The three points returned to North Staffordshire with the 1,700 traveling Valiants as Port Vale over came Staffordshire rivals Burton Athletic 2-0 at the Pirelli Stadium. A first goal of the season for stand in striker Ben Garrity and the second in two matches for new signing Ellis Harrison were more than enough to condemn Albion to their forth league defeat out of five and heap further pressure on Manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.
Albion started the brighter of the two teams and as early as the third minute, Tom Haynor met a perfectly floated corner past Jack Stevens in the Vale goal only to see Garrity head the ball off the line. Jonny Smith may have done better when well place on seventeen minutes, the right winger striking his effort well enough from just inside the box but Stevens reacted brilliantly to push his goal bound effort around the post to only concede the corner.
Vale finally gained a foot hold in the game and might have scored themselves on twenty-nine minutes, the ball falling to Brad Walker on the edge of the Albion box, the attacking midfielder hitting the target but Ben Garratt was positioned well to help it over the bar. The visitors came even closer on thirty-eight minutes, good work down the right from Worrall, before the winger cut the ball back towards the penalty spot, Garrity met it first time with a good strike on goal, beating the keeper, but Brewers skipper John Brayford managed to block the goal bound effort on the line and Burton survived.
Vale came out all guns firing in the second half, and had a good shout for a penalty minutes after the restart, Steven’s clearing long into Albion’s half, Oshilaja misjudged the bounce of the ball allowing Garrity to break into the penalty area, the midfielder seemingly brought down but the claims were waved away by referee Andy Haines. The Valiants were not to be denied though and took the lead moments later. Vale attacked down the right side, Conlon feeding the ball into Massey who picked out Harrison. The striker got his shot away which was parried away by Garratt, but Garrity was alive to the situation, the first to react and stroke the ball into the net to give Vale the lead.
As the clock ticked down, Burton should have leveled on eighty-one minutes. Vale were ill disciplined in defense turning the ball over to the Brewers in a dangerous position, Borthwick-Jackson’s cross came in from the left finding Brayford unmarked, but his header whistled past the left hand upright.
But it was the Valiants that had the final say in the match, Vale defending well before a large clearance found Harrison one on one with Borthwick-Jackson, the striker beating the centre back to the ball, tipping it rounding the tiring centre back, as he galloped down the middle of the Burton half, pushing the ball past Garratt before side footing into the inviting goal to give Vale the three points.
Vale Assistant Manager Andy Crosby spoke to the Press after today’s game,
“Ben (Garrity) is playing in a different position, as needs must. It doesn’t utilise his strengths and play to his strengths, how he got goals last year. But you see his attitude, his desire to do a job for the group, we’re delighted he’s got a goal and scoring from that “second” six yard box, we keep trying to stress to him, that’s where he’ll get his moments from, congratulations to him and to Ellis Harrison on their goals today.”
