’t have to wait long to find the net as James Wilson scored his second from a Tom Conlon corner and make the game safe for the Valiants.

Vale could have added another but Conlon’s effort was saved by the goalkeeper. However, the in-form Wilson was not to be denied as Conlon found Wilson in the box and the striker made no mistake to score a brilliant hat-trick. The striker was then replaced by George Lloyd and received a deserved standing ovation from the crowd.

The only negative moment was the failure to keep a cleansheet as Accrington’s Hamilton scored past Covolan on 85 minutes, but almost immediately Vale countered with Gibbons setting up youngster Lewis Cass for his first goal as a Port Vale player. There was still time for another Vale loanee to score his first for the club as sub George Lloyd netted from a rebound to get his first for the club and make it five for Vale. It rounded off a superb win for the Valiants against higher league opponents.

It was another excellent all-round display by Darrell Clarke’s side who remain in a fine run of form. Fans will be delighted to see Wilson net a hat-trick which was due reward for his fine recent performances while first goals for loanees Cass and Lloyd are also very welcome. While the League will undoubtedly be the priority, a money spinning cup run won’t be turned down and Port Vale fans will be watching the second-round draw with interest. Not many clubs will look forward to facing them in this form.

Full-time: Port Vale 5-1 Accrington Stanley

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