A blunt and low quality Port Vale display saw them lose at home to Peterborough as they remained rooted to the bottom of the table. Here’s our match report.
Team News
Manager Darren Moore was forced into a number of changes through injuries. Funso Ojo and George Byers were both out so Ryan Croasdale and Rhys Walters formed a new central midfield partnership. Mitch Clark returned to replace the injured Kyle John as right-back (with youngster Ben Lomax as cover on the bench).
Meanwhile, Dejaune Brown also missed out through injury so Mo Faal and Jayden Stockley were the forwards on the bench.
Mitch Clark – returned to the team
First-half
It was a low quality game of two halves at Vale Park as it finished goalless at the break.
The Valiants started well and pressed their opponents for 25 minutes or so – before the visitors had the better of the second period of the half.
Vale showed their intent (and perhaps lack of quality) as Devante Cole produced an airshot from Paton’s well worked corner. There were then two attempts by Ben Waine with both efforts going wide. Hall was causing Peterborough problems and his cross found Cole in the box only for his close range shot to be saved.
However, Vale suffered a blow when Connor Hall landed heavily and had to be replaced by Debrah. The move looked to unsettle the Vale defence with the visitors coming more into it.
Leonard spurned two chances on 27 minutes – although he was denied a goal on the second occasion by a good Ben Amos save. Then Lisbie failed to take advantage of several opportunies – one shanked effort when put through was symptomatic of the low quality football on offer.
Vale’s best chance came from Jesse Debrah on 37 minutes as his low drive went just wide but despite eight additional minutes it was goalless at the break.
Half-time: Port Vale 0-0 Peterborough Utd
Connor Hall: Injury blow
Second-half
As is so often the case this season, Vale put on a dreadful second-half display as their woeful home form continued. This loss puts the side in pole position for relegation back to League Two.
While Vale arguably had the better chances in the first half, the second-half definitely belonged to Peterborough who tested Ben Amos on numerous occasions.
The first chance arrived early on as Leonard turned in the box and drove just wide. Woods then forced Amos into two saves in a matter of minutes.
Vale did have one glorious opportunity. The ever willing George Hall crossed and Devante Cole struck the woodwork but that chance was the exception rather than the rule as Vale struggled and home fans fumed.
The winner came on 82 minutes as Peterborough broke. An unmarked Lisbie was found and he pulled the ball back for Leonard to find the net.
Vale huffed and puffed to try and find a winner but it never looked likely and the team departed to a chorus of boos. The pressure is mounting on Darren Moore and his players.
Full-time: Port Vale 0-1 Peterborough Utd
Devante Cole – hit the woodwork
Analysis and Opinion
The match
It was hardly a game for the purists. Vale initially tried to force the issue against opponents who were happy to slow play down. However, it was also a game littered with errors as the lack of confidence on both sides became apparent. As the match progressed, Vale ran out of ideas and Peterborough looked the more potent side in the second-half. It was a bitterly disappointing result for the Valiants.
The players
George Hall was probably Vale’s most dangerous player going forward while Ben Amos justified his selection with a solid display. That’s probably it for the positives… on the negative side, the loss of Connor Hall unbalanced the defence and the partnership of Debrah and Heneghan was shaky and carved open on several occasions. Ben Waine drifted out of the game after impressing early on. Mitch Clark was clearly struggling as the game went on and that also probably contributed to Vale’s lack of chances in the second 45 minutes – Moore should have acted sooner to replace him.
As Vale struggled to make chances, the subs made the side increasingly unbalanced and the lack of belief and confidence among the players was also apparent as Vale ended the game as a ragged unit.
Star player
George Hall
Summing up in a sentence
Moore’s none the merrier after festive failure.
Match stats
Team: Amos – Clark, Heneghan, C.Hall (Debrah), Headley – Croasdale, Walters – G.Hall, Paton, Waine – Cole
Subs: Gauci, Lomax, Faal, Shipley, Curtis, Stockley
Yellows: Headley, Heneghan, Cole
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
Dyer
Port Vale it’s a predicted text at 445 on a Saturday! Spot on Mitch Clark went down with cramp but was kept on for a further 10 minutes. Why? To cap it our most dangerous player George Hall then shunted to right back to leave us with AwFAAL and the equally appalling Curtis supporting Cole. When will it end for this clown in charge of picking the team. Why is he still in charge? We know why ,the ridiculous length of contract he was given. As I’ve said time and time again he has not got a scooby doo! No sign of him again at the final whistle and a got to say a pretty poor effort from the majority of the players on the walk of shame. I await his comments but it will be the same claptrap he wheels out each week. I normally ask santa for 3 points on boxing day but this year I have asked for a new manager!! Time has run out Mr Moore! Although for me his time was up weeks ago when a change manager could have resulted in a different outcome. ANYBODY who doesn’t believe we are destined for league 2 needs their head looking at. Merry Xmas to all readers
As Fraser said in Dad’s Army….We are doomed ! A must win match once again thrown away. Second half well beyond embarrassing after a poor first half. If Moore survives into the New Year he should buy a lottery ticket with such luck.
It is well past time for a survival manager instead of this relegation one….he surely has to go,and now. Let’s not wait for the expected absurd excuses in the media interview from “Big Dave” !
Get. Him. Gone.
Sadly we’re an absolute joke of a club no manager would keep his job in this situation but thankfully the deluded owners and absolutely useless CEO know better so let’s all keep going watching utter garbage and losing. Disgraceful way to treat supporters the people in charge of this club should hang their heads in shame.
