Port Vale 2-4 Exeter City report – appalling second-half slump puts survival hopes in severe jeopardy
A classic game of two halves saw the Valiants throw away a great first-half performance to concede four times in the second-half – with the resulting loss leaving the Vale in severe danger in the drop zone.
Team news
Port Vale manager Darren Moore gave striker Uche Ikpeazu a start alongside teenager Baylee Dipepa. Jesse Debrah also returned in the back three and Ethan Chislett was named in midfield. Ryan Loft dropped to the bench.
First-half
Fine goals from Ethan Chislett and Baylee Dipepa capped a good first-half performance from the Valiants.
Vale put the visitors under pressure right from the start. On ten minutes, a fantastic ball from Chislett found Ben Garrity in the box but the goalkeeper pulled off a good close-range save. Exeter countered with a free-kick which saw a close-range effort from Purrington well saved by Connor Ripley.
There was a long-range effort from Ikpeazu which went over before the Valiants took the lead on 31 minutes. A corner was cleared as far as Ethan Chislett and he volleyed home confidently to give Vale the lead.
It got even better eight minutes when Baylee Dipepa weaved in from the right wing and his shot went over the Exeter keeper, who should have done better. No Vale fans cared as the side doubled their lead with the teenager’s third goal of his fledgling Vale career.
It had been a commanding performance by Vale. Conor Grant had arguably had his best game in a Vale shirt. Ben Garrity was the player of the half with his all-action play while the likes of Tom Sang, Ethan Chislett, Uche Ikpeazu, Alex Iacovitti and Funso Ojo had all impressed as well.
Half-time: Port Vale 2-0 Exeter City
Second-half
It was a completely different performance in the second-half as an absolutely shocking Vale performance saw the visitors dominate and score four times to turn the game completely on its head.
Exeter had started strongly with Wildchut forcing Ripley into a good close-range save. As they built up pressure, a goal looked inevitable and it came when a deflected shot by Millenic Alli went over Ripley.
Vale were creating nothing and it prompted Darren Moore to replace the tiring Ikpeazu with Jenson Weir. However, it didn’t stop the flow of the game with Exeter equalising from a flick by former Vale loanee Zak Jules on 67 minutes.
The home side finally created a little pressure in the final fifteen minutes but to no avail as they conceded a poor third goal. The Vale defence failed to clear a through ball and Luke Harris slotted home on 79 minutes.
It got even worse in the closing minutes as Sang missed a clearance and Niskanen ran clear, He centered for Millenic Alli to make it four to the visitors on 89 minutes. It could have been worse as another Exeter effort clipped the bar.
It was a simply appalling second-half display by the Valiants and one that will probably see them playing League Two football next season.
Full-time: Port Vale 2-4 Exeter City
Closing thoughts
The Valiants have only themselves to blame for this result. They should have built on a strong first-half showing but instead a completely insipid second-half display saw them lose the game.
There were some decent Port Vale performances in the opening half – notably from Ben Garrity, Ethan Chislett and Conor Grant but the team looked a different eleven in the second 45 minutes as they fell apart. You can’t pick out a single player for any in the second-half in what was one of the team’s worst-ever 45 minutes.
The fears are that this result could well have dealt a fatal blow to Vale’s chances.
Match stats
Port Vale: Ripley – Debrah (Shorrock), Smith, Iacovitti (Plant) – Sang, Garrity, Ojo (Massey), Grant – Chislett – Dipepa, Ikpeazu (Weir)
Unused subs: Leutwiler, Walters, Loft
Vale bookings: Sang
Vale goals: Chislett (31), Dipepa (39)
Attendance: 6,686 (384 visitors)
Christopher Lawton
13th April 2024 @ 5:50 pm
All blame should be on Moore strategy going defensive for 45min from 2 -0 up he surly knows by now we can’t defend ripley and smith shocking second half grant should of been replaced at 2-1 he didn’t have the energy needed to keep up with there 21 taking uche of was the killer gave them free roam from that point didn’t need to leave anyone at the bk league 2 looks likely now.
