Port Vale fan zone: Battling display worthy of share of spoils
THE team battled as well as they could against Bury and were well worth the point they got.
We certainly matched Bury for the first hour, although they didn't look anywhere near a promotion chasing team, but we probably annoyed them by scoring first.
It might well have drifted to a goalless draw had we not done so.
The goal woke them up and when they stepped up a gear it highlighted some of our deficiencies.
James Lawrie had a good game and looks an excellent prospect. It's just a pity we have had to wait until this late in the season for most of the fans to find out.
His goal showed he has good awareness as well as skill because I don't think anybody else at the club could have finished it in that manner.
I just hope he can finally start a few games now.
The next quest is to get Simon Richman in the starting line-up and then we would be a bit nearer to actually playing our best eleven.
Dave Brammer had a poor game in midfield. I don't know whether he was suffering from the effects of Tuesday night at Exeter, but it is quite obvious that his days as a league footballer are numbered.
In our situation, it is far too risky to offer him a full contract, maybe something along the lines of pay per minute on the pitch, but nothing else.
Paul Marshall also had his worst game for us, but he is only 19 and that will happen. He's had more good games than bad though.
I would hope that now we are coming to the end of the season we can blood some of the young lads to give them a bit of experience.
Like a lot of clubs, we will probably have a smaller playing staff next season and they all need to be able to step into the first team when called upon.
Still on that game at Exeter, I was bemused by the inference of the manager that Danny Glover was booed by the travelling fans when he came on.
I never heard anything, and neither did any of the other fans I asked.
Anyway, there were only 94 of us, so it wouldn't have been too loud.
For a star,t it would have been difficult to make more noise than Steve Perryman, Exeter's esteemed Director of Football, who clasped his hands above his head in leading the "We are Exeter" chants and raced up and down the gangways like an eight-year-old who had overdosed on sugar.
I know Danny has had some stick because of his father, but I have never agreed with that. The problem is you have to be a very good player if your father is the manager, and although he is still learning, Danny simply isn't at that standard.
The Legends dinner on Friday was a great night and quite a bit of money was raised for the Sproson Statue fund.
A large amount of memorabilia donated by numerous clubs was auctioned off, even two tickets for a Stoke game, and let's hope we can finally get it finished, because it has dragged on a bit.
It would be good if we could use some of the receipts from one of the pre season friendlies in July to give it the final push and get the statue erected by November, to mark 60 years since Roy made his debut for the Valiants.
Other Port Vale stories today
Glover hails young star Lawrie
Match report: Lawrie lifts gloom with moment of magic
BOO BOY?: Danny Glover.
