Danny Butterworth scores his first Vale goal to seal all three points at Vale Park.
- Match Report | Port Vale 1 – 0 Lincoln City
- Blackburn Rovers loanee Danny Butterworth scores his first Vale goal to seal all three points against Lincoln City
- Butterworth’s strike the Vale’s 250th since the Shanahan family saved the club in May 2019
PORT VALE 1
Butterworth 68
LINCOLN CITY 0
Attendance: 7,294 (681 away)
The Vale ended Lincoln City’s five-match unbeaten run as Danny Butterworth’s first goal for the club sealed all three points for Darrell Clarke’s side on Saturday afternoon.
Following a dominant first-half performance in which Vale did everything but score, the Blackburn Rovers loanee finally broke the deadlock just over 20 minutes from time, following up after Mipo Odubeko’s effort was saved to score the 250th Vale goal since the Shanahan family saved the club back in May 2019.
Manager Clarke named six changes from the Vale’s midweek defeat to Ipswich Town, with goalkeeper Jack Stevens returning to the starting XI following injury, while Lewis Cass, Mal Benning, Tom Pett, Butterworth and Odubeko were all restored to the starting XI.
Visitors Lincoln, who have won at Ipswich Town, Bristol Rovers, Oxford United and Barnsley in the opening three months of the campaign, made one change from their midweek win at Oakwell as Adam Jackson replaced Joe Walsh.
Following a tense opening ten minutes, the Vale had their first chance when Butterworth broke from inside his own half, driving 40 yards with possession before seeing his shot from inside the area deflected behind.
Ben Garrity saw a header from a David Worrall corner saved by Imps goalkeeper Carl Rushworth on 14 minutes, though both Vale players would leave the field through injury before the half hour mark, being replaced by Tom Conlon and Sammy Robinson respectively.
Just after the half hour, Vale’s top goalscorer Ellis Harrison was played in by a wonderful pass from Dan Jones, though the Welsh frontman saw his effort well-blocked by Regan Poole.
Three minutes later, the Vale went close again as a driving run from Cass on the right side was followed by a cross for Odubeko at the near post, though the West Ham United loanee fired over on the half volley.
Butterworth looked to get the opener through shots from distance as the Vale continued to apply pressure before the break, though the opener wouldn’t come for Clarke’s side.
Vale had a scare shortly after half-time as a cross-field pass from Jones was intercepted by Jordan Garrick, though the striker was denied by an excellent save from Stevens as he entered the area before Matty Virtue’s follow up was off target.
As the hour mark approached, the game opened up from a Vale corner, with Lincoln breaking at pace before Clarke’s side snuffed out the danger and made a break of their own through Robinson and Butterworth, who set the ball for Odubeko, though his shot was dragged wide.
Vale got the goal their performance deserved just over 20 minutes from time as Rushworth did well to get down to a powerful Odubeko effort only to be picking the ball out of his net when Butterworth followed up for his first Vale goal.
Robinson went close to doubling the Vale’s lead 15 minutes from time as he met substitute Connor Hall’s cross at the back post and headed inches over.
Five minutes later, Vale were again within inches of doubling their advantage as Benning broke excellently on the left side and crossed for Harrison, who couldn’t quite connect on the edge of the six-yard box.
The visitors had rarely tested the Vale goal throughout, though in the final minute of the 90, Jones had to be on hand to clear off the line after an Imps corner caused havoc in the Vale penalty area.
In the second of six additional minutes at the end of the 90, the Vale conceded possession and allowed the visitors to break from midfield, with substitute Tashan Oakley-Boothe firing across goal and narrowly wide of Stevens’ right-hand post.
Port Vale: Stevens; Cass, Forrester (Hall 45), Jones; Worrall (Robinson 28), Pett (Capt), Garrity (Conlon 24), Benning; Butterworth (Wilson 74), Odubeko (Massey 74), Harrison.
Subs: Stone, Politic.
Lincoln City: Rushworth; Poole (Capt), O’Connor, Jackson; Roughan (Robson 69), Sanders (Sorensen 69), Virtue, Eyoma; House, Diamond (Oakley-Boothe 84), Mandroiu (Garrick 33).
Subs: Wright, Vernam, Draper.