Fans should be apologised to for this season poor transfers aside the fault is with owners
Cookie
13th April 2024 @ 6:12 pm
Bottle jobs. 2 nil up and not even a point. Moore second half strategy nit acceptable. We cannot defend. He hadn’t got a clue on Wednesday at Peterborough and has done it again. I.was very vociferous in wanting Crosby gone but I believe now he would be doing a better job than Moore and who knows we might have stayed up! It isn’t over yet but the coffin lid has been shut awaiting final nail. Getting Google maps for a league 2 tour! VTID
Vale fan
13th April 2024 @ 7:06 pm
Manager and the side brilliant last half,MANAGER and side crap second half
Vale fan
13th April 2024 @ 7:08 pm
That’s should be manager and side great first half, MANAGER and side crap second half
RON
13th April 2024 @ 7:24 pm
If you go in at half time in command 2 goals up and you know you have got a great chance towards staying up because teams around you are losing you would give it everything not concede 4 goals does everyone think the supporters want to stay up more than the manager and players do HEARTBREAKING
Simon Bourne
13th April 2024 @ 7:52 pm
When I watched the Vale at Peterborough last season it was already men against Boys. Smith was bullied by Clarke-Harris. It was clear then that we are simply not league 1 material. Since then nothing has changed. I am a life long Vale supporter who when the owners stated “Lers get Championship ready”, I first had my doubts about the owners! Sadly for me and all the loyal supporters the writing has been on the wall for a while now!
David raftery
13th April 2024 @ 8:00 pm
Relegation is now a certainty time to look what went wrong firstly flitcroft followed by carol for blindly supporting him the first team is in a worst state than when we where last relegated unless a complete rethink of the first team we could be following the likes of Southend chesterfield and forest green going straight to the national league
Mark Keeling
13th April 2024 @ 8:08 pm
Absolutely embarrassing
Andy
13th April 2024 @ 8:43 pm
First half was great. We won a lot of 50/50’s all over the pitch and deservedly led at the break.
However, second half they made 3 subs early on and we couldn’t cope. I don’t think it’s rocket science to work out that we don’t have a recognised full back at the club, what a joke! All they had to do was stick someone on the wing to cause chaos in Vale’s defence. The same thing happened against Fleetwood.
Hate to say it, but I think we’re done now.
League 2 next season.
Big Phil
13th April 2024 @ 8:51 pm
Cheltenham. Carlisle. Fleetwood. Burton. The worst 4 sides in League 1. Out of the 8 games against the worst 4 sides we have amassed 6 points. That says everything regarding the quality of recruitment and should be a wake up call as our Manager is tactically naive coupled with an owner that on record has said our players are phenomenal. Time for all to take a reality check as given the accounts recently our club is spiralling again towards the National League.
CT
13th April 2024 @ 9:23 pm
Is it possible for Darren Moore to take his hands out of his pockets.
How to you expect the players to perform what that managers body language is so negative.
Simon
13th April 2024 @ 9:35 pm
What a totally baffling game. We looked good first half and near the end of that play if we had carried the ball a bit further we would have had a penalty rather than a free kick on the edge of the box. Second half I never seen such an abject display from Vale it was appalling and like zombies. They just ran completely ragged. We were chasing shadows, no energy, few tackles. Completely fell to pieces. A complete shocker. It was unbelievably bad and the substitutes who came on I think finished the game with clean shirts and not a grass stain to be seen. Players really let the fans down today – very badly – and there was a real chance to win and give us hope I’m staying up. Shambles.
David Brown
13th April 2024 @ 10:58 pm
The Vale’s survival hopes were ripped apart today by in form but modest mid table Exeter City. Over 43 games, the table doesn’t lie with the quality of the squad found wanting far too often. The club’s home record is truly shocking, and has wrecked the season. Relegation now looks a certainty, but who will undertake the post mortem and set out the plan for the comparatively few new signings to be made.
