The Valiants put on a dominant second-half display with goals from Olivia Grocott and Sian McHugh to earn them victory at Vale Park
The home team found themselves behind after six minutes when a high ball towards the Vale 18-yard box was not dealt with before Lichfield’s winger nipped in front of Jess Smith and slotted the ball past Connie Watts.
Seven minutes later a promising Vale attack was halted when Lucy Moss was felled inside the visitor’s penalty area, but the referee waved away appeals of a foul.
A minute later, Mollie Prime struck a dangerous cross from the left side that reached Grocott at the back post, but she could not steer the ball towards the goal.
Halfway through the half, Macy Isherwood burst through the Lichfield defence and fired from the left inside, however, the keeper’s outstretched leg at the near post denied a leveller.
The equaliser was eventually found, in the 33rd minute, when Prime’s cross from the left flank took a huge deflection that changed its trajectory to an empty net as the goalkeeper had come off their line to collect.
Four minutes before half time Moss beat two Lichfield players to latch onto what looked like a hopeless long ball, but a touch too much allowed the goalkeeper to smother the ball.
Eight minutes into the second half, Cassie Davies whipped a cross that had Grocott waiting at the back post, but she could not find the target.
Four minutes later, Grocott produced a moment of magic after she beat a Lichfield player near the right touchline and a cross-come-shot from 35 yards out drifted over the keeper nestling in the Lichfield goal to give the Valiants the advantage.
That advantage was then doubled, in the 62nd minute after the ball through the last line of the Lichfield defence was pounced upon by Grocott as she lifted the ball over the top of the on-rushing keeper and created a two-goal cushion for the home side.
The lead grew to three just six minutes later when Sophie Garratt’s cross into the box was punched away by the keeper only as far as McHugh who smashed the ball into the empty net.
Grocott almost turned provider after a cross from the right byline was met by Davies steaming in at the back post, but she could only find the side netting.
There was another penalty shout from the Vale bench, in the 83rd minute, when Isherwood had fallen after challenging for the ball in the Lichfield box, but the referee was unmoved.
As the match entered stoppage time, Isherwood almost added her name to the scoresheet when she fired the ball from the inside the box on the right-hand side, but it cannoned off the near post before being cleared.
The full-time whistle brought a joyous cheer from within Vale Park as the Valiants kept their unbeaten record in the league intact but most importantly track closely behind league leaders AFC Telford United by just one point.
Port Vale | Connie Watts, Daisy Anderson-Wright (76” Lucy Moss), Jess Smith (46’ Naomi Sale-Hancock), Naomi Sale-Hancock (43’ Sian McHugh), Mollie Prime (76’ Tara Harrison), Sophie Garratt (76’ Meg Baldwin), Tara Harrison (43’ Erin Moreton-Powell), Olivia Grocott (76’ Macy Isherwood), Macy Isherwood (46’ Elissa Dockerty), Lucy Moss (46’ Cassie Davies), Meg Baldwin (43’ Anna O’Leary).
