We have to be more clinical – Andy Crosby on Port Vale’s loss to Portsmouth

Port Vale manager Andy Crosby praised his team for taking on League leaders Portsmouth while admitting the team needed to take their chances when on top.

Vale bossed the first-half and should have taken a lead into the break before Pompey roared back with a dominant second-half spell of their own which resulted in a 2-0 win for the home side.

We’ve got into really good areas and got into the final third and got balls into the box but we have to be more clinical. We have to be more ruthless…

Crosby commented: “To come to the League leaders and a team who have been unbeaten in twenty plus games, to create the number of opportunities we did and not work the keeper enough and then when we came under the pressure which we expected with the way they’re playing and the confidence they are playing with, with the crowd, we couldn’t see out that spell.

“The referee gives a penalty for which our players are adamant there is a foul on our player and it didn’t hit his hand… but those things generally go against you.

“The frustrating thing from our point of view is we’ve come here with a gameplan to utiise the strength of our players and we’ve got into really good areas and got into the final third and got balls into the box but we have to be more clinical. We have to be more ruthless.”