Grewe please with the contribution of the pair of them

Mark Grew heaped praise on Ben Williamson after the striker hit a quality equaliser against Carlisle on Saturday and said everybody was really pleased to see him in particular find the net.

He also praised the contribution of Tom Pope, who has proved he can cut the mustard in League One and who is a valuable asset to the Vale team.

Of Pope, he said: “We knew he was never going to hit thirty goals again this season but we said if he could get twenty plus then that would be a massive plus for us in this league.

“Don’t forget it is a big step up for us in this league as well, but we are more than pleased with Popey, not just his goal scoring record but his work rate and what he does for the football club.

“He is getting in the box, he had bad a touch on Saturday where he felt he should have gone in and scored and you look at Ben Williamson and I was more than pleased with him on Saturday.

“He missed one you felt he should have scored with but he has come back and stuck one in the back of the net.

“Strikers are there to score goals, but obviously they will miss the majority of them as well. At least they keep going and the managed to grind the two goals out.

“The gaffer had a little go at Ben on Saturday because Ben wants it to come to feet too much and what Ben has got is pace and strength and he has got to get on to the little flicks that Popey gets and run the channels.

“In the first half he didn’t do that as well as he can and in the second half he put them on the back foot where he is making runs in behind.

“Ben has got to really capitalise on his pace and power. That wasn’t an easy finish, he has come inside, reverses it back and it was an excellent finish.

“I think everybody who was not in the team, whether they were on the bench r sitting in the stand were over the moon that Ben Williamson scored because he is such a likeable and loveable lad. If me and Rob Page wanted anybody to score it was Ben Williamson.”