A Port Vale XI side mostly consisting of Academy players, faced Leek Town in a local friendly this evening, resulting in a narrow 1-0 defeat.
The first notable chance came in the 12th minute when Alex Hurst’s cross found Trialist F, who shot over the bar.
Soon after, Edward Lake intercepted a ball and made a run towards former Valiants’ goalkeeper Dino Visser, who blocked the shot well. Andrew Buah’s 18th-minute drive past several players resulted in another save by Visser.
Leek Town’s free kick in the 22nd minute found a player at the back post, but his header landed safely in Arron Davies’ hands. Edward Lake almost capitalized on a Visser mistake in the 28th minute, but the keeper recovered. Moments later, Brendon Daniels forced Davies into a close-range save.
The first half ended goalless, despite both teams creating chances.
Half Time: Port Vale 0-0 Leek Town
10 changes were made at the start of the second half, and it began with the Valiants pushing for a breakthrough. In the 53rd minute, Miracle Orisakwe delivered a cross that was cleared to the edge of the box. Clayton Malbon met the clearance with a powerful volley, but the Leek Town goalkeeper was up to the task, making a solid save.
In the 60th minute, Dino Visser again proved crucial for Leek Town, as he denied Joe Hunter’s shot following another precise cross from Orisakwe. The Valiants continued to press, but Visser’s heroics kept the score level.
Leek Town came close to breaking the deadlock in the 71st minute when their number 4 (Trialist C) headed a corner against the woodwork.
The pressure from Leek Town increased, and in the 79th minute, Tim Grice directed a powerful header towards the bottom right corner, only to be met by a fantastic save from Arron Davies.
As the game neared its conclusion, Joe Woolley played a precise through ball to Tim Price in the 83rd minute, but Grice’s shot narrowly went wide of the post.
The decisive moment came in the 88th minute when Grice held his line well to meet a through ball. Although his initial shot was saved by Davies, the ball rebounded kindly for Grice to tap into an empty net, giving Leek Town the lead.
Full Time: Port Vale XI 0-1 Leek Town
First Half XI
Arron Davies, Liam Brazier, Ben Lomax, Louis Francis, Zayn Sadiq, Joao Pevide, Trialist, Andrew Buah, Jack Shorrock, Edward Lake, Trialist, (Sub- Keaton Mosely)
Second Half XI
Arron Davies, Alessandro Treppasso-Tully, Ben Ashell-Cody, Tomasi Wara, Karl Agnero, Joe Hunter, Clayton Malbon, Logan Cousins, Miracle Orisakwe, George Barker, (Sub- Keaton Mosely)