The Valiants completed a dramatic late comeback thanks to Mipo Odubeko and a seventh goal of the season for Ellis Harrison to secure a 2-2 draw at home to Forest Green Rovers.
Odubeko’s second goal for the club and another Harrison penalty with just two minutes to go ensured Vale got a point after two headed goals in the first half had put Forest Green 2-0 up.
The visitors struck first with their first attack, Myles Peart-Harris got on the end of a free-kick on the right-hand side to flick home a header just before the 15-minute mark.
Rovers doubled their lead in the 37th minute with a carbon copy of their first goal, but instead, the set piece came in from the left, and it was Baily Cargill who headed it home.
Substitute Odubeko grabbed a goal back for the Valiants with just over 10 minutes to go when he volleyed home from inside the box after McGee could only save a header into his path.
Then with four minutes to go, after being awarded two penalties away at Derby last week, the Valiants were awarded one once again after the ball seemingly hit a Rovers hand in a chaotic penalty area to set up a grandstand finish.
Harrison dispatched the resulting spot kick down the right-hand side just like he did in Derbyshire last week to bring Vale back level late on.
Darrell Clarke made just one change to the side that historically beat Derby County last week, with Dennis Politic coming in for Brad Walker.
It was also a special day for our skipper Tom Conlon who turned out for the Valiants for the 150th time, a memorable moment for the Porthill-born midfielder.
After a quiet opening period to the game, Harrison sprung the Valiants to life with the first opportunity of the match when he dove low to head toward goal, but Luke McGee managed to collect the effort calmly.
There was nearly an instant response from vale to falling behind as Forrester whipped in a brilliant cross which was accidentally met by the head of a Forest Green player; however, McGee produced a strong stop to keep the scores level.
Just over 20 minutes into the match, Dan Jones climbed highest from a Vale corner, but he couldn’t quite keep his header down as it flew just over the bar.
Seven minutes later, James Wilson missed a good opportunity after stealing the ball off of Jordan Moore-Taylor and breaking free before the Rovers defender managed to race back and divert his shot for a corner
The pressure kept building as the first half progressed, and perhaps the best chance of the half fell to Harrison who couldn’t quite keep his header down off a brilliant cross from the left-hand side.
Vale came close to pulling one back in stoppage time of the first period through an own goal, but somehow the header from a visiting defender couldn’t quite find the Rovers’ net.
Tom Conlon came close to marking his 150th appearance for the club with a goal when he forced McGee into a fingertip save when the ball fell to him from the resulting corner.
After the break, Dennis Politic was the first to go for goal for Vale, but his effort from just outside the area rose just too much to go over the bar.
Wilson was the next player to test McGee when he picked up the ball outside the area and fired a long-distance effort into the gloves of Forest Green’s keeper.
Rovers proved their strength on the counter during the 90, and they nearly added a third just before the 60-minute mark when Connor Wickham broke free to set up Peart-Harris, but his effort from the edge of the area just rolled past the post.
With 67 minutes on the clock substitute, Danny Butterworth forced McGee into a good save after he weaved his way to the edge of the box before letting fly from the edge of the box.
Conlon came close once again with 15 minutes to go with a ferocious effort from the edge of the box that he couldn’t quite keep on target after the ball was cleared to him from a free kick.
Vale peppered the Rovers net late in the match and nearly got an equaliser late on, but after a melee in the area, the ball was seemingly cleared off the line by a Forest Green defender.
Forest Green had a huge chance in added time to snatch the win when a teasing ball was sent into the area, but Wickham couldn’t quite get on the end of it.
However, moments later McGee produced an incredible save at the other end to deny Harrison a dramatic winning goal when he latched on to David Worrall’s cross with his head.
A frantic stoppage time was end to end, with Jamille Matt the next player with a chance to win it after he was set up in acres of space, but he couldn’t quite connect with his strike to test Jack Stevens.
Port Vale | Stevens, Jones (71’ Hall), Smith (61’ Cass), Garrity (61’ Butterworth), Wilson, Conlon, Forrester, McCarron (61’ Worrall), Massey, Politic (70’ Odubeko), Harrison
Unused Subs | Stone, Pett
Forest Green Rovers | McGee, O’Keeffe (83’ Casey), Cargill, Stevenson, Hendry (77’ Davis), Boyes, Moore-Taylor, Wickham, Marques, Peart-Harris (83’ Matt), March (58’ March)
Unused Subs | Thomas, Bernard, McAllister
Attendance | 7,092 (159 away)