Steve Shaw

Crewe Alex 1 (Miller 33)

Port Vale 2 (Richards 45, K Taylor 80)

KRIS Taylor bagged Port Vale local bragging rights with a clinical finish 10 minutes from time to settle a tight derby clash at Gresty Road.

The left wing-back swooped to punish slack Crewe defending and squeeze the ball home for his second goal of the season.

It was arguably a fitting reward for the visitors who had edged the first half when Marc Richards headed home on the stroke of half-time to cancel out Shaun Miller's opener.

But the first basement battle between the sides in 23 years developed into a tense affair in the second half as Crewe emerged from their shell.

Both sides had chances to settle it, but Vale's Lewis Haldane was convinced he'd won a penalty when he was sent tumbling in the box by Ashley Westwood before Taylor struck the decisive blow.

Influential skipper Tommy Fraser was ruled out after suffering a groin strain during Thursday's training session.

Fraser is now waiting on scan results, while his omission meant new signing Jason Jarrett was handed a third appearance since joining on a short-term contract.

That was the only change made to the starting line-up that secured last week's impressive 1-0 victory at promotion-chasing Shrewsbury Town.

Striker Richards, playing against his former club, skippered the side in Fraser's absence.

Defender Luke Prosser replaced ex-Brighton midfielder Jarrett on the bench.

Dario Gradi named an unchanged Crewe side after last weekend's win at Bradford.

The first half was a lively and open affair as both sides found the net.

In the second minute, Vale striker Haldane burst through the middle.

With Westwood in close attendance the loanee fired a 20-yard drive against the outside of the right-hand post.

James Bailey almost set Danny Shelley clear with a searching through ball, but Taylor averted the danger with a timely interception.

Vale looked dangerous on the counter attack as Dodds set Jarrett on his way in the fifth minute.

The midfielder showed great awareness to find Sam Stockley on the right where the wing-back dragged his disappointing centre across goal and away to safety.

A minute later Stockley was lucky not to earn the game's first booking for a flying late challenge on Joel Grant before Vale attacker Louis Dodds fired wide.

Crewe were enjoying their fair share of possession, though, by taking a slightly more patient approach.

They went direct in the 10th minute, however, when Grant would have latched onto keeper David Button's long hoof had it not been for John McCombe stepping in to clear the danger.

Dodds had a penalty appeal turned down in the 14th minute after going to ground under John Brayford's challenge.

On 20 minutes, Valiants keeper Chris Martin caused panic in the visitor's congested box by punching a Grant cross when it appeared far easier to collect.

But the ball was eventually cleared and Martin soon made up for his temporary lack of judgement, a minute later, when Bailey crossed into the feet of 10-goal Calvin Zola.

The lanky striker held off a couple of Vale defenders before watching Martin brilliantly turn around his stinging 10-yard effort.

Dodds missed the target with another long-range effort before Brayford did likewise soon after.

In the 31st minute Richards stabbed a shot over the bar meeting a Taylor corner, before Crewe opened the scoring three minutes later.

Steven Schumacher's corner was cleared but the midfielder got a second chance to cross when the ball was fed back to him on the right.

This time the onrushing, and unchallenged, Miller arrived late to meet the midfielder's cross and rifle his low shot into the far-right hand corner from eight yards.

Zola was forced to retreat from the action in the 39th minute when he picked up an injury and was promptly replaced by Anthony Elding.

Richards wasted an excellent chance to equalise on 45 minutes when his careful 12-yard side-footer was well saved by Button diving to his left.

However, Richards redeemed himself one minute into first-half injury time scoring from Taylor's inswinging corner from the right.

Richards had the freedom of the six-yard box to power his header into net past a helpless Button.

Haldane posed more danger for Crewe at the re-start when he seized possession just inside the home box and swept a left-footed drive inches over the top corner.

Then the Bristol Rovers striker released Richards as Vale countered swiftly, but Bailey managed to make a decisive intervention to scramble the striker's cross clear.

Crewe were leaving notable spaces either side of their box and Taylor found himself free to the left of goal to crash in a shot which Button did well to block.

Dodds appeared to be limping off when he was replaced by Rob Taylor in the 55th minute, shortly after McCombe earned the game's first booking.

Grant emerged from his shell, side-stepping McCombe to blast goalwards, but Martin was in the way to beat the effort away.

But the Vale keeper was untroubled by Shelley's free kick which crept past the post soon after.

Jarrett was also in the book after his late tackle put Schumacher into orbit on the hour mark. The game was developing an edge when Miller left his foot in high as he challenged Stockley to pick up the third yellow card.

Haldane continued to be a fly in Crewe's ointment and the pick of the strikers on show.

But it was Rob Taylor who forced Button into action next when he rose at the far post to plant a header into the Tottenham youngster's arms.

Shelley tried his luck again from distance, but his right-footer was always clearing Martin's bar.

Both sides were seeking some inspirational quality to make the breakthrough.

Crewe escaped when Haldane robbed Westwood on the right and went crashing inside the box under the left-back's clumsy challenge.

The striker's 75th-minute penalty appeals fell on deaf ears though as the offence was adjudged outside the box. Richards glanced Taylor's resulting free kick wide at the far post as Crewe hung on.

Gradi immediately took precautions by replacing the errant Westwood with Billy Jones.

But the caretaker manager was left further aghast when Elding miscued his volley with the goal gaping after he was found by a long ball from Brayford.

And Kris Taylor rubbed in Alex misery when he made the most of slack defending to edge The Valiants ahead with 10 minutes left.

McCombe's header carried through to the far side of the box and with Crewe defenders at sixes and sevens the left back skipped wide of Button and drove high into the top corner from the tightest of angles.

Byron Moore was thrown on by Gradi, but Crewe were struggling for a response.

Jamie Guy replaced the excellent Haldane as Grant cut inside, only to drive tamely past the near post.

Elding directed Pat Ada's high ball into no-man's land as the clock ticked down to sum up Crewe's lack of firepower.

Their hopes were momentarily raised when Moore finished off after Martin parried, only to be denied by the offside flag.

Match stats

Teams:

Crewe: Button, Brayford, Westwood, Ada, Mitchel-King, Shelley (Moore, 81), Bailey, Schumacher, Grant, Zola (Elding, 40), Miller.

Subs: Legzdins, Jones, O'Donnell, Verma, Walton.

Port Vale: Martin, Stockley, Owen, McCombe, Collins, K Taylor, Jarrett, Griffith, Dodds (R Taylor, 55), Richards, Haldane (Guy, 83)

Not used: Anyon, Howland, Yates, McCrory, Prosser.

Referee: Nigel Miller (County Durham)

Attendance: 6,943 (2,267)