The Valiants are back home this weekend, as we prepare for our first home fixture of the league campaign when we welcome Tranmere Rovers to Vale Park. With the game just a day away, we look back at times we hosted Rovers.
Past Five encounters with Tranmere: LLDLL
Our last visit from Rovers:
Sky Bet League Two, Vale Park, Saturday 14th November 2020: Port Vale 3-4 Tranmere Rovers
Goals from Tom Conlon, David Amoo and substitute Devante Rodney were not enough to prevent a 10-man Vale from falling to a late 4-3 defeat at the hands of Tranmere Rovers.
With 15 minutes on the clock, the Valiants earnt themselves a penalty when Tom Conlon cut inside his man, and was tripped under a challenge, leaving the referee with no choice but to point to the spot.
And after winning the penalty, Conlon made no mistake from the spot, slotting the ball home into Scott Davies’ bottom left-hand corner and giving the Valiants a 15th minute lead.
The Valiants added another goal to their tally in 24th minute of the game, from a wonderfully worked set-piece, when David Worrall’s short corner was played to Conlon, who laid the ball into the path of Amoo, who spun his man in the box, before rifling an effort into the back off the net via the crossbar.
Early into the second period the game was flipped on its head when Luke Joyce was given a straight red card for his challenge on Kieran Morris.
The Valiants were dealt a further blow in the 58th minute, when James Vaughan finished from six-yards after Blackett-Taylor’s low cross into the box, cutting the Valiants lead in half.
In the 69th minute, Vaughan had another opportunity to equalise, after Leon Legge was adjudged to have brought down Blackett-Taylor in the box, before Vaughan fired the ball into the back of net, to level the score.
The Valiants showed unbelievable character in the following five minutes, when David Worrall’s whipped free-kick was met by the head of Rodney, who powered the Vale back in front with 15 minutes remaining, an incredible turn of events after everything seemed to be going against the Valiants.
But a spirited performance from 10-man Vale couldn’t yield three points, when Kaiyne Woolery was able to fire an effort past Scott Brown, in the second minute of stoppage time.
And Vale’s disappointment was worsened in the last seconds of the contest when Kieron Morris’ long-range effort flew into the back of the net, with Scott Brown left with no chance.
Port Vale: Brown, Clark, Smith, Legge, Crookes, Joyce, Conlon, Burgess, Amoo (Oyeleke 82’), Worrall, Pope (Rodney 61’).
Unused subs: Visser, Brisley, Montano, McKirdy, Cullen.
Tranmere Rovers: Davies, Nelson (Smith 85’), Clarke, Monthe, MacDonald, Spearing, Morris, Khan, Blackett-Taylor (Woolery 77’), Lloyd (Ferrier 72’), Vaughan.
Unused subs: Jones, Young, Ray, Banks.
Classic Encounter:
League One, Vale Park, Saturday 22nd March 2014: Port Vale 3-2 Tranmere Rovers
The Vale went in front after just three minutes when Allen Tankard sent Andy Porter racing down the left and his cross was powerfully headed home by Lee Mills.
The lead was doubled six minutes before half-time thanks to a Andy Hill pass that was flicked to Tony Naylor by Mills and he hit a swerving left footed shot past Lionel Perez.
The coup de grace came in the 72nd minute when Naylor scored one of the best goals ever seen at Vale Park. Naylor picked the ball up just inside the Sunderland half, back heeled it past defender Andy Melville to take him out of the game, raced forward and then hit a superb curling shot from the edge of the box into the far corner of the net.
Sunderland pulled a goal back in the 76th minute when Kevin Phillips found the net from a corner but Vale were able to see out the game for all three points.
Port Vale – Neal (Johnson 83), Yates, Grimmer, Duffy, Dickinson, Myrie-Williams (Birchall 89), Knott, Griffith, Loft, Williamson (Hugill 90+3), Pope
Subs not used – Jones, Robertson, Dodds, Tomlin
Tranmere R – Fon-Williams, Brown (Goodison 58), Ridehalgh, Wallace, Arthurworrey (Stockton 76), Taylor, Kirby, Power, Lowe, Cassidy, Koumas
Subs not used – Horwood, Robinson, Rowe, Mooney
Attendance: 5,449