Ian Mountford
13th April 2024 @ 11:49 pm
I think a lot of people need to take a massive reality check on a number of things. Whilst everyone agrees recruitment has been laughable, people need to ask why. Flitcroft should never have been employed as Director of football or whatever title you want to give him, but theres an old saying “if you pay peanuts you get monkeys”. Go one further than that “and if you don’t have any peanuts even the monkeys won’t come”, and that’s exactly what has happened at the Vale over the last few transfer windows. Is it totally Flitcroft’s fault? and was Carol so defensive of Flitcroft because he took the flack for the club’s lack of investment in the playing squad. To me the promotion of so many 16 and 17 year old academy kids to the first team squad when none of them look football league ready, let alone league ONE ready, points to this. While no one likes to criticise the Shanahan’s because they saved the club from Smurthwaite we can not bury our heads in the sand to what is going on at the club. Without a massive investment into the first team playing squad instead of into the academy, which has failed to produce one player good enough to hold down a position in the team regardless of how poor we are, the club is heading into the national league. As for the manager, I never wanted Moore in the first place, and as a defender the fact he has been unable to organise the team to defend any better than they were before his arrival backs my case. On the field the club is in a worse state than at any time under Smurthwaite and if the Shanahan’s are unwilling or unable to invest in the playing squad, then fresh investment must be sort elsewhere and the Shanahan’s MUST release some of their shares.
Vale fan
14th April 2024 @ 12:09 am
I want to know when the chairperson is going to apologise for the crap we (supporters)have put up with this season, Moore is not the manager for Vale he never will be, before anybody says they are not his players, they are now ,and his tactics cost us 3points today, when you go Mr Moore,take Carol with you, she does not know the first thing about running a football club, why Vale do you always fall for it, first the yanks conned us then Smurf now it’s Carols turn, you are on your way to none league football, speak to us Carol, you’ve got to tell us about bring division 1 ready
jeffrey norman keen
14th April 2024 @ 1:16 pm
We had a win in our grasp and then suffered self combustion . I sat there at half-time thinking we really need a third goal because Vale cannot keep a two goal lead as we know . The Exeter first goal was deflected and bad luck but everybody in the ground knew what was going to happen next because the Vale team has a victim/loser mentality and Exeter took advantage of the insecurities/lack of confidence in the vale team . Darren Moore if he is still here next season must really commit drastic surgery on the team . He was given a ridiculous length of contract –5 years still left on it to sort a Dads army of square pegs in round holes . The damage was done by DF in his DOF role and his panto performance as the recruitment/comedy director farce sunk us . We will play in league 2 next season and our present manager will need to really carry out drastic surgery and prove his worth .
Signings should concentrate on non-league stars if the money is not there and not registering failed players next season will aid the departures of the failures who will still have to be paid . Carol made a big mistake in trusting DF but overall she is the breath of life that Vale needed at it’s time of need .She is very good at the community side of the club and must stay the course even if gutted by relegation as are the fans . There should be no continuing of failed players due to age , injuries or lack of talent but aligned to big clubs .
Warren Park
15th April 2024 @ 12:14 pm
We have invested in Darren Moore who is an experienced manager including at a higher level than Port Vale. He’s brought in better coaching staff as well. There are two problems. The first being the wrong appointment to manager in the summer of 2023. I know I am guilty of being Ok with that appointment at the time. Then obviously the recruitment that has taken place. Again I’m guilty of giving credit to some of the players recruited. I think the signings all had some potential but one way or another also had weaknesses. For example, Sang is decent on the ball by L1 standards, but he can’t tackle well enough and therefore isn’t an effective defender / wing back. Then of course there is the obvious in letting the top scorer from 2023/3 leave and not replacing him with another proven striker who scores goals. Compounding that is bringing strikers who are not actually fit in Uche and Wilson and therefore leaving us without a proven goal scoring striker for large chunks of the season.
So now we probably do have a good management team. But we haven’t got a good enough team!! Incredible. And potentially very expensive! We are still not down and maybe something extraordinary happens. But even if we survive, the clubs coming up are bigger and better than the ones that will go down. We would have to be significantly stronger to climb to mid table next season.
It is hard to avoid the conclusion the owners and former director of football have made a complete mess of recruitment and retention. They have brought young players through, but there is only Dipepe who looks really ready at L1 level.
Ron H
15th April 2024 @ 12:53 pm
Anybody else notice when Moore makes substitutions he doesn’t look at the at the players, no pats on the back or handshakes, and the players just walk to the dugout as Moore stares away. There is no manager/player chemistry at all and it is obvious Moore has lost the dressing room! 5 year contract?…I would hope there is a caveat in there that if relegated this season then his contract is cancelled and null and void?
Dave biddulph
15th April 2024 @ 6:58 pm
I want no what’s happened to mighten? Has Darren Moore got a issue with him not even on bench again Saturday every time he has come on for us he’s not let us down