.
Port Vale v StevenageNovember 2016thSaturday 5
RoundstFA Cup 1
At Vale Park
Attendance: 3.093 including 173 visiting supporters
Vale had defender Remie Streete to thank after his fist half header was the difference between the two sides as the home side scraped into the second round of the FA Cup with a 1-0 win over Stevenage.
As expected, the visitors did everything they could to make it difficult for Bruno Ribeiro’s men and they fought desperately for an equaliser in the second half and would perhaps argue they deserved the chance of a replay.
That wasn’t to be, however, with Vale defending solidly to keep their opponents at bay, though perhaps they did ride their luck at times, but all that counts is that Vale are in the hat for the draw on Monday night.
Vale made two changes from the side that lost at Bolton Wanderers, for the visit of Stevenage as the two sides met in the first round of the FA Cup.
In came Martin Paterson to take up the place occupied by Rigino Cicilia and the other change was Kiko coming in to take up the place of Sam Hart on the Vale left.
It was a change in formation for the Valiants too, with manager Bruno Ribeiro and his staff deciding on a 4-4-2 formation, with Jerome Thomas joining Martin Paterson up top1
Remie Street had Vale’s first real effort on goal when the ball fell to him inside the Stevenage box from a Vale free kick, but he couldn’t quite get his shot on target.
Vale were doing their fair share of pressing, however, whilst not really making any headway in the final third of the pitch, despite one or two neat passing moves.
Harry McKirdy was able to get in behind the Vale defence and his effort clipped the post, but he was clearly in an offside position and was flagged accordingly.
Charlie Lee wasn’t too far off when he met a left wing corner with his head, but his effort dropped harmlessly over Jak Alnwick onto the top of the net.
It served as a warning to the home side that they couldn’t afford to be complacent and there was a job to be done.
Nathan Smith looked to be in trouble after he leg was taken away from him inside the Vale box. A free kick was awarded Vale’s way but the young defender seemed like he didn’t want any treatment, despite it clearly affecting him.
Vale continued to press hard but there seemed to be no way through a determined and resolute visiting defence, who were packing bodies in the way to make it difficult.
GOAL:, giving Stevenage ‘keeper Jamie Jones no chance.REMIE STREETE minute, however, when a cross from the left by Jerome Thomas was met by a firm header at the back post from thThey were finally undone in the 38
The visitors showed what they were all about after the interval, desperately pushing bodies forward in search of an equaliser.
It was now Vale’s turn to pack the defence and fight to keep them out, and they didn’t do a bad job of it, keeping their discipline and working hard as a unit.
What the Valiants really needed was a second goal to give them a bit of a cushion, but it didn’t look forthcoming, with the dynamics of the game having now changed. The visitors were having a go, and didn’t Vale know it?
minute Vale made a change with the injection of fresh legs from the bench in the shape of Sam Hart, who came on for Sam Kelly.ndIn the 62
Hart was soon in the thick of things, stretching to get on the end of a left wing cross from Thomas, but unlike in Vale’s previous game against Bolton, this time the loanee from Liverpool couldn’t get his header on target.
minute Vale replaced Kio with Anthony de Freitas as they went looking to put pressure on the visitors higher up the pitch.thThen in the 67
Vale then made a third and final change on 78 minutes when Martin Paterson went off to be replaced up front by Rigino Cicilia.
Vale had a let off on 95 minutes when the visitors rattled the upright and the loose ball was hit high over the crossbar.
PORT VALE: Rigino Cicilia, Chris Mbamba, Quentin Pereira, Miguel Santos, Sebastien Amoros, Anthony de Freitas, Sam Hart.SUBS:Jak Alnwick, Remie Streete, Kjell Knops, Sam Kelly, Paulo Tavares, Martin Paterson, Jerome Thomas, Kiko, Nathan Smith, Ryan Taylor, Anthony Grant.
STEVENAGE: Andrew Fox, Steven Schumacher, Rowan Liburd, Tom Pett, Chris Day, Dean Wells, Matthew GoddenSUBS:Jamie Jones, Jack King, Fraser Franks, Luke Wilkinson, Harry McKirdy, Ben Kenneddy, Dale Gorman, Charlie Lee, Henry Cowans, Ronnie Henry, Kgosi Ntlhe.