October 11: Shrewsbury Town 1, Port Vale 2

October 11, 2008

League Two

Shrewsbury Town 1 (Symes 89)

Port Vale 2 (Dodds 19, Richards 90)

VALE chairman Bill Bratt wasn’t alone last week when he confessed at a supporters’ club meeting:

“To be perfectly honest I’m dreading Shrewsbury on Saturday but, we are where we are, and we’ve got to just get past that game.”

Well, he needn’t have worried because Marc Richards hit a dramatic injury-time winner to hand Dean Glover a dream start to his managerial reign.

The 26-year-old striker’s decisive strike led to the outpouring of weeks of pent-up frustration as scores of Vale fans ill-advisedly invaded the ProStar Stadium pitch to celebrate a rare moment of glory.

They took the lead in spectacular fashion with a first-half goal straight out of the 1970 Brazilian handbook when Louis Dodds finished a slick five-man move with a rasping drive.

Neither side threatened to take control and with a minute of normal time left, Town thought they’d salvaged a point courtesy of a deflected drive from substitute Michael Symes.

However, there was still plenty of drama left to unfold and defender Lee Collins was given his marching orders for a second bookable offence two minutes into injury-time.

Richards then grabbed the headlines with his last-gasp winner: his fourth goal of the season, ending a barren run stretching six games.On the pools coupon this was a no-brainer ... home win.

Vale had lost their previous six games and were up against a side victorious in their opening four League Two home fixtures, boasting a goal record: 14 for, none against.

In fact the hosts, who sat 15 places above Vale in third spot before kick-off, hadn’t conceded a single goal on their own turf since March 29.Glover’s game-plan worked a treat, though.

In playing five across the midfield, he added much-needed steel and attacking options to their play ... two facets sadly lacking for much of the campaign.

Richards, cast as the lone ranger up front, was supported by wide-men Dodds and Shane Tudor, who bombed on from the left and right respectively.

Meanwhile, Glover’s insurance policy was underwritten by his centre three of Anthony Griffith, Dave Howland and Ross Davidson.

It transpired to be a fluid combination that worked tirelessly to cover each, with Griffith returning to his best form in his undisputed role of midfield enforcer.

The only negative was Tudor’s forced withdrawal at the break after he aggravated his troublesome knee.

Another big decision saw defender John McCombe axed from the 16, giving Luke Prosser, who has also played left-back this season, another chance to shine in his preferred position at centre-half.

The former Spurs junior grabbed it with relish, executing more than one vital challenge to deny Shrews a shot on goal.

Then there was the encouraging sight of fit-again Paul Edwards making his first appearance of the season from left-back. His willingness to take on players added an extra dimension, while at the same time, defending manfully at the back.

It’s fair to say Glover wasn’t every fan’s pick to lead Vale’s long-term revival in the wake of Lee Sinnott’s departure.But in masterminding this unlikely victory, he may have convinced a few doubters he at least merits a chance to prove his leadership credentials.

In contrast, Town were left bloodied. None more so than ex-Valiant striker Dave Hibbert and keeper Luke Daniels, on loan from West Brom, who both had to be taken to hospital to patch up head wounds.

Vale’s crowded midfield meant striker Luke Rodgers was the odd man out and he dropped to the bench against his former club.Midfielder Damien McCrory was also named as a substitute, having joined on a month’s loan from Plymouth.

The visitors started brightly enough on a slick surface, although neither side created anything of note early on. Referee Darren Deadman was busy from the outset and shelled out six yellow cards, five for Vale, and a red to Collins before the end.

The loan defender, from Wolves, received the first of his two cautions on 14 minutes for a foul on midfielder Ben Davies.

Davies himself took the resulting set-piece, which was powerfully headed into the net by defender Mike Jackson, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. Vale broke the deadlock with a stunning move on 19 minutes.

It started with Griffith collecting the ball 10 yards inside Town’s half before playing a crisp one-two with Edwards. Head up, the midfielder progressed a few yards and knocked the ball into the feet of Richards who, in turn, fed Tudor.

From a central position, 30 yards out, Tudor slipped the ball into the right channel from where Dodds fired an unstoppable 20-yard bullet which crashed against the underside of the bar and into the net.

Prosser threw himself into the path of Hibbert on 22 minutes to deny him a clear strike on goal. Hibbert and Dodds traded headers on goal before Vale’s defence went to sleep on 29 minutes.

Full-back Marc Tierney clipped the ball over the top for unmarked striker Richard Walker to ghost in from 12 yards, but he lobbed over Joe Anyon’s upright.

Shrews went in search of the equaliser but Vale, being watched from the stands by former boss Martin Foyle on a scouting mission for rival League Two sides Lincoln and Bury, were still holding their own in the attacking stakes, especially on the break.

A good example arrived close to half-time when Tudor surged forward and once again played the ball right to Dodds. This time, the midfielder crossed to the far post, where Richards was unable to generate any power into his angled header.

Just before the hour mark, Prosser again rescued his side by intercepting Davies’s right-flank delivery as midfielder Sean Thornton closed in at the near post.

Hibbert made his exit on 69 minutes, having received a blow to the head.

Davidson whistled his snapshot from 12 yards just over on 71 minutes, before Vale were let off the hook again by Walker two minutes later when he hit the outside of the post in meeting a Ben Herd cross.

Rodgers and McCrory, making his first senior appearance, entered the fray with the hosts fast running out of time.However, they almost broke Vale’s heart with an 89th-minute leveller.

The ball fell to Davies on the edge of the box on the left side and Stockley stood firm to block his effort. The ball found its way to Symes in a more central position and his 20-yard speculative shot took a telling deflection to find its way into the bottom left-hand corner.

Hibbert’s injury prompted the fourth official to signal for six minutes of time added on. Two minutes into injury-time, Vale were a man down after Collins was adjudged to have hauled down a Shrewsbury attacker on the right.

A section of supporters had begun to goad each other in one corner of the ground, but it was the Burslem contingent who had the last laugh with near enough the last kick of the game.

Ninety-six minutes had elapsed when Richards was put clean through on goal by a well-weighted threaded ball. The striker appeared to have wasted the chance with a dismal first touch, which encouraged Daniels to bravely dive at his feet.

As the pair clashed, the ball momentarily became loose and Richards got enough leather on it to force it over the line from eight yards.

His goal sparked a mini-pitch invasion which was contained to Town’s penalty box as Daniels lay stricken with a badly cut lip.The hosts had already made their three substitutions, which meant outfield player Kelvin Langmead went in goal.

The final whistle came moments later to allow players and fans to come together in a show of unity ... an uplifting end to a soul-searching week.

Speaking after the match, Glover said: “We’ve taken the three points, thank God, and that’s what we’ve been crying out for.

“We’ve got that little bit of luck today. The lads have performed absolutely brilliantly, they’ve competed on set-pieces with their big lads and they deserve what they’ve got.

“Paul Edwards has gone off with cramp and he’s working back to full fitness and I couldn’t have asked any more of him.

“Shane Tudor has a sore knee and I’m just gutted that we may have lost him for a week or more.”

Shrewsbury: Daniels, Herd, Jackson, Coughlan, Tierney, Davies, Thornton, Cansdell-Sherriff (Symes 70), McIntyre, Walker (Langmead 88), Hibbert (Humphrey 70). Subs not used: Garner, Ashton.

Port Vale: Anyon, Stockley, Collins, Prosser, Paul Edwards (McCrory 84),Tudor (Richman 46), Howland, Davidson (Rodgers 80), Griffith, Dodds, Richards. Subs not used: Martin, Glover.

Attendance: 7,162.

Referee: Darren Deadman (Cheshunt).