Valiants Down High-Flying Robins

Two superb goals, one from Scott Burgess and the second from Jake Taylor either side of half time, provided Port Vale with the perfect end to 2019 and condemned table toppers Swindon Town to their first league defeat since mid-October as Vale ran out easy 2-0 winners.

Anyone glancing at the match statistics, two thirds possession and fourteen shots for the visitors, would think that the visitors were hard done by but it was Vale, themselves shy of a win in six outings, that continued their fantastic run of results against top seven teams, only having lost to Exeter so far this season.

Swindon might have feared the worse as early as the third minute as Leon Legge clashed with left back Ellis Iandolo in the midfield, the Robin coming off far worse. Despite extensive treatment, Iandolo’s afternoon was over before it began, being stretchered from the field with what has been confirmed as a broken leg.

Given the positive start, it was unsurprising that John Askey’s men took the lead on thirteen minutes. Excellent work by Pope, back to goal, holding the ball up around the penalty spot, laying the ball back to a surging Burgess breaking from the midfield. Burgess hit the ball first time from the edge of the box, firing a curling effort into the bottom left hand corner leaving Steven Benda in the Town goal no chance.

Next on the treatment table for the visitors was Mathieu Baudry who seemed to pull up awkwardly after a challenge with Tom Pope, forcing Town to deploy former Valiant Anthony Grant as a makeshift centre back.

Three minutes into first half added time, Swindon missed a golden opportunity to draw level. Neat interplay in the Swindon attacking third freed Keshi Anderson, who advanced into the Vale penalty box, firmly striking his effort to the top left-hand corner, but Scott Brown stood tall, making a fine save high to his right only conceding the corner.

The Valiants continued where they left off in the second half, doubling their lead just six minutes in. Montano picked up the ball in the left-hand channel after good hold up play from Worrall. The left-back advanced on goal up but under pressure laid the ball off to Taylor, the midfielder gliding across the edge of the penalty box before bending his effort into the right corner of the net sending the Bycars Stand into raptures.

On sixty-one minutes, Vale might have put the game out of reach, Taylor trying to get the better of an exposed Grant, but the veteran midfielder used all his experience to slow, and then tackle a flying Taylor as he arrowed into the Swindon half.

Doyle and Yates continued to look dangerous throughout the final minutes, but in truth the two defensive lines in front of Brown weathered the potent strike force comfortably for the majority of game and it was no surprise that defender Montano picked up the man of the match award as Vale closed the gap on the playoffs to four points.

I caught up with John Askey after today’s game.

Mike Stubbs
Mike Stubbs
Sports Reporter - Port Vale

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