Into the Valley of Death…
Morecambe visited the Potteries today to take on relegation rivals Port Vale in a game which could have dire – or even fatal – consequences for whoever might lose it. The Shrimps’ season-long struggle against the drop has been exacerbated recently by further injuries to their already depleted numbers. Ex-Wolves winger Aaron Collins has been signed in a bid to shore-up the smallest squad in the EFL. They lost 2-3 at home to an impressive Bury side last Saturday after being three-nil down but the stark truth is that Jim Bentley’s side has not won a single game so far this year and the omens for his team generally have not been good in recent times.
As for the hosts, Vale have also been struggling for several seasons. Long-serving ex-player Neil Aspin was appointed fifteen months ago when the team were on a steeply downward curve and he managed to reverse their fortunes and keep them in the division. Two weeks ago, though, Chairman Norman Smurthwaite announced:
“It is with a heavy heart that I have accepted the resignation of Neil Aspin. When we appointed Neil in October 2017 it was with a five-year plan in mind and the intention to bring long term stability to the club and return to League One.”
Aspin left a team which had scored fewer goals than anyone else in League Two – just twenty-seven as opposed to Morecambe’s thirty-two at the same time – and has not won at home since last October. Since he left, replacement John Askey (sacked by Shrewsbury just last November) was not able to improve the team’s fortunes (or goal scoring) in his only game in charge so far. Vale lost 1-0 to fellow-strugglers Cambridge last Saturday and faced the Shrimps four points but only two places higher in the division. A win today for either side could produce at least a bit of breathing space – a loss could put Morecambe in the relegation berths or bring the Valiants within striking distance of currently doomed neighbours Macclesfield and rock-bottom Notts County.
In terms of previous contests, Morecambe just had the edge before kick-off today. The Shrimps had won six of their previous games in League Two and the FA Cup; Vale had won five with a further four matches drawn including the 2-2 result at the Globe Arena last November.
It was sunny in the Potteries when I arrived in Stoke for this game and you could almost pretend it was Spring. Ish.
Vale started on the front foot and soon established their own style of playing: muscular and direct. But despite all the hustle and bustle, Morecambe created the first chance of the game. After six minutes, Old Fox Kevin Ellison made good progress down the left and sent over an excellent cross which the Valiant defence shovelled away for a corner. Eight minutes had been played when Zak Mills failed to clear from a corner and Luke Joyce took the opportunity to test Mark Halstead from inside the Shrimps’ penalty area, smashing the ball low from the Port left at very close range. But Morecambe ‘s Man Of The Match was equal to it and somehow managed to push it away for a corner. Straight after this, Jordan Cranston ‘s free-kick was headed narrowly wide by Steven Old at the other end. The next chance fell to Pope after twelve minutes. When well placed, he directed an unmarked header directly at Halstead when he might have done better.
Morecambe Manager Jim Bentley is known to be an admirer of what I suppose could be kindly described as an ‘old fashioned ‘ Centre Forward. Today, you seriously wondered why. He has no pace, he looked unfit to me at least and his main contribution to the game seemed to be roughing-up Morecambe defenders and testing fussy, officious little Referee John Busby’s patience. Compare him to even older Kevin Ellison in the opposing team and there is no doubt which of them was a bigger threat. Kev played really well today; he caused problems all the time to the Valiant defence and he resisted the opportunities offered to mix it with the Vale players. Plus, Kev is obviously very fit: he is an example to anybody. I doubt he would have missed a penalty, either; but Pope did.
Steven Old came unnecessarily close to Mark Harris in the twenty-second minute and Vale’s number nineteen took the opportunity to run into him and trip over his feet. The Ref also fell. For it. But Halstead threw himself high to his left to brilliantly stop the spot-kick and also deny Vale’s Number Nine his one hundredth League goal. Morecambe’s goalkeeper managed at least two more exceptional saves by the end of the half. The first was when James Gibbons was given the freedom of the whole of the right-hand side of the pitch from his point of view after 26 minutes. He duly charged up the field, feigned a right turn and then turned left to unleash a thunderbolt of a low shot which Halstead again excelled to turn away for a corner. From this, he again denied another unchallenged Pope header low at his left post. At the other end, though, opposite number Scott Brown also pulled-off a miraculous stop after 27 minutes. As was the case all afternoon, Carlos Mendes-Gomes played some intelligent football in the middle of the park. On this occasion, though, Richie Sutton set the young man up to take a tremendous shot which seemed destined for the top corner of Vale’s net but for Brown’s spectacular reflexes.
So – largely thanks to a superb display by Mark Halstead – the Shrimps went back to the Changing Rooms still level. I don’t think it’s unfair to say that most of whatever subtle football could be seen was played by the visitors. The Valiants seemed to have just Plan A in their locker: kick and rush and try to get Pope or Harris to finish it off.
It didn’t work in the first half and it didn’t work in the second one either. Morecambe seemed to me to have upped the tempo in the second period and played some nice moves as new boy Richie Bennett increasingly took the eye: this lad can play a bit. Having said that, Luke Hannant went close for the hosts with ten minutes of the re-start played when his long-range curling shot hit the top of the visitors’ left-hand post with Halstead beaten for once. There were half–chances for both sides but the key move of the match came when new boy Aaron Collins was introduced for the first time after 67 minutes. He looked immediately at ease in his new surroundings and took just seven minutes to register his first goal for his new club when he swept Kev’s superb low cross from the Morecambe left past Brown from very close in. And that was basically it. Vale huffed and puffed after that but although he still had to make a couple of decent saves, Halstead didn’t really look like being beaten.
This was a superb win for the Shrimps. They played some good stuff at times, rode their luck when they had to but they were the better team particularly in the second half. As for Port Vale, their continuance during the second period with playing pretty brutal but ineffective direct football made you worry for them. They are not a good side and Tom Pope looked short of confidence as if the huge expectations clearly lying on his shoulders are actually weighing him down.
The loss pushed the Valiants further down into the Valley of Death: just one place and a single point above today’s visitors. Notts County won today and Macclesfield drew to make things even tighter at the bottom of League Two. Yeovil lost and they and Port Vale must be wondering what the rest of the season holds in store for them. As for Morecambe, Mark Halstead’s heroics meant that they moved one place up the table into twenty-first position.
Port Vale: 1 Scott Brown; 15 Nathan Smith; 13 Connell Rawlinson; 14 Adam Crookes; 2 James Gibbons; 4 Luke Joyce; 6 Anthony Kay (Y) (22 Tom Conlan 78 mins); 23 Mitchell Clark (3 Christian Montaňo 82 mins); 19 Mark Harris (24 Ben Whitfield 85 mins); 9 Tom Pope; 11 Luke Hannant (Y).
Subs not used: 12 Sam Hornby; 5 Leon Legge; 7 David Worrall; 29 Dan Turner.
Morecambe: 21 Mark Halstead; 2 Zak Mills; 3 Luke Conlan 19 Carlos Mendes-Gomes (Y) (31 Aaron Collins 67 mins); 5 Steven Old; 12 Ritchie Sutton; 11 Kevin Ellison (17 Liam Mandeville 87 mins); 4 Alex Kenyon (C)(Y); 7 Richie Bennett; 27 Jordan Cranston (Y); 26 Pietro Mingoia.
Subs not used: 1 Barry Roche; 14 Sam Dalby; 25 Ben Hedley; 32 Price; 24 Paul McKay.
Ref: John Busby
4147 (141 from Morecambe)
