Port Vale 2-3 Ipswich Town match report – battling Valiants lose out in five goal thriller

Port Vale 2-3 Ipswich Town match report – goals by Gavin Massey and Nathan Smith proved to be in vain as the Valiants lost to promotion chasing Ipswich on Tuesday night.

Manager Darrell Clarke made four changes from the eleven which started at Cambridge which saw starts for James Wilson and Ellis Harrison and Aidan Stone named as goalkeeper.

It was an incident-packed first 45 minutes. Vale pressed effectively for half an hour, then conceded twice in a matter of minutes before pulling one back in added-on time.

There was a glorious opportunity for Vale just four minutes in when Worrall’s cross found Harrison but his header went just wide. There were also appeals for a penalty on 20 minutes when a hand appeared to be used in the Ipswich box.

However, Ipswich were looking dangerous on the break and Vale were grateful for early blocks by Connor Hall and Nathan Smith.

The visitors did prove their class on 34 minutes when a superb cross ball found Davis and his low cross found Ladapo, who netted from close range. Connor Hall was then robbed by Burns but his shot was saved by Stone. However, moments later, Ipswich did score again as Humphrey’s emphatic drive from the edge of the box gave Stone no chance.

Those two goals could have knocked the stuffing out of Vale but to their credit they were not dispirited. After a stoppage for an injury to Aidan Stone, with the Vale keeper bravely coming out to challenge an onrushing Burns,  Vale rallied in added-time. Dan Jones’ deep cross was headed back by Worrall and Massey did well to convert through a mass of legs for his first goal as a Valiant. It looked to have set up an intriguing second period where Vale’s pressing and energy would be pitted against Ipswich’s greater quality.

Half-time: Port Vale 1-2 Ipswich Town

The Valiants got off to a great start in the second period when defender Nathan Smith volleyed home from a corner to put the scores level in 46 minutes. However, the home side were only level for a matter of minutes as Ipswich scored what proved to be a decisive third goal. Great work from the impressive Humphreys set up Davis and a mix-up in the Vale defence allowed Ladapo to score into an empty net.

Vale continued to pour forward in search of an equaliser but they just couldn’t find a moment of quality to level it up. Ipswich could even have stretched their lead but great last-gasp defending by Ben Garrity prevented a fourth.

As the game reached an end, there were Vale appeals for a penalty when Harrison appeared to have his shirt tugged in the box but it was the visitors who held on to take all three points back to Suffolk.

This was far from a disappointing performance by Darrell Clarke’s side. Their high pressing, high tempo play had Ipswich rattled at times and ultimately it was promotion favourites Ipswich’s superior quality that proved the difference. Vale can hold their heads up high after this display.

Full-time: Port Vale 2-3 Ipswich Town