Match report: Accrington Stanley 2, Port Vale 0

League Two

Accrington Stanley 2 (Procter 4, Ryan 27)

Port Vale 0

by Steve Shaw

LITTLE Accrington Stanley piled the pressure back on beleaguered boss Dean Glover by completing a convincing league double over the Valiants last night.

Stanley out-battled Vale for large periods, especially during the first half, to build on the comprehensive 2-0 success they achieved in Burslem earlier in the season.

Perhaps more daunting for Vale’s travelling support was the nightmare vision of where the club could be heading if they fail to arrest their chronic decline over the next 18 months.

Stanley only regained their Football League status at the start of the 2006/07 season, while their out-dated Fraser Eagle Stadium still provides the kind of non-league setting Vale fans will not wish to become accustomed to.

However, the host’s thirst for the fight belied their lowly status and they deserved a bigger audience than the 1,144-strong gate that witnessed their efforts.

It was the lowest league attendance involving a Vale fixture for 23 years, which highlights the depths to which the club have plunged in recent times.

Meanwhile, it was their fourth lowest league gate since attendances were accurately collated in 1919.

In fairness, Stanley’s modest home faithful did their best to muster something approaching a lively atmosphere.

In stark contrast, some members of Vale’s decent away support were busy sharpening their knives as Glover faced more chants calling for his head.

A huge protest banner, which has become a common piece of furniture at recent matches, was unfurled towards the end of the contest.

Again it demanded an end to Glover’s reign and for the club’s board to be removed.

Glover’s cause has not been helped by his side’s inability to string two wins together.

The last time they achieved the feat in the league was in October when Glover guided his men to successes at Shrewsbury and Chester in his first two games in charge.

After sweeping aside Darlington at the weekend, and having only lost one of their previous four away clashes, the Valiants should have been in confident mood.

But they surrendered the initiative, and ultimately the three points by producing a first-half horror show which featured more sloppy defending.

The result was they conceded two goals within the first 30 minutes with Andy Procter and James Ryan finding the net.

Glover was hampered by the loss of three key injured players including centre-half Gareth Owen (ankle) and versatile defender Lee Collins (hip). He was also without his top scorer, Marc Richards, who missed out after suffering an Achilles injury.

Without Richards, Vale looked painfully lightweight up front despite the best efforts of Louis Dodds.

Danny Glover was recalled to the starting line-up, but the young striker looked devoid of any confidence and was hauled off after 71 frustrating minutes.

Midfielder Scott Brown was also sidelined having failed to recover from a neck problem.

On a night of many negatives there were few positives for Glover snr to salvage from the 90 minutes.

Although keeper Joe Anyon maintained his impressive form with another excellent all-round display.

Stanley were hoping to continue their own mini-rival after picking up four points from their previous two games.

They came storming out of the traps and seemed intent on peppering Vale’s box with crosses at every opportunity, with John Miles posing the biggest threat from the left flank.

It was Miles who set up the opening goal after only four minutes when right-back Anthony Griffith failed to clear Paul Mullin’s flick on.

Miles collected the ball before whipping in a wicked delivery into the danger area where Procter expertly used the pace of the cross to direct his header into the right-hand corner.

Ryan blazed over from 30 yards soon after before Miles skipped past Griffith, only to see another dangerous cross headed to safety by left-back Paul Edwards.

The Valiants appeared shell-shocked at Stanley’s combative approach and the home side should have doubled their advantage in the 19th minute.

This time an unchallenged Procter met Chris Turner’s cross from the right but on this occasion failed to hit the target with an indecisive eight-yard header.

Vale enjoyed their first clear sight on goal in the 24th minute following good build-up play from right midfielder Kevin Gall and Glover.

The ball eventually fell on a plate to loan midfielder Paul Marshall who struck a weak 18-yard effort straight at keeper Kenny Arthur.

Three minutes later Stanley hit their second goal by perfectly executing a pre-mediated set-piece move transferred straight from the training ground.

Miles drove a low corner to the edge of the box where Phil Edwards produced a dummy that afforded Ryan the time and space to lash the ball into the bottom right-hand corner from 20 yards.

Turner and Miles barley tested Anyon’s goal with long-range efforts around the half-hour mark before Vale finally began to find their feet.

Although they were still incapable of scything Stanley open as Dodds had a 16-yard shot blocked, while Dave Howland misfired from closer range.

The second period started much like the first with Stanley in the driving seat.

Anyon had to be alert on 51 minutes when he beat away Craig Lindfield’s stinging 25-yard strike which seemed destined for the top corner.

While the result was never in doubt, Vale’s performance, and work-rate, moved up a notch during the second period.

Although they constantly wasted set-pieces with the main offenders being Howland and Marshall.

Dodds’s shot-on-the-turn from 16 yards was brilliantly tipped-over by Arthur on 54 minutes.

Dodds had another shot blocked before Lindfield’s powerful 30-yarder flew high and wide just after the hour mark.

Lindfield did manage to hit the target on 68 minutes, but Anyon dived to his right to palm the ball to safety.

The Vale stopper was called into action again soon after when Stanley earned a 75th-minute free-kick.

Full-back Peter Cavanagh’s set-piece was met by Paul Mullin’s looping header which was comfortably tipped over by Anyon, before the veteran striker headed wide from the resulting corner.

Substitute Steve Thompson, who replaced Glover, was almost sent clear by a long ball in the 80th minute. Arthur won the race to the ball though enabling him to launch a long clearance.

Three minutes later, Vale’s stand-in skipper John McCombe headed over after getting on the end of Luke Prosser’s diagonal cross.

Substitute Adnan Ahmed directed a 20-yard strike straight at Arthur at the death to bring the curtain down on a dismal night for the Valiants in Lancashire.

The result means 19th-placed Stanley lie just one place and a single point behind Vale in League Two, although they have played a game more.

After the match Glover said: “We are lacking commitment, a bit of belief, a bit of endeavour and a bit of individual strength in making sure we win our individual battles.

“We’ve played against the better sides, we've competed and beaten them. But we just can't do it on a consistent level.

“When you come to Accrington Stanley you have to compete because they do work hard for each other.

“You have to do that first and foremost.”

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