Rob Fielding shares his views after Port Vale’s goalless draw with Tranmere and he’s full of praise for “calm” defender Ben Heneghan.
The Valiants drew the match 0-0 with defences on top for much of the game.
Rob Fielding writes…
Thought one – building from the back
It was interesting that in his post-match thoughts manager Darren Moore praised the back three as a single unit, describing the trio as a “platform” for the team. I’d completely agree. The concern with so many changes over the summer is that the team would take a while to gel and while things are not quite clicking upfront it’s reassuring to see two clean sheets in a row and the reassurance of a resilient defence. It makes such a change from last season.
Connor Hall caught the eye at times on Saturday, especially with one surging run forward, but I thought it was new signing Ben Heneghan who was the heart of the back three – always in the right place, always calm and yet sometimes not noticed. He looks to be a brilliant acquisition.
Thought two – improvements albeit with teething problems
This was another start to the season where (to use a few corporate terms) the supporter experience was sub-optimal. There have been ticketing problems prior to the game, albeit seemingly now resolved; confusion over the PVTV streaming service and concerns that the club shop (with its one counter serves all policy) would not cope with a matchday surge. It’s therefore good to see the club attempting to resolve many of those issues. The re-opening of the ticketing windows on matchdays is a small but crucial move. As was having a member of staff on the club shop entrance to guide people to the relevant area.
I also liked some of the new artwork (pictured) around the ground. However, I still heard grumblings at half-time in the Railway including people who had ordered food only to be told it had run out when they tried to collect it. So, to sum up, the club get credit for attempting to resolve these issues but it does look like there are a few still to resolve.
Thought three – great to see Chislett return
If you believed online rumours, it’s a done deal that Ethan Chislett doesn’t suit Darren Moore’s style and is on his way out. Nevermind the more reasonable suggestion that the player is simply injured. Anyway, let’s hope he is part of Moore’s plans because I thought he was excellent on Saturday.
Considering Chislett has missed a portion of the summer with injury and this was his first start he was full of energy, creativity and wiles. There’s plenty of competition in the Vale ranks but in my opinion, the Valiants look a better side with Chislett in it.
Thought four – Curtis and Paton on course to be terrace darlings
One thing that Vale fans crave from their players is commitment and it’s fair to say that summer signings Ronan Curtis and Ruari Paton possess that in spades. They also possess no little skill but I think it’s their passion that will endear them to the crowd. They are both at different stages of their career – Curtis is already a proven Football League operator while Paton is coming to terms with playing in England, but both look like great additions to the squad.
Thought five – more to come from this side
Thought five – more to come from this sideThe best thing about only managing a goalless draw at home is the thought that this isn’t, by any means, Vale’s full strength side. The late introduction of targetman Jayden Stockley gave a glimpse of how Vale could benefit from a tall player upfront; there is much anticipation about the contribution George Byers can bring, long-serving Nathan Smith hasn’t featured this season while Lorent Tolaj and Benicio missed this game with knocks. And we’ve got new signing Diamond Edwards to look forward to.
With such a strong side, not all of them will fit into a starting XI, but there’s high hopes that competition will drive Vale on. If Vale can reach the point of a fully fit squad it will be fascinating to see if they do push on to new heights.
What do you think of these thoughts? Do you agree or disagree? Post a comment below.
All of the comments so far are pretty well on the ball. If Chislett does not fit into the managers plans then the manager must come clean and say so. The problem is a manager who as a player will always be defensive minded ala Gordon Lee.
It would be good if we have a fully fit squad. With the recent additions we must make sure we become more ruthless and give nothing away at home. Also out of one comp already its long overdue for good FA Cup run. Keep the faith.
I thought Darren Moore made the wrong substitutions because both Hart & Chislet were two of our better players particularly as Hart put in an excellent cross just prior to being substituted. Perhaps Darren knows more about their fitness levels but we seemed to go on the back foot after the substitutions were made and could have lost the game! Both Daryl Clarke and Andy Crosby made two or three substitutions after 65-70 minutes which backfired as oppose to sticking with a settled 11 players. Often wholesale changes to a team upset both the balance and jelling of the team and can be negative. If there are fitness issues fair enough but in my day players battled through with their socks down. Keep up the good work Vale and give us fans hope!
Having been at the game my concern was how few goal scoring chances we created, fortunately Tranmere suffered from the same problem. It is fair to say it is early days and the new players need time to adjust and to play together. I think the next half a dozen games will let us know the answers. It’s all very well saying we have players in the squad but we need to see them on the pitch. Next Saturdays result will determine whether we have made a good start to the season or a mediocre one. Keep the faith, up the Vale
Nathan Smith …. Why is there no news about him?
Adrian, I met Nathan in the fan zone and had a good chat with him. He told me he is very near fitness again and raring to go. A great ambassador for the club….
Vale played very well and were well on top for the first 30 mins until Sang and Garrity had a knock. Everyone (except Ripley who had another rush of blood) was playing their part, Hall and Heneghan were dominant, Curtis, Paton and Chislett were full of energy and Croasdale was excellent. It seemed only one team was in it, then we just seemed to loose all momentum. Pleasingly, we started the second half on the front foot and regained control for the first 15 minutes, but Tranmere’s substitution totally changed the game. Croasdale like at Salford seemed to have less influence on the game after the hour mark, then once Paton and Chislett went off we seemed to be hanging on a bit. While Stockley seemed to be coursing Tranmere all sorts of problems in the air, sadly Dipepa did little to impress and looked a little bit heavy legged for a young lad. While I’m still unconvinced with Moore it’s one good win, and what was a pleasing performances although only in parts,