Lincoln City 1-1 Port Vale report – ten man Valiants are denied at the death
Port Vale saw Ollie Arblaster dismissed and conceded a late goal as ten man Lincoln cancelled out a first-half strike from prolific midfielder Ben Garrity.
Manager Andy Crosby made wholesale changes from the side which played in the Football League Trophy game against Wrexham in midweek although youngster Ben Lomax was retained on the bench. Vale were missing a number of players including five defenders.
Vale had a great chance just six minutes in when Sang’s cross found Devine but his header struck the post and bounced out. Moments later, Ben Garrity also scored as he broke clear and rounded the keeper but he couldn’t find the net.
The home side also wasted a glorious chance on twelve minutes when a cross found Smith six yards out but he hit the ball well over the bar. However, it was Vale who took the lead when Ben Garrity converted a cross from Chislett on the half-hour mark to score his sixth of the season. Vale preserved their lead till the break thanks to a good save from Ripley in the closing stages of the half.
However, Vale suffered an early blow in the second period when Arblaster picked up a second yellow for a late challenge and was dismissed. The home side then had a period of pressure with Ripley pulling off another fine save from Smith. The team numbers were then evened out when Lincoln’s O’Connor was dismissed for an apparent blow to a Vale player’s face.
Despite the equal numbers, it was Lincoln who were pressing and Vale were grateful for another fine stop by Ripley from a corner. Vale then had a chance when Ikpeazu’s header was saved. Lincoln immediately countered with calls for a penalty when Ripley advanced from his box to clear.
The rest of the half was a mainly defensive display by the Vale as they soaked up Lincoln pressure. However, they slipped up in the second minute of added time as Lincoln broke on their left and the ball was slid home by former Vale loanee Shodipo to level the scores.
It was a game that marred by some poor officiating by a fussy referee who produced numerous bizarre decisions for both sides. The result, despite the dismissal of Arblaster, was still a decent one for Vale especially as it came in the middle of a defensive injury crisis. However, the Valiants will no doubt rue the late error that denied them the three points.
Match stats
Port Vale: Ripley – Cass, Ojo, Debrah – Sang, Garrity (Conlon), Arblaster, Plant – Chislett (Massey), Devine – Ikpeazu (Loft)
Subs: Leutwiler, Walters, Thomas, Lomax
Port Vale bookings: Garrity (69)
Port Vale sending-off: Arblaster (47 – 2 x yellows)
Port Vale goals: Garrity (34)
Attendance: 7,751 (607 visitors)