Nathan Broadhead netted twice, the second a penalty, as Town came from a goal down at half-time to beat Port Vale 2-1 at Portman Road to stay second in the League One table. Mal Benning’s goal against the run of play moments before half-time gave the visitors the lead but Broadhead netted eight minutes after half-time and from the spot on 84 to claim a crucial three points.
Town made one change from the team which beat Charlton 6-0 with Freddie Ladapo coming into the XI for George Hirst, who dropped to the bench.
Port Vale, under interim-boss Andy Crosby following Monday’s sacking of Darrell Clarke, made two changes from the team which lost 3-2 at Lincoln on Saturday with James Plant, who was making his first league start, and Gavin Massey replacing Matty Taylor, who was among the subs, and Tom Pett. Former Blues striker Ellis Harrison was on the bench.
Town started brightly, 25-goal top scorer clipping a cross into the area from the right and Ladapo rising highest to flick a header not far beyond the far post.
The pattern of the game was established quickly with the Blues dominating and the visitors sitting back in numbers looking to frustrate.
And the Valiants made a decent fist of doing so and in the 14th minute they managed a shot of their own, Benning cutting a ball across from the left and Plant hitting an effort against Cameron Burgess.
The visitors briefly kept the ball at the Town end but the Blues subsequently broke quickly, skipper Sam Morsy sending Nathan Broadhead away into the area but the Wales international had the ball stabbed away from him by Plant just as he was about to shoot.
Vale weren’t too far away from the opening goal in the 19th minute when a long ball from keeper Aidan Stone was allowed through to David Worrall, who stabbed wide of the advancing Walton and also the post before colliding with the Town keeper.
A number of Vale players appealed for a penalty but referee Robert Lewis showed no interest and the official was probably right.
On 24, Massimo Luongo shot through to Stone from just outside the area after a slick interchange by the Blues on the right, however, referee Lewis had already awarded a free-kick for a foul.
Stone was warned about time-wasting as he took his time over the restart, not the first time the Valiants had been in less than a hurry. Moments later, Chaplin shot over the bar.
In the 35th minute, Morsy won the ball inside the Vale half, brought it forward and fed Broadhead, whose shot deflected wide.
Two minutes later, Wes Burns played the ball to Chaplin inside the area on the right. The forward took it past Nathan Smith, who forced him away from the ball as it went out of play, legally according to the referee, otherwise according to the Town players. A penalty might have been harsh but elsewhere on the field the referee might well have deemed it obstruction and awarded an indirect free-kick.
Stone finally tried the referee’s patience too far and was shown a yellow card having again taken an age over the resultant goal-kick.
The Blues were beginning to build up a head of steam as the half was drawing to a close and moments after the fourth official’s board had announced two additional minutes, Morsy looked to find Harry Clarke breaking on the right of the box but sent the ball slightly too long for the former Arsenal man.
However, seconds before the whistle, the visitors took front. Worrall, whose crosses caused the Blues plenty of problems at Vale Park in October, crossed from the right, Clarke headed out to the edge of the box and Benning took a touch before hitting a low shot across the turf and into the corner of the net to stun Portman Road.
The Blues found themselves going in behind at the break for the first time since the Sheffield Wednesday game at the start of February.
Town had started positively but found themselves up against a dogged Vale side and the Blues struggled to create clear-cut chances.
As the break approached they began to put the Valiants under more pressure but without testing Stone.
The goal came very much against the run of play but it wasn’t the first time the visitors had threatened during the half.
It had been the type of half which became all too familiar earlier in the season when the Blues had struggled to find their way past opposition taking a similar approach.
Three minutes after the restart, Davis played a corner from the left low to Chaplin, whose shot was blocked. The ball was sent back beyond the far post but Ladapo lost his footing as he tried an awkward volley.
The early stages of the half had been all Town with the Blues winning a succession of early corners and Vale pinned back in their area.
And eight minutes after the restart, the Blues levelled. Burns crossed low from the right and Broadhead got ahead of his man and hit a low effort across Stone and into the corner of the net to the delight and relief of Portman Road.
