“Absolutely incredible” – Andy Crosby pay tribute to Port Vale’s teenage debutants

Port Vale manager Andy Crosby was full of praise for teenage debutants Ben Lomax and Jack Shorrock after the wingbacks impressed during the 3-0 home victory over Blackpool on Friday.

Shorrock, aged just sixteen, is already the club record holder for youngest first-team player and scorer and impressed on the left flank. Fellow youth teamer Lomax was solid on the right flank. Both were making their full League debut. They were joined in the closing stages by fellow teenager Baylee Dipepa who came on as a sub.

The two young boys who started the game making their full League debuts I thought were absolutely incredible…

Crosby told the media it was: “A really good performance both with and without the ball. Four Academy players in the eighteen, three on the pitch at once.

“The two young boys who started the game making their full League debuts I thought were absolutely incredible. I also think that the senior players they had around them really looked after them.

“We probably spent a little less time in the build-up phase today and we utilised the strengths of Uche (Ikpeazu) probably a little bit earlier but I think it’s about time we beat a team here, it’s been a struggle for us since we’ve been in League One to beat one of the bigger clubs at home.”