The Wonder Of P.V.F.C.: Port Vale Vs Walsall 26th December 2007

LEE Sinnott appeared almost in pain as he attempted to reflect on this festive kick in the chestnuts from Port Vale’s old rivals. The manager’s positive outlook has been a welcome breath of fresh air in a difficult season. But his own grimace and the sympathetic response from both Potteries and Walsall media turned the press room into a Boxing Day gurning contest. This was a worrying state of affairs for those of us who have come to rely on Sinnott’s air of assurance when the temptation has been to start plotting routes to Barnet and beyond. Thankfully, when he finally broke the silence, it became clear he had been struggling to express his fury at his team’s late defending, rather than any helplessness at their failure to win at home since October.
Sinnott could have taken refuge in a lengthy list of excuses, not least of which was he lost three players injured in the opening 45 minutes against the form team of the division.Instead, he identified his team’s failure to defend properly in injury-time as the decisive moment of this game. That is a fault we can put down to naivety or lack of concentration, but which Sinnott is determined to rectify by the time the Valiants entertain Luton on Saturday.
Vale deserved to win this game and would have done so had they stopped old boy Rhys Weston crossing for Michael Ricketts to head home at the far post in the third minute of injury-time. The goal was even more galling for Sinnott as he had changed from two up front to 4-5-1 in injury-time to make sure the 10-man visitors were shut out of the game.
He said: “We changed it to help the players, so Walsall’s full-backs couldn’t advance to deliver a ball from those positions. But, hey presto, they delivered a ball from that exact position and caught us out with the cross to the far post. “There is no doubting my annoyance and obvious disappointment. “It is about knowing how to win a game. What you certainly don’t let happen is to be caught lopsided or caught too far up front. I think that is exactly what we did allow to happen. “We didn’t need to chase the game. Sometimes if you try to get a second goal when you are 1-0 up you can leave gaps. You can equal out numbers by being a little bit cavalier.”
The fact Vale played well enough to have beaten a side who have now set a club record of 10 away games unbeaten merely made this result harder to swallow. However, when they return to training today, the team should take huge encouragement from the fact they outplayed the Saddlers for all the first half and most of the second. If they can keep to this standard – without the giveaway late defending – then League One safety is not an impossible dream.
But their task has been made tougher for Saturday’s home game by the fact Marc Laird, Jason Talbot and Colin Miles are all expected to be out injured. Talbot has been one of Laird’s few rivals for player of the month for December, so to lose both is a cruel blow. Sinnott at least has options to replace Laird, who was forced off on 36 minutes with an ankle injury after a crude challenge from Ricketts. Robin Hulbert, Danny Whitaker or Craig Rocastle could all start in the centre, although the in-form Laird will be a tough act to follow.
However, Sinnott has greater problems at left-back with both his specialists on the injury list. Talbot was forced out on 35 minutes with a wound above his eye which required stitches. His replacement Miles lasted just 10 minutes before injuring his knee in a challenge on Weston.
At least Vale were a goal up before the disruptions, thanks to the fast-maturing Laird. George Pilkington headed clear a free-kick and Laird swept the ball out to Dave McGoldrick before storming into the Walsall half. The Scot was 30 yards out when he collected the ball back from McGoldrick, but steadied himself before hammering the ball low into Clayton Ince’s right-hand corner.

The goal was Vale’s first in five-and-a-half hours and was enough to subdue Walsall and their 1,800 support for the first hour of the game. Ricketts should have done better than head over Peter Sweeney’s cross on 34 minutes, but that was an isolated scare for a Vale side who showed the most belief and purpose. That was thanks in no small part to Paul Harsley, who has been made captain so Luke Rodgers can concentrate on his own game. Harsley helped control the midfield in the first half before switching to left-back when Miles was forced off.
The injuries didn’t help Vale, but Rodgers and Willock both threatened after the break before the game appeared to have swung decisively their way when Walsall were reduced to 10 men.
Fox had been booked for a 38th-minute lunge on Hulbert, so was playing with fire on 68 minutes when he tried to challenge Calum Willock 30 yards out as the striker burst through the defence. Fox tripped Willock and, as the last defender, could have got a straight red rather than the second yellow produced by referee Phil Joslin. Walsall had little option but to throw men forward and should have levelled on 73 minutes when Ricketts blazed over from 12 yards. But Vale looked capable of exploiting gaps at the back and the result would have been put beyond doubt on 88 minutes had Anthony Gerrard not cleared off the line after McGoldrick’s low cross had been deflected past Ince by Edrissa Sonko. Sinnott then flooded his midfield to stop Walsall sending in quality crosses, so could only watch aghast as Weston’s superb delivery was powered home by Ricketts in front of the gleeful travelling fans. Vale’s supporters swallowed their disappointment to applaud their side off, but Sinnott wants points as well as plaudits. He said: “I appreciate it from the team’s point of view. But it doesn’t hide the disappointment I feel that for 90 seconds we couldn’t keep the bleeding ball out of the net when I did everything I could do to help them. “People will say that, as they were down to 10 men, we should have been bossing the game. But Walsall were going to go gung-ho, and to a certain degree they did. “What do we do? Do we chase a second goal with 90 seconds to go and leave ourselves exposed, or do we play with a bit of savvy? “We didn’t play with a bit of savvy, although I tried to help the players in that aspect. “That is what is annoying and frustrating. This is the first game this season where I would kick the cat, but I haven’t got one.”