Stoke City 0 Port Vale 1

Last updated : 10 February 2002 By Rob Stanway / Sports.com

I have the Sports.com Match Report for you because as all other Stoke fans, I feel totally discusted with the performance and like i say can't put it into words how bad we were.

SPORTS.COM MATCH REPORT---------------------------------------------
Port Vale deservedly took the honours in a tough 52nd Potteries derby with Stoke City, though their winning goal had an element of luck about it.

Michael Cummins scored the only goal of the game in the 36th minute, but such was Vale's superiority in the opening 45 minutes they could have gone in at the break 3-0 up.

The game kicked off and Vale could have taken a shock lead within the first 20 seconds of the game.

Cummins slipped the ball into the path of Stephen Brooker inside the Stoke box and his angled drive was pushed around the upright acrobatically by Neil Cutler.

The game had opened at a frantic pace and in typical derby fashion, tackles were coming in thick and fast in the middle of the park.

Stoke's Wayne Thomas can count himself a little fortunate he didn't get booked for a clumsy tackle on Marc Bridge-Wilkinson early on, but Vale's Steve Rowland and Matt Carragher weren't so lucky, each earning themselves a place in the referee's notebook within the opening 15 minutes.

Brooker climbed highest to meet a John Durnin free-kick at the far post but Cutler held on to his downward header comfortably.

There was another scare for Stoke when Bridge-Wilkinson was inches from connecting when Neil Brisco played the ball across the face of the goal as Vale were looking menacing.

Then minutes later Brooker blazed high over the bar when he looked certain to score after being put through by Stephen McPhee.

Then disaster struck for the Potters in the 36th minute. A long thrown from Carragher was nodded on towards goal by Cummins.

Though there was hardly any power in the header, the ball eluded everyone including Cutler and crept in at the far post to give Vale a deserved lead.

Five minutes later they almost stretched their lead when a looping header from McPhee dropped onto the crossbar with Cutler again beaten.

The second half was largely uneventful, as the home side struggled to find a way through a hard-working Vale defence backed up by a midfield trio of Durnin, Cummins and Brisco.

Though Bjarni Gudjonsson went close when his 73rd minute effort was deflected into the sidenetting by Rowland.

Finally, 11 minutes from time Mark Goodlad did exceptionally well to claw away a header from Andy Cooke to ensure victory.



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