Tyreece John-Jules’ second half goal earns the visitors all three points at Vale Park.
Connor Ripley was forced into action after just ninety seconds when he acrobatically punched a Derby corner clear, this set Vale on a counter-attack which eventually came to nothing after Gavin Massey’s deflected cross was cleared.
The first chance of the game fell to the Vale and it came after some good build up play from the Valiants. Funso Ojo and Ollie Arblaster linked up well on the edge of the box before the ball fell to Arblaster but his effort from just inside the box was well wide of Joe Wildsmith’s goal.
In the 18th minute Derby had the first real opportunity of the game. A Vale corner was cleared as far as Nathaniel Mendez-Laing who played a longball forward that wasn’t cleared. Kane Wilson picked up the loose ball and forced a good save from Ripley who palmed away his powerful strike.
Three minutes later, Vale registered their first shot on target when Alfie Devine drove into the box and struck a low effort that was comfy for Wildsmith who gathered down to his right.
In the 25th minute Conor Hourihane picked out James Collins with an over the top through ball, the Derby forward chested it down and took aim but Ripley was on hand to save well as he gathered at the second attempt. Two minutes later, Collins had another attempt saved when his long-range effort was smartly gathered by Ripley who readjusted quickly.
The Vale ended the half brighter and came close when Alfie Devine played the ball to Uche’s feet, the Vale forward pinned his man and shot on the swivel, but it was deflected wide. Alex Iacovitti then headed the corner over the bar following Tom Sang’s out swinging cross in the 43rd minute.
The second half started much like the first with Derby winning a corner inside the first minute. Tyreece Fornah’s cross was deep and headed back across goal by Mendez-Laing into the path of Hourihane who turned well, but his close-range effort was blocked by Nathan Smith.
In the 58th minute a deep Derby free-kick was cleared as far as Fornah who took aim and his effort deflected through a number of bodies and looked destined to trickle over the line before Connor Ripley came out of nowhere to claw it away from safety. The Vale keeper had already dived one way before quickly redirecting and dramatically saving to keep the scores level. Moments later the visitors came close again when Hourihane’s freekick was headed back into the danger zone but James Collins’ couldn’t quite connect and it was well over the crossbar.
The Rams were piling on the pressure and Ripley was forced into action again in the 67th minute when Mendez-Laing received the ball on the edge of the box before cutting inside and curling an effort towards the far post but Ripley was on hand to tip it around the post.
In the 76th minute the visitors made their pressure count as they took the lead. A loose ball fell to Mendez-Laing who found second half sub Tyreece John-Jules with an outside of the foot pass. The Derby forward broke the offside trap with his run and finished calmy past Ripley with his first touch of the game.
After the goal, Vale reacted positively and the inclusion of Ethan Chislett gave them a new a dimension offensively. In the 82nd minute he won Vale a corner when he showed good feet on the edge of the area before firing a low effort that was deflected behind. The corner was sent in by Sang and seemed to hit a Derby player on the line before being hooked away from the goalmouth.
With six minutes of added time, Connor Ripley went up for a corner in the 93rd minute and won the header but it was straight at Wildsmith.
Port Vale | Connor Ripley, Tom Sang, Nathan Smith, Ben Garrity, Alfie Devine (Ethan Chislett 78’), Uche Ikpeazu (Ryan Loft 69’), Funso Ojo, Jason Lowe, Alex Iacovitti (Jesse Debrah 79), Ollie Arblaster, Gavin Massey (James Plant 78’)
Unused Subs: Jayson Leutwiler, Tom Conlon, Rhys Walters
Derby County | Joe Wildsmith, Kane Wilson, Craig Forsyth, Conor Hourihane, Eiran Chashin, Max Bird, James Collins (Tyreece John-Jules 75’), Nathaniel Mendez Laing, Tyrese Fornah, Ryan Nyambe (Tom Barkhuizen 75’), Curtis Nelson
Unused Subs: Josh Vickers, Sonny Bradley, Marytn Waghorn, Louie Sibley, Joe Ward