Match Report: Town 3 - 4 Port Vale

Nov 10 2008 By Mel Booth

Murphy employed a sweeper in Joe Skarz to try and give cover to centre-backs Nathan Clarke and Andy Butler, but it was a careless backpass by Skarz (given no warning by his colleagues) which presented Louis Dodds with the opening goal on 27 minutes.

Town responded in terrific style, however, with Michael Collins – who had started only one of the previous 11 matches under Stan Ternent – at the hub of several attractive moves with his late runs from deep.

Vale simply couldn’t handle him – or the effervescent Gary Roberts – and when Collins rammed home the equaliser a minute before the break from a Roberts cross, it was no more than he deserved for a performance bristling with enterprise and skill.

Collins sprinted back to the dug-outs to celebrate with his mate Malvin Kamara – another frozen out in the Ternent reign – and there were further joyous scenes just five minutes into the second period when Ian Craney, who also had a fine match, drove Town into the lead with a fierce 15-yard shot for his fifth goal of the season.

It prompted the best football seen from Town all season, with Jim Goodwin a reliable anchor and gilt-edged contributions from skipper Andy Holdsworth and the hungry midfielders, and when Robbie Williams rose to head home a Roberts corner on 65 minutes, Town’s name was already being pencilled into the second-round draw.