Port Vale: Fans' verdict
FOR a 0-0 draw it was reasonably entertaining. It was the 'Clash of the Titans' as the club with one of League Two's worst home records came up against the team with one of its worst away records.
Both sides had lots of chances, but both showed a lack of quality in being unable to finish them off when they came along.
We tried to play a bit more football than we have done of late, but it didn't quite come off for us.
However, I was still reasonably pleased with the effort that we showed.
The fans were also quite supportive, even though there was a crowd of little more than 4,000.
But that epitomises the level of expectations when the players get a standing ovation at half-time against a team with such a terrible away record.
I was pleased for young keeper Chris Martin, who got his first clean sheet in the senior ranks.
He earned it as well by pulling off a superb save right at the end.
I also thought John McCombe was excellent and that he should have got the man-of-the-match award.
ANDY McCORMACK, Burslem
WE weren't ambitious enough and a draw was probably the right result despite us having the better opportunities to score. The ball spent far too much time in the air for my liking as both teams adopted a safety-first policy in the early stages. Too many through-balls were either over-hit or misplaced, although the swirling wind clearly didn't help matters.
There were times in the second half when Aldershot were there for the taking and I was hoping that the manager would show a desire to go for the win by bringing on Steve Thompson. But we had to wait until the 85th minute for a change, when he replaced Taylor with Richman – far too late in my opinion, which reinforces my view that he still has a lot to learn. At least the defence looked composed and reasonably solid, which was a definite plus point.
I think we'll struggle to reach the 50-point mark now – a poor show by any standards in what is actually a poor league.
IAN WOODWARD, Congleton
I THOUGHT we started well without actually having that killer instinct, and this was the story throughout the first half, with both teams being nice and pretty without really looking threatening to either goal. That was until Rob Taylor's superb run down the left, followed by a great cross, but there were no forwards to finish it off.
The second half started in the same vein, but this time Vale started to create a bit more and, with better luck, Taylor could have had two. We hit the bar and had one cleared off the line and most thought it was only a matter of time before we scored.
Unfortunately time beat us, and in the dying minutes Martin made a top-class save to preserve a point. Also worthy of a mention were McCombe and Collins, who looked solid at the back. This looks like a promising partnership.
CARL ZIEMANN, Sandyford
Other Port Vale stories today
Glover: We're finishing on a high
Vale secure loan repayment break
Owen returns for Staffordshire Cup tie
Match report: Port Vale 0, Aldershot 0
