Pope hat-trick in Vale victory
Attendance:
At Vale Park
November 2012
th
Tuesday 20
Port Vale v Bristol Rovers
visiting supporters including
PORT VALE:Chris Neal, Adam Yates, John McCombe, Jennison Myrie-Williams, Ashley Vincent, Tom Pope, Clayton McDonald, Ben Williamson, Kingsley James, Ryan Burge, Richard Duffy.
SUBS:Sam Johnson, Louis Dodds, Chris Shuker, Joe Davis, Sean McAlliater, Ryan Lloyd, Rob Taylor
BRISTOL ROVERS:Neil Etheridge, Michael Smith, Jim Paterson, Danny Woodards, Tom Parkes, Fabian Broghammer, Lee Brown, Wayne Brown, Seanan Clucas, Matt Lund, Tom Eaves.
SUBS:Matt Gill, Adam Virgo, Ellis Harrison, Sam Walker, Alfie Santos, Tom Lockyer, Derek Riordan
Attendance:4,177 including 132 visiting supporters
Micky Adams decided to ring the changes following Saturday’s below-par display against York City, with Rob Taylor, Chris Shuker and Louis Dodds all finding themselves on the bench.
Ben Williamson and Kingsley James, making his full debut, came into the starting line-up alongside Ashley Vincent, who returned after serving a one-match suspension.
Vale opened the game looking a little sluggish, struggling to get into gear, with the visitors looking the sharper of the two sides in the opening minutes of the game.
minute when Ben Williamson forced a save from Neil Etheridge at his near post after Tom Pope had slipped the ball into his path.thVale’s first real effort on goal came in the 12
Vale were put under pressure for spells as the visitors looked busy going forward, but ‘keeper Chris Neal was not troubled as Bristol were forced into shooting from long range.
The game suddenly burst into life from a Vale perspective with two goals inside ninety seconds, and you don’t need to be a genius to guess the goalscorer.
GOAL: took the ball on his chest, made himself a yard and drilled the ball low into the bottom left hand corner of the net.TOM POPEWith twenty minutes on the clock,
GOAL: was at it again, this time meeting a left wing cross from Ashley Vincent to send a powerful header past Etheridge and into the net.POPELess than two minutes later
Tom Eaves flashed an angled drive across the face of the Vale goal as the visitors looked to pull a goal back, but the tide had already turned, with Vale by now looking almost back to their best.
GOAL: was on hand to slam the ball over the line.BEN WILLIAMSON Minute, and Pope was involved again. He met a right wing cross from Richard Duffy and headed against the far upright, but thIt came as no surprise when Vale added a third goal in the 36
Williamson had a header knocked off the line as Vale started the second half brightly and defender John McCombe, with his back to goal, missed the target from close range as he attempted to knock the loose ball over the line.
A minute later McCombe was involved in the action at the other end of the pitch, clearing off his line to preserve Vale’s three-goal lead.
GOAL: TOM POPE minute when he leapt to meet a cross from Jennison Myrie-Williams to head home his hat-trick goal.thmade Port Vale history in the 67
In doing so, he became the fastest ever Port Vale layer to hit the 20 goal mark, beating the record held by the legendary Wilf Kirkham for over 85 years by one day.
Pope was not to repeat his four-goal haul from earlier this season, however, as he was substituted two minutes later to make way for Ryan Lloyd.
minute, Sean McAllister coming off the bench to replace Ryan Burge.thVale made a further change in the 74
minute when Clayton McDonald was rested – Joe Davis taking his place in the heart of the Vale defence.thThe home side completed a trio of substitutions in the 79
Vale were quite happy to drop down a gear in order to save their energy for the next match, a long trip to Aldershot at the weekend.