Another dreadful Port Vale display saw them stretch their winless League run to ten games. Here’s our match report.
Team News
It would probably be disappointing news to many Vale fans that manager Darren Moore reverted to a back three for this fixture.
With Connor Hall missing, Cam Humphreys and Jesse Debrah came into the defence. Mitch Clark was fit to play on the right, George Byers started in midfield alongside Rhys Walters but there was no room for Irish striker Ruari Paton in the squad.
Worryingly, considering Clark’s recent return to the side there was no defensive cover named among the seven substitutes.
Cameron Humphreys – return
First-half
It was a dreadful start to the Boxing Day fixture for Darren Moore’s side with their defensive frailties there for all to see.
Vale had the first attempt with Ben Waine shooting wide from Headley’s early cross before the home side took total control.
Firstly, Leo Castledine was allowed to drive into the box from midfield and after out-tricking Ben Heneghan his low shot beat Ben Amos. It was 1-0 after five minutes with Huddersfield scoring from their first attempt. It got even worse on 14 minutes. Vale captain George Byers conceded a free-kick on the right flank and the resulting set play was sent home by Ryan Ledson’s back heel.
Pretty much every attack was causing Vale’s defence problems. Amos was lucky on the half-hour mark when he only palmed out a long-range shot but Town failed to profit. The next effort by Castledine was deflected wide with Vale under the cosh. The Vale keeper was at fault again on 32 minutes when he palmed out a Castledine effort and Radulovic scored from close range. With just over half an hour played, it was game over.
Huddersfield nearly made it four on 39 minutes but the impressive Castledine saw his effort blocked. Meanwhile, Amos did better on 42 minutes with a good reaction save to another Town effort. The chances continued to come with Gooch driving just wide. Huddersfield were all over Vale.
As the half ended, Vale had had no efforts on target and faced a near impossible task in the second period.
Half-time: Huddersfield Town 3-0 Port Vale
Ben Amos – beaten three times
Second-half
Darren Moore made a half-time change with Stockley replacing Waine. However, Huddersfield swiftly made it four when they broke from a Vale corner and Alfie May found the net. There were also claims for a penalty when Headley seemed to bring down Gooch in the box but it was turned down. It didn’t matter too much as Castledine scored a superb fifth on 57 minutes with a curling effort which gave Amos no chance.
Meanwhile, with an hour played, Vale had not had a shot on target. Moore made two baffling changes on 65 minutes with George Hall and Devante Cole both coming off. Taking off the side’s two most dangerous attackers seemed like the Valiants had given up at this stage and were looking at damage limitation.
There was very little to report in the final thirty minutes as Huddersfield coasted. Byers struck an effort wide but that was all Vale could muster as they ended the game with no shots on target. Meanwhile, Town sub Sorensen nearly made it six but headed just over.
It was another dreadful result for the Valiants and one that only increases the pressure on the club’s owners to make a managerial change.
Full-time: Huddersfield Town 5-0 Port Vale
Darren Moore – under huge pressure
Analysis and Opinion
The match
On the pitch, this was a total mismatch with Vale outclassed and Huddersfield looking dangerous every time they attacked. The Vale’s backline is simply not up to League One standards. Heneghan is in the twilight of his career, Debrah is too inconsistent and Humphreys feeling his way back after injury.
As per usual the formation, player selection and substitutions will all raise familiar concerns about manager Darren Moore. It was all too much for the visiting fans who made their feelings about the Vale manager clear. However, it still appears as if the club are simply going to keep faith. If they do their stance will continue to infuriate many who see a top heavy squad, which is cut adrift at the bottom and a club sleepwalking its way to relegation.
The players
In terms of that defence… time is ticking for Ben Heneghan who is struggling at this level. Cam Humphreys was short of match sharpness while Jesse Debrah had one of his poorer games. With no-one on the bench, there was no choice but to soldier on. The nerves also seemed to affect Ben Amos who had a shaky game at times. The rest of the Vale team were pretty poor too. George Hall flickered into life occasionally but Devante Cole didn’t have any service to even attempt a shot from. No-one stood out.
Star player
No-one deserves that accolade.
Summing up in a sentence
Rock bottom.
Match stats
Team: Amos – Debrah, Heneghan, Humphreys – Clark, Byers, Walters, Headley – G.Hall (Shipley), Cole (Croasdale), Waine (Stockley)
Subs: Gauci, Faal, Brown, Curtis
Yellows: Byers, Heneghan
Reds: none
Goals: none
Attendance:
Season stats
Your thoughts…
Debate the match on the dedicated match thread in the OVF forum
Or scroll down and post your comment at the bottom of this match report
Has to GO NO MOORE
That is it. Wrong team, wrong tactics. With this manager there is no way to reach the magical safety of 50 points for the season. On recent showings and with this managers tactics Vale will struggle to stay in Division 2 next year. Will Moore do the honourable thing and resign – no chance. Is Neil Warnock available or Denis Smith.
