10-man Vale earn a point at Rodney Parade playing out a goalless draw with Newport County.
Vale ended their third game in a row a man short as James Gibbons was shown a straight red card in the final ten minutes following what looked a strong but fair challenge.
However, Vale put in an assured defensive performance to earn a point in south east Wales.
Neil Aspin handed a full debut to Vale new-boy Mark Harris as he was named in the starting 11 to face his previous club with Ricky Miller serving the first game of his three-match suspension.
It was a frantic first 10 minutes at Rodney Parade as both sides had chances to open the scoring. Scott Brown was on hand to acrobatically keep out a spectacular Padraig Amond volley on six minutes, before Gibbons saw a shot from inside the box saved just a minute later.
Vale grew into the half and fashioned a decent opening down the left-hand side with 26 minutes played.
A winding run found Mitch Clark deep in the Newport half before the full-back cut back neatly to Luke Hannant, though the winger’s header was smartly saved by Nick Townsend.
Manny Oyeleke proved a threat as the game ticked on and almost had Vale ahead in a half with minimal sights of goal. The commanding midfielder took hold down the right-hand flank before driving at the retreating Newport defensive line.
Beating two men before nutmegging a third, Manny fired at goal and it looked certain to nestle into the bottom corner, but Townsend was on hand once again to relieve the danger.
Neil Aspin withdrew Hannant at half-time, as Danny Elliott came onto replace him for the second period, and the forward was in the thick of the action from the get-go.
A neat one-two with Harris inside the box allowed Elliott a strike at goal, though his effort was just inches too high. Harris then had a shot from the edge of the box saved as Vale started brightly following the break.
Tyreeq Bakinson had the hosts’ first chance of the half as he beat two Vale defenders down the right hand-side, however his blazing effort was no danger to Brown in the Vale net; Newport’s lack of chances a sign of Vale’s positive play.
However, for the first time in the fixture, the hosts began to stamp their dominance on the game as the clock ticked down. Mark O’Brien had an audacious header tipped over the bar and out of play before Keanu Marsh-Brown blazed over from close-range with just 15 minutes to go.
The hosts continued their bombardment as a number of long-throws and crosses were sent into the Vale box though to no avail as the defensive line stayed strong.
Vale’s defensive job became that much with just over five to play in regular time, as James Gibbons was brandished a straight red for a strong challenge in the attacking third on the Newport full-back.
Neil Aspin’s men put absolutely everything on the line following the dismissal to protect their goal and bring home a well-earned point.
Teams
Newport County: Townsend, Butler, Labadie (Marsh-Brown, 70), Willmott (Dolan, 57), Amond, Matt, Bakinson (Sheehan, 81), Bennett, O’Brien, Poole, Demetriou
Unused Subs: Day, Pipe, Forbes, Neufville
Port Vale: Brown, Gibbons, Joyce, Kay, Oyeleke, Hannant (Elliott, 45), Rawlinson, Crookes, Smith, Harris, Clark
Unused Subs: Hornby, Montano, Worrall, Pugh, Conlon
Attendance: 2534 (63 Vale)