Match Thread: Port Vale v Exeter City

[bomber]

Very happy with the three points! Now we have some strikers we need to get a lot more DECENT crosses into the box. However it was all about the result and that takes a bit of pressure off. Hope we can get at lease a point at Morecambe. 

[Granville]

I thought we showed a lot more willingness to win second balls yesterday than we had done in the previous three games, also helped by the fact that both Shrewsbury and Barnsley had dead balls specialists in Bayliss and Connell, and Exeter had no one of that quality. 

Booing Benning was abhorrent. Yes he's been playing poorly but he's hardly turning to the crowd and flicking the v's is he? The guy is being asked to play at a higher level than he's used to and has struggled, hardly cause for some of the vitriol he got. 

Robinson is not the answer, he did a job but against a good right sided player he'd have got slaughtered. The lad needs a loan to get him more streetwise before he should be considered a first choice in this team.

Something I didn't realise until I heard it on the radio on the way to the game was that if we'd not won, it would have been our longest run without a win since Clarke took over, yet its taken us two years to get to that point!

[NellyTheValiant]

11 hours ago, Guitar Ray said:

An interesting read.

We’re in a poor run and it showed, but I thought the Grecians looked like they’d gone backwards from the team I’ve seen in the last few encounters.  You’ll know the possible reasons for that more than I. I thought we we’re comfortably the better team until the sending off and goal, after which I thought you upped the tempo whilst we seemed to take our foot off the gas for some reason.  I’d take issue with your view that the red card was harsh.  Your player committed 3 fouls, which were clumsy at best, was warned for one, booked for the second before being red carded.  However you want to paint it, I’d have been livid at the stupidity had it been our player.

The situation with the fans is similar to ourselves, you lose a few games and the doom mongers find their voices.  Win a couple and it’ll be rosy again.  The atmosphere was terrible today due to our recent performances and results.

Good to hear the oatcakes lived up to expectations.  Maybe try the bacon, cheese and tomato next time.

I’m fairly confident both our clubs will be safe this season, but we won’t be flirting with the play offs either so you can start planning your oatcake fillings now.

 

Yeah, I'll second the oatcake recommendation

[Warren]

1 hour ago, werstayinup said:

Taylor is not just that goalscorer we need but he was always in the refs ear and was also one for winding up defenders,this is something we have lacked for a while(also will get his share of free kicks to take pressure off,very clever 😉 ). I like him already

For not the biggest I thought he was a good target man. He can spin the defender and that affords him respect. When it is a stactic back to goal hold up situation he had the ball the right distance in front of him so the defender can't lunge. There was a good flow in attack because he keeps the ball moving or threatening. He can play with our other forwards. Looks good to me. 

[Warren]

12 minutes ago, NellyTheValiant said:

Yeah, I'll second the oatcake recommendation

Prefer if the cheese is using a vegetarian alternative to rennet. Therefore I ain't into bacon and sausage either. I am pied out and inspired to go look for an oatcake - living out of district I want a fresh one. 

[Warren]

In the Exeter camp yesterday I was surprised at the quietness of Caprice. It seemed like he'd lost his mojo as I thought he'd been a really good player at our level in the past. But maybe I should give Worrall credit for that. 

[Jacko51]

3 minutes ago, Warren said:

In the Exeter camp yesterday I was surprised at the quietness of Caprice. It seemed like he'd lost his mojo as I thought he'd been a really good player at our level in the past. But maybe I should give Worrall credit for that. 

We mentioned him during the game - he has been a thorn in our side at times, particularly with that appalling dive for the pen down at their place.  We got an apology from the Refs Mob after that one!

[darren1810]

15 minutes ago, Warren said:

In the Exeter camp yesterday I was surprised at the quietness of Caprice. It seemed like he'd lost his mojo as I thought he'd been a really good player at our level in the past. But maybe I should give Worrall credit for that. 

Can't play well every game. I'd snap their hands off to have him as our wing back. 

Probably had an off day and Worrall played better against him than previously. 

[Brian Johnson]

1 hour ago, werstayinup said:

Taylor is not just that goalscorer we need but he was always in the refs ear and was also one for winding up defenders,this is something we have lacked for a while(also will get his share of free kicks to take pressure off,very clever 😉 ). I like him already

Totally agree with this. He never stopped giving everyone <ovf censored>.

His dive for the penalty in the first half was embarrassing though and should have been booked but I already want us to sign him up at the end of the season.

