Port Vale 1, Northampton Town 3

By Steve Shaw at Vale Park

PORT Vale's light-weight display was no match for a powerful Northampton side that swept to a 3-1 success at Vale Park this afternoon.

Vale's sixth League Two home defeat of the season also dealt another blow to their dwindling play-off hopes.

Vale midfielder Doug Loft converted from close range to cancel out an early goal from Cobblers striker Adebayo Akinfenwa who netted his 15th league goal of the campaign.

A clanger from Vale keeper Joe Anyon allowed Abdul Osman to double the visitor's advantage a few minutes before the break.

But there was still time for striker Billy McKay to extend Northampton's lead before the break with a clinical finish.

Vale boss Micky Adams opted to start with the team that finished Tuesday night's 3-1 victory at Darlington.

His decision meant Loft, who scored at the Darlington Arena, earned a recall to Vale's central midfield.

The 23-year-old's promotion meant there was no starting place for skipper Tommy Fraser who returned from suspension.

Loft's re-emergence also meant Louis Dodds switched from central midfield to the flank, which meant Rob Taylor was only named as a substitute.

Meanwhile, striker Sean Rigg also came into the team to partner Marc Richards up front, as fellow loan attacker Craig Davies dropped to the bench.

Adam Yates was restored to his right-back role, allowing Lee Collins to partner Gareth Owen at the heart of defence, while fellow centre-half John McCombe had to be content with a place on the bench.

Earlier this week former Macclesfield Town boss Keith Alexander passed away at the age of 53, and as a tribute a minute's applause was observed before kick-off.

During a frenetic start Vale went straight on the front foot as Dodds blazed over with a volley after only 40 seconds.

But the Cobblers went ahead in the third minute after Akinfenwa received the ball on the edge of the box where he twisted and turned this huge frame to engineer a shooting chance.

Without making a full connection he lashed a low 20-yard effort that flew inside the left-hand post.

In the fifth minute, Cobblers midfielder Liam Davis blazed over from distance, moments before Vale found an equaliser.

Loft had a shot blocked before Cobblers keeper Jason Steele dived to his right to keep out Rigg's stinging 20-yard volley.

However, Loft had continued his journey into the box and pounced on the rebound to angle the ball into the far right-hand corner.

The chances kept flowing as Anyon tentatively pushed away a 12-yard shot from McKay.

Seconds later, McKay had another pot-shot from the edge of the area which was blocked by defender Gareth Owen.

A minute later Anyon turned around Osman's long-range effort, before sloppy defending led to McKay missing the target from 20 yards in the 21st minute.

While Vale continued to compete the visitors were creating the lion's share of chances.

On 28 minutes, Anyon held on to Ryan Gilligan's speculative drive.

Vale were guilty of surrendering possession too cheaply on occasions, but on the other hand, they also produced some excellent build-up play.

On 32 minutes Owen fed Richards with a searching low pass, before the striker laid the ball into the path of Lewis Haldane.

But the winger's tame effort from the edge of the box drifted well wide.

Three minutes later, Steele showed his steel by turning around Rigg's well-struck 20-yard volley.

In the 36th minute indecisiveness from Owen and Yates led to Davis firing over from 20 yards, before Dodds fired wide.

In the final minute of normal time Anyon dropped a regulation catch in coming to meet Paul Rodgers's right-flank cross.

Osman was on hand to poke the ball home from close range.

Two minutes into injury-time Rodgers produced another right-wing cross, which led to Northampton's third goal.

The ball eventually fell to the feet of Davis whose shot deflected into the path of McKay who turned his marker to fire the ball into the bottom left-hand corner from eight yards.

Adams responded to his side's dismal first-half finish by making a triple substitution at half-time.

Off went left-back Kris Taylor, Dodds and Haldane for Fraser, Davies and McCombe respectively.

While McCombe went to centre half, Collins switched to left-back.

Fraser joined Loft and Anthony Griffith in midfield as Rigg played in the hole behind Richards and Davies.

Vale should have reduced the deficit a minute after the break when Rigg's strike deflected into the path of Richards.

But using the outside of his boot the striker sliced his eight-yard volley wide of the right-hand post.

On the hour-mark Davies's looping 16-yarder was brilliantly tipped to safety by Steele.

The resulting corner was taken by Fraser whose deep delivery was met by a Davies header that was cleared a yard from Northampton's goal-line.

Davies fired over with a wild 30-yard shot on 70 minutes.

Vale came agonisingly close to scoring minutes later from a Doug Loft corner taken from the right.

Richards connected with a glancing near-post header but Steele's faint finger-tip touch and Gilligan's goal-line block prevented the ball from bulging the net.

Northampton rode the mini-storm though and eased to the finishing line to boost their own play-off aspirations.

Match stats:

Teams:

Port Vale: Anyon, Yates, Owen, Collins, K Taylor (Fraser, 46) Dodds (Davies, 46), Griffith, Loft, Haldane (McCombe, 46), Rigg, Richards.

Not used: Martin, R Taylor, Richman, Morsy.

Northampton Town: Steele, Johnson, Beckwith, Hinton, Gilbert, Rodgers (Herbert, 81), Osman, Gilligan, Davis (Guttridge, 74), Akinfenwa, McKay (Harris, 74).

Not used: Walker, Dyer, Curtis, Thornton.

Referee: David Webb (County Durham)

Attendance: 4,861 (including 486 visitors)