Vale fail to add to their solitary win this season
BURTON ALBION: , Sam Austin. 67), Trialist (Jack O'Brien 46), Anthony O'Connor, Tom Flanagan, Callum Reilly, Nathan Ferguson, Timmy Thiele (Marcus Dinanga Mark Shelton, Calum Butcher (Ben Fox 600 Stephen Bywater, Marcus Harness,
SUBS NOT USED:Sam Hornby, Charlie Gatter.
PORT VALE:Ryan Boot, Taylor Attrell, Alex Morris, Mike Calverley, Mackenzie Faulkner, Remie Streete, Chris Birchall (Dan Turner 46), Billy Reeves, Jonathan Kapend, Achille Campion,Colin Daniel.
SUBS NOT USED:Calum Ferrie, Tom Ashton, Luke Dennis.
Vale met Burton on Pitch 3, the Paul Ince pitch, at St George’s Park, the FA’s National Training Centre and must have felt that they were facing the dragon before it met St George as Ryan Boot put in a season worth of saves to keep the score respectable. Vale were facing a stiff wind and Burton soon made it known they would shoot at every opportunity with an early effort that flew wide. The first real chance of note came for the Vale though, as Birchall beat his man on the outside and hit an angled 12 yard shot that saw Bywater push the shot in the air only to see it bounce off the top of the bar and back into play as the swirling wind took hold.
minute as he tried to shield the ball on the goal line about 10 yards from goal. The attacker appeared to tread on the back of his boot forcing him to fall over; however, the attacker then only succeeded in putting the ball into the side-netting rather than into the empty net.thBoot saw his one of luck come to his rescue in the 15
minute as a Vale attack broke down and Thiele picked up the ball in his own half and set off on a run up the right wing before cutting in on goal and unleashing a tremendous shot that gave Boot no chance. During his 70 yard dash Thiele had faced no serious challenge for the ball before his shot hit the net.stBoot then spent a couple of minutes putting his boot back on to emphasise to the referee that it had been a foul. Unfortunately the Brewers did take the lead in the 21
Boot was in frequent action for the rest of the half, particularly in pushing a shot from Austin away to safety and holding on to a 35 yard effort from Austin. Vale’s only action of note at the other end was when Reeves put in Campion, whose shot certainly warmed up a painful region of Bywater’s anatomy, but the flag was raised anyway.
received the ball on the edge of the box and swivelled to curl the ball into the top corner of the net. Was this now game on? No, 5 minutes later and Burton regained the lead as a low ball across the box from the left found Burton’s triallist unmarked at the back post for a simple tap in. Substitute Dinanga was causing Vale all sorts of trouble with his ball skills and pace and Boot did well to save a snap shot by him just before the hour mark.KapendBirchall’s first run out after injury saw his retire to the warmth of the dressing room at half-time which reduced Vale’s attacking threat as he had looked the most promising in the first half. With only 5 minutes of the second period gone Vale drew level, somewhat out of the blue as
Vale were being pinned back by this stage and Boot was being kept very busy keeping Vale in the game and although he was beaten by Harness the flag was raised for offside. The third goal finally arrived after Faulkner lost possession after failing to clear wide on the right; the ball was then centred where Dinanga turned and picked his spot from the edge of the box. By this stage the game was being played in a gale and Vale managed to hang on without conceding any further goals but remain with only one win for the season, in the opening game at Walsall, back at the start of September.
Lindon Roberts – Port Vale Volunteers Group