Last-gasp curse comes back to haunt Vale in cup

PORT Vale should have felt mugged after a late goal denied them victory for the second successive week.

But the inconvenient truth is that non-league Stevenage Borough had more right to feel hard done by, despite needing Charlie Griffin's injury-time heroics to salvage a replay.

Vale know all about the non-league hoodoo associated with this competition, having crashed out to the likes of Canvey Island and Chasetown in recent years.

However, Blue Square Premier high-flyers Stevenage are no minnows and look well equipped to mix it in the professional ranks should they win promotion this season.

Saturday's draw extended their unbeaten record to 15 games, while Vale stretched theirs to eight.

Yet the hosts were left licking their wounds after another late giveaway.

They conceded an 88th-minute equaliser in their 1-1 draw at League Two rivals Dagenham and Redbridge a week earlier, and in their previous game had thrown away a 1-0 lead during the second half of their home clash against struggling Cheltenham.

They also conceded a last-minute equaliser in the 2-2 home draw with Accrington on September 29.

It's a worrying trend, and one that vice-captain Marc Richards wants nipped in the bud after Vale's 3-5-2 formation failed to ignite on Saturday.

The 27-year-old striker said: "Conceding goals late on has become a bit of a habit and we're only taking draws when we could be scraping wins.

"I don't think you can put your finger on why it's happening, it could be down to a number of things.

"Maybe the formation didn't work on Saturday, but as players we should have done better with it.

"Stevenage played really well, dug in and we had our backs-against the wall for a little bit.

"But we'll now go to their place to win the game."

Vale looked to be on course for victory when right wing-back Adam Yates hit his first competitive goal as a professional near the break.

But they now face a replay at the Lamex Stadium a week tomorrow after Griffin headed home at the death.

While Vale keeper Chris Martin was never over-worked, the visitors showed greater ambition in the final third leading up to Yates's opener. Boss Micky Adams had ordered his troops to play without fear in the build-up, but it was Vale who looked the more nervy and indecisive side during a scrappy first period.

Their best openings arrived from set-pieces early on as Richards and John McCombe missed the target with headers.

Borough had better chances to score around the half-hour with Martin being called into action to beat away Michael Bostwick's 20-yard drive.

Soon after, Vale's left wing-back Kris Taylor marshalled Yemi Odubade to good affect with the striker unable to reach Mitchell Cole's intelligent low centre.

Odubade did connect with a another Cole delivery on 30 minutes, but this time he fired inches wide of the right-hand post from eight yards out.

Martin's goal was beginning to lead a charmed life, and none more so than when David Bridges used the outside of his boot to hit an edge-of-the-box shot against the Vale bar.

Bridges almost caught Martin off-guard with a 40-yard lob soon after, but the youngster back-pedalled to collect.

Borough's ever-growing confidence was undone in the 42nd minute when Richards fed Yates on the right.

The 26-year-old was given ample space a fire a 30-yard speculative effort that zipped off the Vale Park surface and flew into the far left-hand corner.

There was a hint of luck about the goal as outstretched keeper Chris Day appeared to be deceived by the bounce of the ball.

Yates was handed his first start since September 19 after Adams's former number one right-back Sam Stockley was forced to retire due to an eye problem.

Prior to kick off Stockley received a grateful farewell reception from the Vale Park faithful, who also observed a minute's silence on the eve of Remembrance Sunday. Vale's other change from the starting line-up that secured the draw at Dagenham was more surprising, with Adams sacrificing five-goal Louis Dodds for Anthony Griffith, who returned from suspension.

It meant Adams's chosen starting 11 only boasted 16 goals between, and Richards had supplied nine of those.

In fairness Griffith, operating in the centre, was one of Vale's strongest performers on the day.

The second half was a non-event for long periods as Vale continued to look disjointed and rarely went for the jugular.

It would surely have been a different story, though, had Day not desperately turned Richards's 47-mintute header up and onto the Stevenage bar.

With Vale seemingly content to hang on to their slender lead the visitors could sniff blood, despite their failure to create many chances.

Griffin dragged an angled effort wide of the far left-hand post in the 57th minute after being released by Cole, before Bridges's close-range header barely troubled Martin.

Vale attacked in sporadic bursts, but relied on some desperate defending before Cole set up Borough's equaliser one minute into stoppage time.

His sweeping right-flank cross was met towards the near post by a diving Griffin, who glanced his header into the far left-hand corner.

Adams said: "It was similar to last week in that we got so close, but didn't see the game through.

"We were obviously disappointed with that, but whether we had done enough to win the game is debatable.

"I'm not going to take anything away from Stevenage. I was disappointed with us really.

"I wouldn't say we looked subdued, and at times we tried to play, but you have to give credit to Stevenage .

"They had a game-plan and it seemed to work for them. The important thing from our point of view is that we've got another game. It's not over yet."

The replay will take place on Tuesday, November 17 (7.45pm).

MICKY Adams missed out on the League Two manager-of-the-month award for October.

Chesterfield boss John Sheridan was named the winner.