Darren Moore’s side were held at home by Tranmere in a game which could have gone either way – but the potential of the side suggests more is to come.
Team news
Team newsMoore made one change from the win over Salford City on the opening day. Fit again Ethan Chislett came in for Lorent Tolaj. Jayden Stockley was named on the bench.
First-half
First-halfIt was a patchy opening fifteen minutes with a deflected Curtis effort Vale’s first attempt on goal. The Valiants almost gifted the visitors a goal after a mix up between Debrah and Ripley resulted in a scrambled save and Rovers fans howling for a penalty.
On twenty minutes, Vale upped the tempo with Curtis and Chislett prominent. The pair and Ruari Paton all had shots go wide in a matter of minutes. Meanwhile, Rovers had a couple of breakaway efforts but with neither keeper making a meaningful save it was goalless at the break.
Half-time: Port Vale 0-0 Tranmere Rovers
Second-half
Second-halfThere was a slow start to the second 45 minutes until the visiting keeper McGhee pulled off a good save from a Vale free-kick routine. The Valiants pressed but despite some neat play couldn’t find a cutting edge. Tranmere countered with Heneghan on hand to block a dangerous cross from Norman while another from Saunders was palmed away by Ripley. Meanwhile a through ball to Chislett was just too strong for him to latch onto.
As the half progressed it was the visitors with the majority of possession and the officials earnt the ire of the Vale sides when a heavy challenge on Paton went unchallenged. Darren Moore rang the changes with Stockley and Dipepa introduced for Paton and Chislett but the visitors had arguably the chance of the game when a corner struck the woodwork.
As the game drew to a close, there were a couple of chances for Stockley but it ended with the points shared.
Full-time: Port Vale 0-0 Tranmere Rovers
Final thoughts
I hope Vale fans are not too critical of this performance. Yes, Vale lacked a cutting edge but there were glimpses of some lovely attacking moves plus another clean sheet. After all the changes in the summer, it’s reasonable that the side may take a few games to gel, especially upfront, so a little patience is required.
Our pick of the players: It was great to see Ethan Chislett back in a Vale shirt as well as a first competitive game for Jayden Stockley. I thought Ronan Curtis was influential upfront, Sam Hart did well on the left flank while the back three of Hall, Heneghan and Debrah all solid. Ripley did have a nervy moment in the first-half but was otherwise solid.
Match stats
Please note these stats may not update immediately after the game finishes
Vale starting eleven: Ripley – Debrah, Heneghan, Hall – Sang, Croasdale, Garrity, Hart (John) – Curtis, Paton (Stockley), Chislett (Dipepa)
Subs: Amos, Plant, Ojo, Lowe
Vale bookings: Heneghan, Curtis
Vale goals: none
Attendance: 8,102 (1,158 visitors)
Rate the players
League table
What did you think of the Port Vale performance? Share your thoughts and post a comment below.
2 games in, verdict work in progress
Early days but not sure of his lineup. Its seems strange that both Chislett and Stockley were both available yet both are short of match practice.
Clean sheet and hard earned point. Lack of quality in final 3rd let both teams down. I was disappointed that Paton was subbed as he was the 1 forward player who looked on it and we were not the same team after. Hey were still unbeaten and yet to concede which was our biggest problem last year, again Hall and Heneghan impressed.