......on the road......
No.26 - Port Vale
- Journey there? Only one coach was sanctioned,
and it left Wrexham at 6pm, arriving in Stoke for around 7.15pm. Didn’t
take long, as this in some people’s view, is a derby.
- The town? Vale Park is situated in the rather
run-down area of Burslem - the ground is the only highlight.
- Ground? A very nice all-seater stadium, although
not Britannia Stadium quality. A half-finished stand to the left of the Away
Stand made the atmosphere a bit eerie, and not that much singing from the
home supporters added to it. One of the stands was named ‘The BIG Stand’,
which ironically, wasn’t very big at all.
- The game? Wrexham dominated the first, with
Gibson netting for the Reds, and Vale had the majority of possession in the
second, with Naylor grabbing an exquisite equaliser. Flynn chose a very
unusual team, with Shaun Pejic getting his debut, and Williams, Hardy and
Chalk all back after a long absence out of the team. Trundle looked lively;
Russell kept dropping back to midfield. Blackwood had an outstanding game on
the left, linking up well with Hardy to wreak havoc.
- Our fans? As ever with away games, and with the
added attraction that Port Vale is relatively close, there were a number of
fans willing to make the journey, and we clearly made the most noise
throughout the match.
- Their fans? Apart from the odd-200 bellowing
Vale stalwarts in the Mizuno Stand, I was disappointed in the home side’s
support.
RICH WILLIAMS