04/10/2008 - Report: Port Vale 1 Notts County 2
Myles Weston struck his first-ever league goal in the second half at Vale Park as Notts County beat Port Vale 2-1.
Jamie Forrester fired the Magpies into an early lead, but the home side hit back after the break through Luke Prosser.
The Magpies’ winger netted the winner on 66 minutes – as Ian McParland’s side claimed back-to-back league wins for the first time in 11 months.
Forrester put the Magpies ahead after just six minutes, directing a diving header past Joe Anyon from close-range after Delroy Facey headed Matt Hamshaw’s right-wing cross back across the face of goal.
The home side went close through Marc Richards, who rifled just wide from 25 yards on 21 minutes.
But Notts were in complete command and deserved to extend their lead before half-time from some scintillating attacking.
Anyon did well to deny Mike Edwards, Forrester and Facey as the Magpies created a string of chances. And then Facey spurned a glorious chance to score his first goal for the club and double their advantage on 33 minutes.
The goal was at his mercy when Weston flashed the ball across the face of goal from the left, but the unmarked striker side-footed just wide of the far post.
Vale piled the pressure on Notts at the start of the second half, and forced an equaliser on 48 minutes when Prosser squeezed the ball in at the far post from Shane Tudor’s deep left-wing cross.
The Magpies looked rattled as the crowd got behind the home side, and they were kept firmly on the back foot until 59 minutes when Hamshaw curled the ball into the penalty area after Vale cleared his original corner, and Edwards sent a glancing header towards goal that Anyon claimed confidently.
Hamshaw was involved again on 65 minutes, measuring a cross into the box for Facey, but his effort was blocked away for a corner.
It was from the subsequent flag kick that the Magpies went back in front, as Weston and Hamshaw caught the home defence off guard with a short corner routine. Weston raced into the box but his attempted cross was blocked straight back into his path and he rifled the ball instinctively past Anyon at the near post.
Richards again went close on 75 minutes at the end of a swift counter attack from the home side, but miscued wide of Hoult’s right-hand post, and then curled a free-kick wide minutes later.
Jay Smith replaced Forrester on 83 minutes, and the Magpies switched to three central midfielders to help protect their lead. And that is exactly what they did, taking the sting out of the home side in the dying minutes to clinch victory.
Facey could have even put the icing on the victory in injury-time but was denied from close-range.
PORT VALE: Anyon, Stockley, McCombe, Collins, Prosser, Dodds, Davidson, Griffith, Tudor, Richards, Rodgers. Subs: Howland (for Tudor, 69), P Edwards (McCombe, 46), Perry, Glover, D Edwards.
NOTTS: Hoult, Tann, Edwards, Johnson, Clapham, Hamshaw, Butcher, Strachan, Weston, Forrester, Facey. Subs: Pilkington, Beardsley, Smith (for Forrester, 83), Fairclough, Canham.
ATTENDANCE: 6,247 (637 away).