Shrewsbury Town 2-1 Port Vale report – lack of a cutting edge costs Valiants once again
Despite plenty of possession and nice passages of play, Port Vale’s winless League run continues after the Valiants suffered an away defeat at Shrewsbury.
The home side took their chances to take a 2-0 lead and despite another goal from prolific midfielder Ben Garrity, Vale were unable to take any other chances as they suffered another defeat on their travels.
Manager Andy Crosby welcomed defender Alex Iacovitti back into his starting line-up while midfielder Funso Ojo continued in a back three. After a scrappy start there were some early scares for Vale.
The Valiants then had a good chance when Ben Garrity’s header was blocked on the line from Tom Sang’s corner. An Uche Ikpeazu shot was then ruled out for offside and those chances proved costly. On the half-hour mark, Vale’s defence failed to prevent a cross coming in and Bennett beat Iacovitti to head home the opening goal.
Garrity headed just over again after good work from Arblaster and Chislett while there were also claims for a penalty.
However, the home side doubled their lead early into the second-half when Udoh was allowed to run from the half-way line and his shot hit the bar and went in.
Vale finally managed to find the target on 57 minutes when Ben Garrity headed home another Sang free-kick but despite pushing in the latter stages, Vale couldn’t create any clearcut chances. There were late claims for a handball and penalty but they were turned down.
It was another bitterly disappointing result for the Valiants. There were flashes of class from the likes of Arblaster and Chislett but the script is now familiar – nice build-up play with no end product and the odd lapse of concentration at the back. Attention will now turn to the visit of Derby County to Burslem on Tuesday evening – with fans desperate to see Vale turn this poor run of form around.
Port Vale – Ripley – Smith, Ojo, Iacovitti (Debrah) – Massey, Garrity, Arblaster, Sang – Chislett (Lowe), Ikpeazu (Loft), Devine
Subs – Leutwiler, Walters, Plant, Conlon
Port Vale goal – Garrity (57)
Port Vale bookings – Ojo
Attendance – 7,429 (1,637 visitors)