Special mention for Tom Pett yesterday, I thought he was great

 

[Brian Johnson]

14 hours ago, fred binneys head said:

For an opposition view, here’s what I just posted onto our forum (Exeweb). Apologies for saying you were shiite but I thought you were, we were just worse. Anyway, well done, you deserved to win what was a very poor game.

Here’s my thoughts:

I was really angry after the Burton game but today I just felt blank, almost disinterested, it was weird, it was like I was a neutral watching two teams I didn’t care about. Someone on here nailed it when they said they didn’t recognise us, that’s how I felt.

First half was dreadful, we set up with 3 strikers in a 3-4-1-2 formation which should have put us on the front foot, but it really didn’t. Vale were first to all second balls, they were quicker of thought and stronger in the challenges, and they weren’t great, we were just worse. We were lucky to go in at 0-0 at half time.

Second half we were similar, we couldn’t get anything to stick up top, Scott looked soft considering his size and Sammy wasn’t on the same wavelength as everyone else. Stanno battled and was the only player (other than Hartridge) who had the strength of character to go toe-to-toe with the Vale players. The rest were timid when it mattered. I expected GC to instil a fearless steel into the side, well so far he hasn’t.

Harper flattered to deceive - one minute he would break up play well, the next he would give the ball away. But our plan was non-existent, we kept lumping high balls onto the head of the Vale defenders and we had no-one in midfield when the ball was loose, it always fell to a Vale player. Then Harper was penalised seemingly harshly and gets a second yellow and we’re down to ten men. Then GC makes changes and we look bloody good - we raise our tempo, we move the ball on the floor quickly, and we look the better side for the last 20 minutes. But we still didn’t test their keeper at all.

KMT kept talking about ‘box entries’ and he was right, we don’t do this as much under GC. We fanny about on the wings, cutting back two or three times, then cross it onto the head of the central defender who has been ready and waiting for ten minutes due to our fannying around. We never looked threatening. At all.

Despite a harsh red, and despite Vale being shiite (and they really were), we still deserved to lose that game, and that should worry us. For the first time, I’m worried about the teams below us catching us. We desperately need a win next Saturday, to give the players confidence, to give GC and the coaching staff confidence and to give us confidence. I really hope we get it.

The fans at the end were 90% clapping (including me) but there was a sizeable minority booing and / or giving hand gestures to the team when they came over - and there was significant frustration during the game when crosses or passes went astray (and loads did) - it definitely felt like today was the day when the fans started to turn, hence why we need a win next Saturday for everyone to just calm down and get back loving the lads. 

The oatcakes before the game were bloody lovely though - cheese, sausage and egg with brown sauce. Thoroughly recommend.

 

Great summary of the two teams yesterday.

Still have no idea why your board of directors went with Caldwell to be manager. Apart from his first season in charge of at the time, money bags Wigan Athletic, he's been useless in every other managerial position

[Bycarsbill]

1 hour ago, bomber said:

Very happy with the three points! Now we have some strikers we need to get a lot more DECENT crosses into the box. However it was all about the result and that takes a bit of pressure off. Hope we can get at lease a point at Morecambe. 

A few weeks back Morecombe were on a little 'hot streak' thankfully that appears now to have ground to a halt.  The tide at Morecombe goes out a long way, maybe the tide has turned for us now that we've ended that long run without a win. Hopefully we can take advantage and get thre points!

[blackdog]

Regardless of Forresters performance yesterday his best so far as I'm concerned , the finish for his goal was very good, he needs a run between now and the end of the season.

 

 

 

[MBE]

2 hours ago, Jacko51 said:

We mentioned him during the game - he has been a thorn in our side at times, particularly with that appalling dive for the pen down at their place.  We got an apology from the Refs Mob after that one!

I thought it was Sparkes who replaced Caprice yesterday who throw himself on the floor?

 

[Walka003]

Regardless of Forresters performance yesterday his best so far as I'm concerned , the finish for his goal was very good, he needs a run between now and the end of the season.
 
 
 

Him Smith and Jones (if he makes it back soon) should be our first choice back line.

[MBE]

After looking more secure yesterday , although I think thats more to do with how poor Exeter were on the day I'd like DC to do something he never does......name an unchanged  starting lineup the next match!!!

The balance of the side looked much better yesterday, lets ride the wave of confidence with the same 11.