The Valiants have the chance to make a swift bounce back and secure another three points today as they welcome the Grecians to Vale Park. With the game just a few hours away, we look back on two classic matches that the Vale have played against the Exeter City.
Autoglass Trophy Southern Final first-leg, Vale Park, Tuesday 16th March 19093: Port Vale 2-1 Exeter City
The Vale headed into the game with a first appearance at Wembley the prize for the winners over two legs.
A large crowd roared the players on and Vale took the lead from the penalty spot in the 15th minute after Ian Taylor burst into the box on the right only to be tripped by Andy Cook, allowing Paul Kerr to rifle the spot kick into the bottom corner of the net.
The Valiants applied pressure as they looked to get a second goal, but against the run of play Exeter equalised eight minutes before half-time when the ball fell to Danny Bailey 35-yards out and he fired a shot that beat Paul Musselwhite and went in off the post.
Early in the second period Exeter almost went in front when John Hodge had a shot parried by Musselwhite and Steve Moran blazed the rebound wide, but the Vale regained their lead in the 74th minute when a right wing cross by Kevin Kent was headed past Kevin Miller by Taylor.
Nicky Cross fired over as Vale threatened a third but the lead proved to be enough as the second leg ended 1-1.
Port Vale - Musselwhite, Kent, Sulley, Walker, Swan, Glover, Kerr (Houchen), Van der Laan, Cross, Jeffers, Taylor
Sub not used – Porter
Exeter City – Miller, Brown, Cook (Tonge), Bailey, Daniels, Whiston, Redwood, McIntyre, Jepson, Moran (Dolan), Hodge
Att. 8,866
League Division Two, Vale Park, Saturday 30th April 1994: Port Vale 3-0 Exeter City
The Vale were fighting for automatic promotion and were sat fourth in the table going into their last home game of the season, with the knowledge that three wins from their last three games would clinch promotion, whilst Exeter were doomed to relegation.
Backed by 10,000 roaring fans, Vale attacked mercilessly in the first-half but weren’t able to find a breakthrough.
Nerves were calmed though just three minutes into the second period when the Valiants opened the scoring as Dean Glover played a free-kick out on the right to substitute Bradley Sandeman who sent over a pin-point cross into the box where Martin Foyle rose like a salmon to power a header past Allen McKnight.
Vale doubled their lead in the 65th minute when Kevin Kent raced down the right and his cross to the far post saw Foyle grab his second as he produced a superb diving header for his 20th goal of the season.
There was only one side in the game after that and the Vale added a third goal in the 79th minute when Bernie Slaven played the ball out on the left to John Jeffers and he flicked it forward to Allen Tankard and his pass into the centre was stroked home by Kent.
At the end of the game there was a huge pitch invasion as Vale fans sensed their team was going up.
Port Vale – Musselwhite, Aspin (Sandeman), Tankard, Porter, Swan, Glover, Slaven, Foyle, Kent, Cross (Jeffers), Taylor
Sub not used – Wood
Exeter City – McKnight, Llewellyn, Minett, Cooper, Daniels, Whiston (Richardson), Storer, Thirlby, Turner, Pears, Phillips
Subs not used – Bailey, Fox
Att. 10,377