Port Vale: Richards stays cool to deliver knockout blow (+PICTURES)
Huddersfield Town 3, Port Vale 4
by Steve Shaw
AT one stage during this titanic FA Cup slugfest, Vale resembled a punch-drunk boxer waiting to be put out of their misery.
However, in the 12th round, Dean Glover's fist-clenched fighters mustered the sort of comeback that would have had silver screen brawler Rocky Balboa shaking his head in disbelief.
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Post-battle, Glover himself struggled to find the words to explain how his side clawed their way back from 3-1 down against the Terriers in a frantic final 15 minutes.
The Vale boss admitted his team took the lead against the run of play in the first half when Louis Dodds capitalised on a defensive lapse. He also conceded his side struggled to live with their League One opponents at times.
But with 10 minutes to go, manager-less Huddersfield capitulated after midfielder Dave Howland and Dodds dragged their side back into the contest with well-taken strikes.
Skipper Marc Richards completed a sensational turnaround with a sublime injury-time free-kick.
After the first-round clash, a stunned Glover said: "I couldn't see us getting back into the game and things were not happening for us.
"Defensively, people were getting caught out of position, people were running off us through midfield and we were all over the place to start with. But Dave Howland's goal gave us a lift to go on and get the result.
"I'll take another injury-time goal, but it's no good for the 'old ticker' or grey matter, but it shows the sort of character we've got at the moment, and thankfully, once we get a goal back we believe that we can get another."
Glover's elation was a far cry from the last time he led a Port Vale side into battle at the Galpharm Stadium.
On that occasion, on November 3 last year, Huddersfield managed to hold on to a 3-1 lead before Glover was relieved of his caretaker duties to pave the way for former boss Lee Sinnott to take charge.
Vale's goal scorer that day was striker Luke Rodgers, the subject of much pre-game chat before kick-off on Saturday.
The 26-year-old told The Sentinel on Friday he was on his way to League One side Yeovil today after apparently agreeing to switch on loan with a view to a permanent deal.
However, Vale chairman Bill Bratt revealed on Saturday negotiations with the Glovers had stalled, with the two clubs failing to agree a fee for the former Crewe striker. Talks are set to resume later today.
Setting out his trusted 4-5-1 system, Glover was forced to make one change from the starting line-up that secured a 1-0 win at Lincoln City. Centre-half Luke Prosser was suspended, which meant a recall for former Terriers defender John McCombe.
Left-back Damien McCrory was making the final appearance of his one-month loan from Plymouth, although Glover says he is confident of extending the 18-year-old's loan spell until January following talks with Plymouth boss Paul Sturrock last week.
Huddersfield's caretaker boss Gerry Murphy included Crewe's former loan attacker Gary Roberts in his first-11, while ex-Valiants midfielder Malvin Kamara settled for a place on the bench.
An uninspiring opening period livened up on 16 minutes when McCombe blocked midfielder Michael Collins's effort.
The ball rolled invitingly to striker Paul Jevons, only for the former Everton trainee to guide his shot beyond the right-hand post from the penalty spot.
Two minutes later, Glover took the bold step of reverting to 4-4-2, switching central midfielder Simon Richman to the right, while Dodds joined Richards up front.
Midfielder Ian Craney blasted wide from 25 yards in the 24th minute after more good work from Collins.
But it was Vale who took the lead in the 28th minute after 19-year-old defender Joe Skarz sold keeper Matt Glennon short with a back-pass.
Dodds pounced on the loose ball, calmly rounded Glennon and angled his side-footer into an empty net.
On the half-hour Valiants keeper Joe Anyon used his legs to good effect, keeping out full-back Robbie Williams's off-balance strike.
The excellent Collins was starting to enjoy himself driving forward from the middle, warming Anyon's hands on a fresh Yorkshire day from long-range.
Their personal duel continued with Collins unleashing a well-placed effort, which Anyon did well to palm away diving to his right.
Huddersfield continued to push forward, though, and on 44 minutes, Richards was alert to hook Andy Butler's header off the line.
Inevitably, the hosts levelled matters with just seconds to go in the first period.
Full-back Andy Holdsworth played the ball into the right channel from where Roberts darted inside and had the awareness to pick out Collins, who swept his 10-yarder into the bottom-left hand corner.
When the hostilities recommenced, Huddersfield started how they had left off in the first half, and duly took the lead in the 51st minute.
Following a patient build up, Collins had a 20-yarder blocked, which saw the ball deflect into the path of Craney whose momentum took him past McCombe.
The bulky midfielder drilled the ball low into the net from 10 yards.
Glover's men must be sick of the sight of Craney, who while playing for former club Accrington, grabbed a goal in Vale's 2-0 League Two reverse earlier in the season.
Meanwhile, McCombe was left hopelessly exposed for the goal, but did his first-team prospects no harm with a number of vital challenges scattered throughout the 90 minutes.
Roberts fired just wide on 54 minutes, before McCombe anticipated Collins's cross to perfection with Jevons lurking to apply the final touch.
Huddersfield appeared to wrap the game up in the 65th minute from a corner won, and taken, by Roberts.
He floated his set-piece into the heart of Vale's box where an unmarked Williams crashed his eight-yard header into the net.
McCrory was injured in the build-up to the goal and was replaced by Sam Stockley, making his first appearance since the 3-1 reverse against Exeter last month.
Michael Collins, surely deserving of the man-of-the-match accolade, blotted his copybook when sliding his close-range shot beyond the post in the 67th minute.
The fun and games really began in the 80th minute, though, when Howland provided another goal-of-the-season contender on the back of his 30-yard volley at Sincil Bank.
Approach play, including contributions from Richards and substitute Danny Glover, saw the Irishman receive the ball on the edge of the box. With little hesitation the former Birmingham midfielder executed a perfectly-weighted chip which sailed over Glennon and into the far corner.
In the 85th minute, Dodds showed his eye for goal once more to net his fifth goal of the campaign.
Defender Lee Collins delivered a pinpoint diagonal pass into the 22-year-old's path and he made no mistake in lashing the ball between Glennon and his near right-hand post.
Suddenly, and miraculously, it was Vale who looked the best bet to progress. In the dying seconds of normal time, Glennon blocked a Richards shot. The ball rolled on a plate to substitute Ross Davidson, only for the midfielder to fire over with the goal at his mercy.
The Valiants refused to panic and when the fourth official indicated three minutes of injury time, Richards's eyes lit up as the visitors won a free-kick slightly to the left of Glennon's goal.
The 26-year-old took one step and expertly flighted the ball into the top left-hand corner from 25 yards to prompt riotous celebrations on the pitch and on the away terrace.
Vale's top scorer has now hit seven goals this season, with three of his last four proving to be injury-time winners.
Richards said: "The goal at Shrewsbury (2-1 win, Oct 11) and against Morecambe (2-1 win, Oct 25) felt good, but I think that one topped them both.
"We were 3-1 down and thought we were dead and buried, and to win 4-3 in the last few minutes is an amazing feeling.
"It's credit to the lads because we've dug right in there and there were tremendous finishes from Dave Howland and Louis Dodds."
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