The Valiants secured all three points in a hard-fought victory over AFC Wimbledon as they extended their unbeaten run to ten league games and remained top of Sky Bet League Two.
The visitors carved out the first chance of the game in the fourth minute as Joe Lewis steered a header wide of Connor Ripley’s far post following a James Tilley corner.
The contest then sparked into life on nine minutes as Vale opened the scoring against the run of play. Brandon Cover won a loose ball in midfield and drove forward before slipping Jayden Stockley in behind down the right. The striker remained patient and linked back up with the onrushing Cover, who slotted home from 12 yards out.
Just two minutes later, the Valiants took complete control as they doubled their advantage through Rico Richards. The midfielder produced a dazzling run through the visitor’s half before being chopped down in a dangerous area. Ethan Chislett crashed the resulting free kick off the post, but Richards followed up the rebound and tucked into an empty net.
Wimbledon forced Ripley into action for the first time just past the midway point of the first half as the ball ricocheted to Alistair Smith on the edge of the box and he struck first time, but the Vale number one palmed the midfielder’s effort brilliantly over the bar.
The away side continued to create opportunities as they looked to find a way back into the match and came close with two quickfire chances on 31 minutes. First, Tilley found Lewis with another cross from the left, but the defender couldn’t keep his aerial attempt down. Then, the Dons struck the woodwork as Matty Stevens curled his right-footed shot off the post before it was eventually cleared.
Despite seeing less of the ball, Vale still threatened on the counterattack as they nearly added a third when Cover burst into the box and teed up Chislett, but his effort was collected comfortably by a diving Owen Goodman in the Dons goal.
After a quiet opening to the second half, Wimbledon got back into the tie as they halved the deficit through Josh Neufville on 61 minutes. Stevens slotted the winger through on goal down the left-hand side of the area, who converted the one-on-one with no mistake.
The Valiants found an instant response to the setback, regaining the two-goal lead almost immediately following the kick off. Richards wriggled past a visiting defender down the right and dug out a sweet cross from the byline, which was met and headed home by Stockley.
On 78 minutes, the away side scored their second goal to set up a tense finish. Myles Hippolyte bent a free kick into the box from the right and it eluded every shirt in the box before bouncing past Ripley and into the Vale net.
With one minute of normal time remaining the Whites nearly ended the visitors' hopes of finding an equaliser as substitute Benicio flashed the ball into the box to the feet of Ryan Croasdale, but he poked his attempt just wide of Goodman’s near post.
In the first of five additional minutes, Ripley produced heroics to keep the Valiants in front. In a moment of chaos, James Ball fired powerfully from the edge of the box and was denied by a diving Ripley before the rebound fell to Hippolyte, who thundered a shot off the crossbar. The ball then deflected into the path of another Dons player, but a vital block turned the ball behind for a corner to secure the three points for Vale.
Port Vale: Connor Ripley, Connor Hall, Ben Garrity (Jason Lowe 74’), Jayden Stockley (Antwoine Hackford 80’), Ethan Chislett (Ronan Curtis 69’), Ryan Croasdale, Tom Sang, Jesse Debrah, Jack Shorrock (Ben Heneghan 80’), Rico Richards (Benicio Baker Boaitey 69’), Brandon Cover
Unused Subs: Ben Amos, Ruari Paton
AFC Wimbledon: Owen Goodman, Ryan Johnson (Isaac Ogundere 76’), James Tilley (Huseyin Biler 67’), Callum Maycock (Josh Kelly 67’), Omar Bugiel, Josh Neufville, Alistair Smith, Matty Stevens, James Ball, Myles Hippolyte, Joe Lewis
Unused Subs: Lewis Ward, James Furlong, John-Joe O’Toole, Riley Harbottle
Author: Matt Carville, University of Staffordshire