Diabolical. No shots on target equals no goals. How much longer can the hierarchy bury their collective heads in the sand. Not one player today would have been 3 out of 10. It was men against boys. The players had no answers and seemed yards off the pace. Amos is not a mumber 1 keeper and showed thus today. The clown in charge should have gone months ago. He has lost the dressing room weeks ago despite what he says and the disconnect between the players and the fans starting to grow wider again demonstrated at the final whistle. I await his words of wisdom! DARREN MOORE GET OUT OF OUR. CLUB. Like to finish on a positive note got the score correct, but didn’t have a penny on. Typical.!!
If Carroll.doesnt get rid of him today, she has to go too. She’s spineless and slow to act,, much like the Vale players. All I’ll say is,.we just need.a.good manager for league 2, as that’s where we will be next season.
Shanahans when the manager goes go with him please you are killing Port Vale,the manager today at put out 11men maybe 4 were footballers, and it shows Moores tactical ability by having buyers as Captain, the goalkeeper saved us from an 11/12 -0 score.After the game Mr Moore never acknowledged the supporters, he just went straight down the tunnel, pig ignorant.You Carol have feathered your own nest at the Vale yes the ground has been repaired and we have a very pretty scoreboard, oh and we have Mr Hancock, who talks out of the wrong end of his body.When do we get a manager and a team to go with him.You have never conversed with the supporters in a long time, did you know Carol it’s months since we won a league game.If you don’t care about Port Vale Go Go NOW, you are not listening to the fans, I at this moment am listening to Mr Moore, saying he is not going anywhere,Whst have you done to us Carol, Moore says we have go to compete, I wonder where he got that from ,Oh last week the week before the week before etc boring isn’t it Carol, just like You and Mr Moore SACK Darren Moore, you are loosing support, we are a laughing stock.
Another game tactics all wrong defenders and keeper simply not good enough. The league position does not lie. Got to get rid of moore he is clueless. Need someone new in to give him chance sort this shit out, can’t see new players wanting to come here not very attractive sitting at the bottom but some one new in charge might give us a chance, can’t do any worse than moore he is clueless
New Year, New Manager 😉
One of the most abject displays I’ve witnessed and I’ve been a fan for 60 years. All down to the Manager: wrong selection, wrong tactics, wrong system, no alternatives even when it’s plain what’s wrong, no motivation the list goes on. How bad does he need to perform to get the sack?
How do you kill a circus. Go for the juggler
What needs to be said has already been said many times over, but no action has been taken. Today’s thrashing comes after a series of losses without scoring, including two desperate “6 pointer” home defeats to Plymouth & Peterborough. With the club cut adrift and anchored rock bottom, it’s bitter disappointment for loyal supporters, especially those who spend time and money traveling to away games. High hopes for a competitive season are shattered. Relegation looks guaranteed. Renewed hope has to start with a new manager, and a completely fresh approach for next season’s League 2 campaign.
For me the next 2 weeks starting from Christmas Eve are a Vale free time. I’m not listening to the radio or watching matches on Sky. The 5 nil score didn’t surprise me it’s been coming for several months.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Shanahans didn’t try to sell the club if they can find a buyer. From the start they showed how naive they were dishing 5 year contracts like confetti the open door approach quickly disappeared now information from the club is a rarity and even the match programme had gone since the club say it’s no longer viable.
Time and time again they have shown through their actions they don’t have a clue about how to run a football club or how to recruit staff who have knowledge of football. As the months and years pass by they have become more interested in how the club can reach out into the community and it has become essential that in the football side of things they buy into the philosophy of the club.
What happens next nothing would surprise me the club sucks in money from the supporters any way it can and in return they get a manager who should have been sacked months ago and who has put together a team which could not punch its way out of a wet paper bag.
It does have to be up there with one of the worst performances I’ve witnessed. It was over in the first 10-15 minutes. And dopey had no idea how to even steam the waves of attacks. His subs were made up of what I would call four midfielders and two pedestrian centre forward. The midfield was wide open (Byers has returned to his woeful best). The forwards were toothless and none existent, as for the back four, they looked as if they had been signed minutes before the game and thrown in there. What possibly can Carol think can change by keeping Dopey !
It is sad that the good work done for the club by the Shanahans is being undermined by them stubbornly refusing to remove a manager who is setting all-time records for poor performances. Like other Vale supporters, I just can’t understand why he wasn’t shown the door weeks ago. They need to bite the bullet to give us a chance, however remote, of saving the season. It would be a disaster if he was still at the club when the transfer window opens. He would just add a new set of mediocre players to an already bloated squad and the ‘guess the team’ game would start all over again.