Ipswich Town 0-1 Port Vale - Half-Time Tuesday, 18th Apr 2023 20:51 Mal Benning’s goal moments before half-time has given Port Vale a surprise 1-0 lead over the Blues at the break at Portman Road. 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. Town now need a big second half, especially with Sheffield Wednesday leading 2-0 at Bristol Rovers at half-time. Town: Walton, Clarke, Woolfenden, Burgess, Burns, Morsy (c), Luongo, Davis, Chaplin, Broadhead, Ladapo. Subs: Hladky, Donacien, Ball, Edwards, Harness, Jackson, Hirst. Port Vale: Stone, Forrester, Smith, Donnelly, Benning, Worrall, Butterworth, Conlon (c), Massey, Plant, Wilson. Subs: Stevens, McDermott, Holden, Proctor, Taylor, Harrison. Referee: Robert Lewis (Shrewsbury).
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