Port Vale v Huddersfield Town
THERE might be two Gary Roberts – and both the Town and Port Vale versions were on target in this tie – but there’s only one Lee Novak!
And the hard-working striker, having been so lively in pre-season, notched two well-taken first-half goals as Town came from behind to cruise into the second round of the Carling Cup.
Jack Hunt, with a memorable long-range strike, and Gary Roberts added to the visitors’ tally in the second half, and now Town wait with eager anticipation for Thursday evening’s draw.
Town boss Lee Clark, demanding a brighter display than in Saturday’s opening-day League I stalemate with Bury, rung the changes to the tune of six, only two of them enforced, with striker Jordan Rhodes on Scotland Under 21 duty and recently-recruited midfielder Anton Robinson nursing a hamstring injury.
Centre-back Peter Clarke and Antony Kay dropped to the bench, along with right-back Calum Woods and attacker Danny Ward.
In came frontman Novak, midfielders Tommy Miller and Scott Arfield and defenders Hunt, Liam Cooper and Jamie McCombe, whose younger brother John lined up for a Vale side which also included Huddersfield- born midfielder Anthony Griffith.
Town were soon on the attack, with Roberts putting over a neat cross from the left which Arfield laid back for Hunt, whose low shot was blocked. Then Miller played a neat one-two with Arfield, only to clip his effort from just inside the area over the top.
Town were playing some fluent football, but Vale counter-attacked in the seventh minute, when keeper Ian Bennett did well to block from Tom Pope.
That was the signal for a more sustained spell of attacking by the home side, but Town stood firm and responded with Donal McDermott raiding down the right in the 15th minute, cutting in to set up Arfield, whose right-foot shot had Chris Martin stretching to save.
Sean Rigg ran through from midfield and unleashed a stinging 20-yard drive which Bennett parried before collecting.
However Town’s keeper couldn’t deny Vale their 24th-minute opener, steered home by the home side’s Gary Roberts from Griffith’s low ball from the right.
The home lead lasted only five minutes, for McDermott picked out Arfield, whose flicked cross from the left was clinically tucked away by Novak at the far post.
