A late goal from Norwich City in last nights FA Youth Cup fixture ended the Valiants' run in the competition, but manager Mick Ede was proud of the effort his young side put in.
Two late goals from Finley Jackson and Max Beeston looked to have given Vale a fighting chance of progressing in the competition, after being two goals down with just ten minutes remaining.
They suffered heartbreak though just moments after pulling themselves back, when Norwich went straight up the other end and scored direct from a corner.
Despite their loss, manager Mick Ede wants his young side to hold their heads high and says "they haven't let themselves down" after bowing out to a tough opponent.
"They're playing against a Premiership Academy and sometimes you rise to the occasion and certainly in the second half I think we did when we went 2-0 down.
"I think the lads had a never say die attitude and we got them two goals back. We were just trying to get to full time so we could freshen things up again, it just wasn't to be and all credit to them.
"They had the majority of the play which we knew they would have but never really created a great amount of chances in the first half. If anything we had the better chances in the first half, but they did dominate the game for periods of time so we had to be patient.
Due to injuries and suspensions, Mick Ede was forced to rotate his side which meant the introduction of a number of younger players who would normally feature for the under 16s.
The experience for them was one that Ede felt would be hugely beneficial for them not just for this season, but heading into next season as well.
Those who regularly feature impressed on the evening. The likes of Lucas Green-Birch, Josh Ede, Maxwell Chimenes and Jack Wakefield were the stand out performers for the Vale, and that didn't go unnoticed with the gaffer.
"I think Lucas did well in the middle of the midfield because we've had to play him out of position. He's normally more advanced then where he played, he's done a good job for us tonight and has made some excellent runs with the ball.
"Both wingers did well. We know we'll get good crosses from them and can get past players, but they work so hard in and out of possession of the ball which often goes unnoticed.
"Maxwell has done well for us up top, the whole sides done well but I think them four are just a little bit ahead."