The Wonder Of P.V.F.C.: Yeovil Town Vs Port Vale 18th August 2007

Martin Foyle promised one thing to be different this season - more passion. So far there has been far to little by the Vale players. Only the first away game of the season, but Vale are still woeful on their travels it seems in this passionless display at Huish Park verses Yeovil. Vale were given a slight boost prior to kick off, with Akpo Sodje being declared fit to retake his place alongside Luke Rodgers, who had shook off an injury scare himself in training.

The conditions for today's game were appalling for a summer fixture, with the rain tipping down for most of the game, and Vales performance didn't give the travelling fans anything to smile about either.

After the extra time earlier in the week against Wrexham, Vale could be forgiven for feeling a bit tired prior to today's game and seemed unable to lift themselves for the match. The first half started with neither side really creating much in the way of chances. The rain seemed to affect both sides, as neither team could string any meaningful moves together. Yeovil put the first real move together. Marcus Stewart, often a thorn in Vale's side in the past, found winger Jones on the right, and his superb cross found ex Crewe player Cochrane, who blasted the ball past Anyon in the Vale goal. The goal seemed to give the home side a boost, with both Owusu and Jones going close to doubling the home sides advantage. As in midweek in the cup, Vale seemed to lack any creative idea's, but against the run of play Yeovil almost handed them a golden opportunity to equalise. Tudor's free kick was knocked into the area by Pilkington, and under pressure from Rodgers, the keeper spilt the ball into the path of Rocastle, but his shot was weak and came to nothing. Sodje had a good effort shortly after but his shot went wide. Vale continued to come under pressure from the home side towards the end of the half, and only good clearances from Lowe prevented Yeovil from going further ahead.

Half Time Yeovil Town 1 - 0 Port Vale

Vale had to try and keep hold of the ball in the second period if they were to get anything out of the game, but it was Yeovil who again seemed the more likely to score, with a Williams effort just clearing the bar. Tudor, who had impressed in his first two games for Vale, seemed to be having no impact on today's game, and Foyle tried to shake things up on 56 minutes replacing Tudor and Rocastle with Marc Richards and Paul Harsley. This seemed to give Vale a bit of a lift, and they created chances from a string of free kicks, but it came to nothing.

Yeovil seemed to be happy they had done enough to quell the visitors response to the fresh legs and created little in the way of any clear cut chances. Foyle then had his final substitution to try and get a goal, and it created Vales best chance of the game. Paul Edwards came on for Jason Talbot with 15 minutes left on the clock and almost got Vale back into the game. He swung a pinpoint cross into the area but Lowe had his header tipped away by the Yeovil keeper. Richards almost went close after a good ball in from Whitaker, but his effort went just wide. Right on time Anyon pulled off a great save to prevent Yeovil from adding to the scoreline, but in the end this passionless performance was not enough from Vale and Yeovil ran out easy winners.

Final Score Yeovil 1 - 0 Port Vale

After the game Foyle was rightly furious at his teams lack of bite in the game, and has said he will make wholesale changes before the visit of Hartlepool next week. This has been a bad week for Vale, and despite not appearing to bothered at the League Cup exit, surely Bill Bratt and Martin Foyle must be a little disappointed at the fact we would of drawn Aston Villa at home in the next round. After the game Foyle said " There seemed to be quite a few things wrong today. i was bitterly disappointed with the first half display, and we were much better after the substitutions in the second half. So it looks like that is what is needed before next week - changes. No-one can argue about the result after the first half. It was poor and passionless, we couldn't hold the ball up or even pass from A to B, something we will have to get right in training. "

Port Vale Line Up