“We managed the game really well” – Port Vale Reaction To Imps Clash

October 31, 2022 Samuel Rowson Lincoln City, Port Vale 0

Lincoln City lost 1-0 to an organised Port Vale on Saturday putting an end to a good run of form, with October being a fruitful month for points especially away from home.

A game of few chances for both sides meant that one goal was always going to win the game. Unfortunately for The Imps, it went the way of the resurgent Vale when Butterworth slammed home a rebound mid-way through the second half. This result saw Port Vale leapfrog Lincoln into 12th position and also cap off a great month for the Staffordshire-based side writes Samuel Rowson.

Assistant Manager Andy Crosby had his say on proceedings and we start with his interview which happened not long after the final whistle at Vale Park.

 

Andy Crosby’s View

Andy spoke to the club media after the game and was pleased with how Port Vale controlled the game and limited the away side to only a few clear cut chances.

“I thought we managed the game really well; they maybe settled quicker than we did but once we got into a rhythm, I thought the way we kept the ball and the spaces we could utilise on the pitch against their formation, we did. It was always a close game – there was always something likely to happen and maybe it had 1-0 written all over it so, thankfully for us, we got the one moment and Butts arrives in the box and tucks it away really well.”

He then went on to mention how Port Vale had adapted their play to frustrate and limit Lincoln to very little throughout the game.

“It was our third game in a week against opponents who have been on a really good run. They play with a style which meant that we had to keep transitions to a low because they have real pace and threat on the counter attack.

“They play in a mid-low block; they went to Ipswich and had 28% possession and won 1-0, with 31 shots against. They have the tools to hurt you on the counter attack, so we had to be wary of that and we spoke about it yesterday, pre-game and at half-time because our concentration and organisation while we were attacking had to be bang on.”

 

Matchwinner Butterworth

Butterworth Scores

Saturday’s match-winner Danny Butterworth also spoke to the club’s media team shortly after the game in which he scored to give Port Vale a 1-0 home win. The 23-year-old who is on loan from Championship side Blackburn Rovers was pleased with his progress this season and was happy to score his first goal for the Valiants.

“I was really happy to get my first goal; it is something that I need to add to my game – more goals – so once it hit the back of the net I was buzzing. I think I have always had an eye for goal but previously I haven’t been getting in those positions but it goes to show if I get in those positions I can put it away.”

“I have been itching to start more games and I feel like when I have been coming on I have changing the game, so I was just waiting for that one start to show what I can do and it was even better to get a goal.”

Twitter/ Fan Reaction

A Tad Heavy Underfoot

One thing that I really noticed from the off was how easily the pitch cut up underfoot. Rushworth seemed to be displacing huge amounts of turf at every goal kick. I’m not sure if this is how it always is at Vale Park or if the recent wet weather hadn’t helped the state of the playing field. However, when players started going down with injuries, it made me think that the pitch could be having an impact on the fluidity of play and ultimately causing injuries as a result. It looked like, at times, the players got their feet stuck in the turf whilst trying to play a ball; a Vale fan mentioned the very same at the half-time interval on Twitter. He too was blaming the pitch for the injuries sustained in the first half an hour on the state of the playing surface.

Garrick Missed Chance

As they did on Tuesday night, Lincoln City started brightly at the start of the second half. Garrick latched on to a wayward ball early on and missed a great 1v1 chance which was saved by Port Vale goalkeeper Stevens. One Vale fan replied to the tweet saying what I had thought on the terraces-

And sure enough, we never really got another clear-cut chance. However, if this had gone in, it would have been against the run of play.

Butterworth

The next clear-cut chance fell the way of the hosts; Odubeko’s shot from range was parried into the path of Butterworth, who smashed the ball under Rushworth.

He then followed up with a tweet post-match to express his delight at his first goal and the performance of Port Vale.

Full Time

Once the fourth official put the board up to state that there would be six minutes of added-on time we never really threatened to level the scores. Port Vale wound down the clock to see out the victory.