Morecambe smash-and-grab job ensures The Shrimps make the trip home with all three points on a frustrating afternoon at Vale Park.
A 74th minute Aaron Collins tap-in earned the travelling Shrimps the spoils as Jim Bentley’s side frustrated the Valiants from start to finish.
John Askey named an unchanged side from the team that lost to Cambridge United last weekend as Manny Oyeleke and Ricky Miller missed out through injury and suspension.
As both teams battled for possession during the opening encounters, Luke Joyce had a snap shot saved from inside the box, before Steven Old headed wide up the other end all within the first 10 minutes.
In search of his 100th goal for the club, Tom Pope went close with 12 minutes played as Vale began to stamp their dominance on a highly contented first-half. His header from inside the box was saved comfortably by Mark Halstead in the Morecambe net.
As the first half ticked on it looked certain Pope was going to reach his century as Vale were awarded a penalty for a trip on Luke Hannant inside the box. However, a diving save from Halstead denied the skipper as he palmed the ball around the post and away for a corner.
A spirited Morecambe came forward following the penalty save as Carlos Mendes-Gomes saw a shot from the edge of the box drift just wide of the post, before he later forced Scott Brown into a smart diving save from just inside the area
Halstead, who proved the hero for the visitors in the first-half, continued to frustrate the Vale captain as Pope’s header from close range looked certain to loop into the back of the net, only for the Shrimps stopper to tip wide - James Gibbons curled shot came to the same outcome.
Vale continued in the same fashion following the break, as they piled on the pressure following the ref’s whistle. Pope had an audacious effort dragged wide before Hannant skimmed the post from the edge of the box as the Morecambe back-line continued to drop.
As the fans grew restless inside the ground, the Valiants continued to dominate possession, though to no avail – Hannant and Antony Kay picking up retrospective bookings; a sign of Vale’s frustration.
And with 15 minutes to play, Vale were made to pay for their missed chances as the Morecambe substitute and debutant, Collins, tapped home from close range to give the visitors the advantage. A sickening goal for Askey to take as Morecambe hadn’t had a sniff up until that point.
Halstead was on hand to deny Pope and Hannant once more just before John Busby called time on a disappointing result at Vale Park.
Teams
Port Vale: Brown, Gibbons, Joyce, Kay (Conlon, 78), Pope, Hannant, Rawlinson, Crookes, Smith, Harris (Whitfield, 85), Clark (Montano, 82)
Subs: Legge, Worrall, Hornby, Turner
Morecambe: Halstead, Mills, Conlan, Kenyon, Old, Bennett, Ellison (Manderville, 87), Sutton, Mendes-Gomes (Collins, 66), Mingoia, Cranston
Subs: Roche, Dalby, McKay, Hedley, Price.
Attendance: 4147 (141 Morecambe)