He has got to go. We have a reasonable squad of players, certainly good enough to finish mid table. It’s the team selection, tactics , substitutions that are all wrong. Every match is the same , ok for 20 odd minutes ( but don’t score) then the opposition work out how ( whatever the so called system is we are playing) to counteract against what is realistically a 2 man midfield ( just so happen to be Croasdale and Walter’s today). They then take control.
Please please go …. good squad naive management
It’s time Vale had a complete clear out from the top, Carol has not got a clue neither has the CEO, the rot has been there since last season, to top it all the manager does not know his @-se from his elbow, he proved that today by what he did with Clark, I think Mr Moore is brain dead, there is no logic in what he says or does.We need a manager to get some respect back for PORT VALE FC, if that means getting rid of the owners so be it, one supporter has stated his case against her and so does this supporter, you Carol are treating us like dirt.Its is sickening every week the same night mare with a pathetic manager, like Mr Moore, all the good you did at the club is gone Carol and so should MR MOORE be GONE!
He should never have been given the job after managing just 2 wins out of 20 matches at Huddersfield. He should have sacked him after his dismissal attempt to keep us up. The club is being run by a family who have no clue about football and Hancock who has no interest in football. History is repeating itself with the family refusing to act over the deplorable job Flitcroft was doing, and now the similar job Moore is doing, this is going to cost us relegation for a second time. I said a couple of weeks ago if they refuse to act until the end of December the gap could be irreversible. Personally I didn’t think todays game was as bad as it was being made out to be, at least we had two teams trying to win the game, as the goal attempts show. Peterborough did look a good team especially with the pace they possess and willing runners they had all over the park. That’s what a decent manager and coaching staff can do you. Moore has been given so much backing by the club and they have received nothing in return. We have three iffy keepers, our central defenders are basically league two standard, big cumbersome and slow, our wingbacks or fullbacks in fairness are all good enough but very injury prone. We do have midfield players good enough for this level but constant changes have ruined that. As for the forwards, Moore has somehow put together a collection of players of which only one has a proven goal scoring record at this level, which the goal return reflects. Basically Moores vision and recruitment for this level of football has been appalling, and his team selection even worse. There is a league one team amongst these players but not under this manager. Everything that made Peterborough look a decent team we have nothing of. Again Moores substitutions were just horrendous, couldn’t he see our only threat was coming from Hall so why move him to fullback? And how many more times has the inept Faal going to be brought on, he’s No goal threat, he’s slow, he lacks any physical presence and is easily dominated by seasoned defenders. All in all Moore is the worst manager I have witnessed at Port Vale especially with the backing he has been given, and still Carol and Co are unable to see it.
They all want a good horsewhipping, Darren Moore is a complete joke he’s got to go. I’m sorry Carol but grow some balls and get rid before your neck is on the chopping board too. The club is about the fans and the community, and it’s up to you Carol to deliver, tough decisions to be made but are desperately needed. What a bloody shambles
When the final whistle blew today i asked myself one question…what is the point??… we looked ok for 20mins and if we dont score its just a matter of time before the opposition scores and then we have lost!…the players have no fight and no belief. We as supporters need to see players who are battling for our team..and that has gone…sadly its over, at Christmas. Happy New Year!!!
A five year contract. That’s the issue here. A big, big payoff in prospect if he goes. I’m no businessman but I would argue anyone with a decent economics brain wouldn’t have handed that contract out in the first place. Injury issues, too big a squad for their league standing, the whole scenario screams incompitence. Maybe trying too hard with the ‘local community’ thing rather than running a football club? Dunno, but Darren is biding his time. He’s no fool. He’s out of his depth but currently wearing the keep-afloat suit.
A “must win 6 pointer” home game ending in defeat against a fellow relegation candidate spells “big trouble”. Given Vale’s overall league form, today’s losing performance isn’t really surprising. The club’s recent vote of confidence for Moore seems likely to persist after two Cup wins and last week’s draw at Luton. In hindsight, Moore’s contract should (at least) have been conditional of him avoiding relegation two seasons ago. With last season’s automatic promotion achievement now history, the pressure is now back on Moore and the Board. The club’s owners have made a huge financial and largely successful contribution to the club. They have my sincere thanks and support, but they need expert independent advice on how to forward navigate the club’s precarious league position and avoid the costs of another relegation.
Moore out he talks a different game the we watch absolutely deluded never mind Carol is on it lol lol lol
HELLO LEAGUE DIVISION TWO HERE WE COME AGAIN !!!!!!!!!!!!
I hate to say I told you so but I’ve been going on about DMs departure for months this will be my last posting as I’ve had enough not since the Jim Gannon farce has the club we love has the management and the fans been so disconnected I’ve refused to go to a game while this self-centred arrogant man who cares nothing for the club and thinks we the fans are stupid and know nothing he is only now waiting to feather his nest as some kind of retribution on us for not understanding and questioning his management I fear it’s now too late for survival I think even Alec Ferguson could sort this mess out please Santa put Darren Moore in your sack and dump him in the middle of Lapland
Neil B loads of us have have told Carol what’s going on SHE DOES NOT LISTEN SHE IS AS DAFT AS MOORE, There is something more than football going on at Port Vale, give the club back to the fans Carol
I don’t usually give up but got to say it’s unwatchable right now 🙁 NeilB your correct Carol and the rest of the management team are just not listening. We do fabulous things for our community but totally ignore the paying fans concerns.
My New Year resolution is to show how I feel with my feet so I won’t be walking into Vale Park in 2026 until I see change. I can’t keep letting these performances stress me out.
Our best player at plymouth doing a great job sending us down,,,and keeping them up,,,sums up my season