Town began looking for a second goal and on 57 Ladapo did well on the right of the box and found Luongo, but the Australian international scuffed to Stone’s near post and the keeper was able to claim.
The Valiants made the first change of the game on the hour, swapping Dan Butterworth for ex-Blue Harrison. Two minutes later, Town switched Ladapo for Hirst.
Moments after the change, Luongo crossed from the left and Broadhead looped a header well over.
After a rare Vale attack had led to a corner, which the Blues dealt with confidently, Chaplin volleyed a Burns cross from the right over the bar when the Town top scorer will feel he might have done better.
Visitors skipper Tom Conlon headed a Vale corner from the right to Walton on 68, Will Forrester deliberately colliding with the keeper as he looked to get the ball out quickly and picking up a yellow card from referee Lewis when play stopped.
Two minutes later, Burns crossed from the right and Luongo flicked a near-post header over the bar.
Vale subsequently replaced James Wilson with Rory Holden, then on 73 Plant was booked for pulling back Broadhead as Town looked to break.
Two minutes later, Luke Woolfenden, who was spending a lot of time in the Valiants’ half, struck a 25-yard shot over the bar.
Town were beginning to up the pressure and in the 79th minute Davis was swapped for Kyle Edwards, while a number of Port Vale players took to the turf to waste time. On 80, before play had restarted, Taylor took over from Massey for the visitors.
Edwards immediately got into the action, twice crossing from the left as Town continued prodding a probing for an opening.
And in the 82nd minute, the Blues were awarded a penalty. Clarke twice crossed from the right inside the box and twice the ball appeared to hit Benning’s hand and the second time referee Lewis pointed straight to the spot.
The Vale players made sure there was a long wait for Broadhead to take the kick, Chaplin picking up a yellow card for shoving one of the visitors off the spot.
Eventually, after the referee had made the Wales international respot the ball, Broadhead slammed the ball to his left as the keeper dived the other way to send Portman Road into raptures.
Two minutes after Broadhead’s sixth goal for Town, the former Everton man was switched for Janoi Donacien, who went to right-back with Clarke moving to the left and Edwards into the role vacated by the Welshman.
In the penultimate scheduled minute, Clarke sent over a teasing right-foot cross from the left and Hirst headed wide when the on-loan Leicester man will feel he should have done better.
The fourth official’s board indicated six additional minutes with the Blues having been well in control since their second goal.
And the Blues saw out the final minutes without any worries to seal a vital victory against committed, difficult and disruptive opposition.
Town hadn’t been at their best in the first half but even so the Vale goal was still very much against the run of play.
Broadhead scoring the early second-half goal was crucial and, particularly after the introductions of Hirst and Edwards, the Blues put the visitors under pressure and a goal seemed only a matter of time.
The Welsh international showed great composure and character to score the penalty and after that the win was never in any real doubt.
It was a game that might not have won before the January additions were added to the squad with Broadhead grabbing tonight's headlines but with Luongo, Clarke and Hirst all also playing a part.
The Blues have now won 10 of their last 11 matches and have been victorious in their last seven at home.
Town stay second with Plymouth netting in the 96th minute goal to win 2-1 at Shrewsbury, while Sheffield Wednesday won by the same scoreline at Bristol Rovers. Barnsley in fourth lost ground after drawing 0-0 at Lincoln.
The Blues, only four games away from automatic promotion back to the Championship, are next in action away at Peterborough, who won 2-1 at Accrington this evening, on Saturday afternoon.
Town: Walton, Clarke, Woolfenden, Burgess, Burns, Morsy (c), Luongo, Davis (Edwards 79), Chaplin, Broadhead (Donacien , Ladapo (Hirst 62). Unused: Hladky, Ball, Harness, Jackson.
Port Vale: Stone, Forrester, Smith, Donnelly, Benning, Worrall, Butterworth (Harrison 60), Conlon (c), Massey (Taylor 80), Plant, Wilson (Holden 70). Unused: Stevens, McDermott, Proctor. Referee: Robert Lewis (Shrewsbury). Att: 27,696 (Vale: 296).