Vale Assistant happy with Vale's performance at the weekend
Mark Grew was obviously pleased with the result against Tranmere Rovers on Saturday - Vale’s fourth win in five games in all competitions - and Grew was just as happy with the performance.
Vale’s Assistant Manager said: “We carried on where we left off against Coventry really and the second half performance against Coventry was a s good as we have been for a long time.
“It is never easy to go to Tranmere and win a game of football and they finished very strongly in the last twenty minutes and put us under pressure, but over all you have got to be pleased with the three points.”
The home side had a player sent off in the first half and, as is often the case, the ten remaining players rallied. Vale responded by stepping it up a little and in the end were well worth the maximum return.
“When the lad got sent off it seemed we lost our way a little bit, but the stats say we created twenty chances in the game away from home and I was really pleased with the performance and the result. Grew continued:
“The only disappointing thing about Saturday was we should have the game out of sight after the first twenty-five minutes.
“We had chance after chance and you get that feeling as the game goes on, especially when we missed the penalty, that it might not be our day.
“Tom is a big lad and he is not going to sit back moping about a penalty miss, he’s not the first and he certainly won’t be the last.
“After he missed he didn’t drop his head, he got on with the game and he put in a good performance, but it was an excellent save and I am sure it won’t affect Tom.”
If it did bother Pope, he didn’t show it and he and strike partner Ben Williamson continued to terrorise the home defence.
The deciding goal was a classic free kick which wouldn’t have looked out of place in the Premier League – Chris Lines curled in an absolute beauty, his first goal in Vale colours.
Grew said: “We kept going and the goal was a fantastic strike which would have been fitting for any game and even when we came under pressure the lads battled on.
“I thought Tom Pope and Ben Williamson were outstanding on Saturday, they frightened the life out of their back four.
“Our midfield players did their job again and the back four were solid. It is still a learning process, but we are learning game by game.
“We are full of confidence at the moment and I am sure people are not looking forward to facing Port Vale.”