Barrow 4-0 Port Vale – Valiants put on second-half shocker as they lose first League game

Barrow came out on top after at Holker Street with the Valiants put to the sword during the second-half of the game.

Team news

Connor Hall wasn’t fit to start so Sam Hart started on the left of a back three with Kyle John starting as left wingback. Defender Nathan Smith and midfielder George Byers were both named on a strong Vale bench.

First-half

It was a first 45 minutes of few chances as it ended goalless at the break. It was a cagey start and it took 15 minutes for the first chance which saw a low shot from Curtis saved. Captain Ben Garrity then went close when his header was expertly saved by the Barrow keeper on 20 minutes. The home side also had periods of pressure but without creating any clearcut chances.

The Valiants broke and a Ronan Curtis cross-shot was palmed away while Connor Ripley was called into action for the first time as he saved a Feeney effort. It was all-square at the break with it all to play for.

Half-time: Barrow 0-0 Port Vale

Second-half

Poor marking in the latter stages of the second-half allowed Barrow to score almost at will as they recorded their second win of the season over the Valiants. It was an awful display from the visitors.

The home side put on the pressure in the opening minutes of the second-half and took the lead when Garner was allowed to turn on 53 minutes and his low shot beat Ripley. Vale had an excellent chance to level just minutes later when Garrity was found in the box but his effort went wide.

The Valiants made a host of attacking substitions but the move backfired on them as the home side scored twice in the closing stages. Firstly, slack marking allowed substitute Acquah to score with a thumping drive on 79 minutes. The Vale were rattled and poor marking by Dipepa and Debrah allowed Spence to turn in the box and score from close range. To add to Vale’s woes. Sam Hart was forced off through injury at the end while Heneghan almost got a consolation at the death with a powerful effort. To rub salt in the wounds, Barrow made it four in added-on time through Telford. It was a really poor second-half performance overall from Darren Moore’s side.

Full-time: Barrow 4-0 Port Vale

Final thoughts:

It was a bitterly disappointing performance by Darren Moore’s side. Things were fairly even at the break but the first goal caused Vale to push forward and the plan backfired. It was worrying to see the old issues from last season – the defence not clearing their lines – creeping in during the final third of the game. It was also concerning to see Vale fall apart so dramatically in the closing stages. However, while it’s a poor result it’s only one game of a long season and the Vale will need to bounce back strongly as this wasn’t god enough.

Pick of the players: Vale looked resilient in the first 45 with Ben Heneghan, Ryan Croasdale and Ronan Curtis all impressing. However, in a very disappointing second-half it’s difficult to single out any performance as worthy of credit.

What did you think of the Port Vale performance? Share your thoughts and post a comment below.