Michael Brown’s Port Vale side fell to another defeat the weekend, which saw them slide further into the relegation zone.
Match winner Alex Jones returned to Vale Park after his loan stint there earlier this season to haunt his former club.
Brown spoke exclusively to Valiant PlayerHD after the game about the result: “It is a difficult one to take. We are very disappointed, I thought we did very well in the second half.”
He continued: “We pushed them all the way, and they are a good team with all of the experience that they have and they have been amongst the top teams all season so we knew it was going to be a tough game.”
JJ Hooper scored Vale’s equaliser, his first in five games, and boss Brown hopes it gives him enough confidence to push on: “I hope so. I think he needs to learn what he can bring to us. I think that he is still playing like a young player, he needs to stay in the game in certain parts. It is a learning curve for him.”
Due to injuries and suspensions, Vale had to play with a makeshift back four, and the 40-year old was pleased with what he saw: “I thought Guy was excellent. I couldn’t of asked for a better performance from a boy who has slotted in. Full credit to Callum, he produced an excellent performance.”
Recent performances from Vale may not be reflected in the score lines, something that Brown recognizes and is eager to rectify: “We have just discussed that and we need to get points on the board, not performances, that is the knack.”
He added: “We did not do as well as we should of in the first half. We certainly took the game to them in the second half, they had to change their system two or three times to try and stop us.
Straight away McCall shakes my hand and says that we don’t deserve that. It is hard to take but at least the boys are doing something right.”
With two games in the space of four days, Brown is wary of his squad and that some players may need to be rested at Rochdale: “It will be another tough game. They are going well. We know it is going to be a tough week. We need to see how to manage some of these players with two games in three days, so of the players find that hard. We will be looking t the squad to see who will be ready.”