Ellis Harrison double seals home win for the Vale and makes it four unbeaten in all competitions for Darrell Clarke’s side.
- Match Report | Port Vale 2 – 1 Shrewsbury Town
- Ellis Harrison double helps Darrell Clarke’s side to secure three League One points
- Christian Saydee had cancelled out Harrison’s ninth minute opener but Vale’s striker scored in the first minute of additional time to make it four unbeaten in all competitions for the Vale
PORT VALE 2
Harrison 9, 90+1
SHREWSBURY TOWN 1
Saydee 19
Attendance: 7,403 (918 away)
Ellis Harrison made it five Port Vale goals in seven League One appearances as his double secured a 2-1 victory over Shrewsbury Town on Saturday afternoon.
Harrison’s late winner came after a substantial spell of second half pressure from the hosts looked like it may go unrewarded, though the Welsh striker headed home to give Darrell Clarke’s side all three points.
Clarke made five changes from Tuesday night’s draw at Barnsley, as Lewis Cass and Mal Benning returned to the starting XI, while Gavin Massey and Dan Butterworth made their first league starts for the Vale and James Wilson returned to make his first start of the season.
The Vale’s first chance of the game came after just six minutes as Benning met a Massey cross from the right and headed inches wide of Marko Marosi’s left-hand post.
Just three minutes later the Vale were ahead as Benning won a strong challenge deep in his own half and fed Wilson, who rolled the ball onto Butterworth in midfield for the Blackburn Rovers loanee to slide a pass in behind for Harrison to fire home his first goal at Vale Park.
Ten minutes after the Vale took the lead, the visitors scored an equaliser against the run of play as Saydee and Rekeil Pyke linked up in the Vale penalty area with the former sliding beyond Jack Stevens.
The Vale responded well to the equaliser with Harrison’s shot saved by Marosi after patient build-up before Butterworth saw an effort from the edge of the area deflected just over as the half hour mark passed.
Clarke’s side started the second half brightly, though their first opportunity to restore the lead came just before the hour mark as Funso Ojo’s corner from Vale’s left was met by Harrison, though his glanced volley went wide of Marosi’s near post.
Butterworth was the next Vale player to go in search of a second goal as more good build up resulted in the forward turning nicely 25 yards from goal before driving a left-footed strike over the bar.
20 minutes from time, the visitors had their first chance of the second-half as substitute Ryan Bowman was played in on the left of the area, with Stevens making a smart save at his near post to tip the effort behind.
As the game entered its final ten minutes, the Vale continued to probe for a second goal and, after Harrison saw an effort deflected behind for a corner, Clarke’s side worked a short routine with Benning finding Ojo, who curled to the near post for substitute Dennis Politic, who glanced wide with an effort across goal.
The visitors saw an effort from distance go just from their captain Luke Leahy, though it remained Vale who were on top as the game entered the closing stages.
In the first minute of additional time, Vale’s pressure on the visitors goal told as substitute David Worrall recycled an Ojo corner and found Harrison, who headed home brilliantly from eight yards.
Port Vale: Stevens; Cass, Smith, Jones; Massey (Worrall 80), Ojo, Garrity, Benning; Butterworth (Politic 71), Wilson (Odubeko 71), Harrison (Conlon 90)
Subs: Stone, Forrester, McCarron.
Shrewsbury Town: Marosi; Flanagan, Dunkley, Pennington; Winchester (Bowman 60), Moore, Leahy, Nurse; Bayliss (Shipley 68), Pyke, Saydee (Street 75)
Subs: Burgoyne, Bennett, Bloxham, Caton.
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