I remember the coldest I’ve ever been at Sincil Bank: Morecambe in 2018. Remember? We won 3-1, Shackell smashed home a free kick that everyone expected to fly out of the stadium.
Yesterday was cold and wet, but in a few weeks time we’ll struggle to remember the game. It will not stay in the mind, like the Morecambe game. It will slip into the abyss, a lot like the last time we played Port Vale at home (Mide Shodipo last minute equaliser, apparently).
What the Morecambe game and yesterday’s encounter have in common is one thing: a moment of something special that might just make the game memorable. Aside from that, I’ve already forgotten much about yesterday’s outing.
What I do want to say, nice and early, is I felt referee Peter Wright had a decent game. He has been on the circuit a while. He was the referee who gave us the late penalty at Gateshead in 2016/17 to spark that magic moment, and his first game in charge of us as a Football League team was against Port Vale, when we drew 1-1 thanks to their last-minute equaliser. I’m glad I did not research that before the game ended.
The team selection had us all guessing in Stack before kick-off. Michael Skubala freshened things up after the frustration at Wycombe with four changes. Freddie Draper returned to the starting lineup after scoring from the bench last weekend and Justin Obikwu also came in from the off. Jack Moylan stepped into midfield, and Hackett made his first start in more than a month. We pondered how he might get all those players in, maybe a 4-1-4-1 with double tens in behind Obikwu.
No. 4-2-3-1, with Draper behind Obikwu and Moylan in midfield rather than the ten. It was a cute move to a degree, because it gave Port Vale a lot to think about in the early moments.
We started sharply, if not entirely threatening. After six minutes, Wickens sent a long goal kick into Hackett’s path on halfway and he turned smartly before releasing Obikwu, who threaded a channel pass for Tendayi Darikwa. The skipper stretched to keep it alive and picked out Draper inside the six yard area, but the young striker’s flick drifted wide.
Hackett and Draper were involved again five minutes later. Picking the ball up inside our half, Reeco spotted Draper’s movement and slid a clever pass into his path. Draper took it in stride but his low drive did not trouble keeper Joe Gauci. While those two chances came down the right, it was down the left I felt we were going to get some joy, with the impeccable Adam Reach linking up well with Moylan and the imperious Ben House.
Things died off, as they do, and the awful conditions began to play a part. There was little in the way of a clear cut chance to spark any warmth in the crowd, and the opposition, while no mugs, were what the late Thommo might describe as agricultural. Their first real threat arrived on 28 minutes when George Hall scrapped for possession on the edge of our box. Devante Cole worked it wide and Ronan Curtis met the recycled cross with a firm header, only to steer it off target.
I’ll be honest, while a hard-working bunch, I was disappointed with Vale, who feel a bit like yesterday’s men. Cole, Curtis and Jayden Stockley have all been behemoths of this level in the past, but all three looked to be a shadow of their former selves. Defensively, they were solid enough, organised and aware, with Kyle John one I liked. The 24 year old is a former Everton youth, and if they had a couple more of his ilk, and fewer of those eking out their last wage at this level, I might have been more worried.
One Stockley moment did have me chuckling, but probably not Reach. Sandwiched between two of our players, I suggested people around me watch Stockley. ‘All elbows’ I said, ‘watch him’. The throw came down the line, and sure enough, there was the swing of the most pointed elbow since Dwayne Johnson, only for the arm to extend and land a slap across Reach’s wet back. I heard it land and it must have stung. From smashing faces with elbows to slapping back, oh, how Stockley has changed.
Around the half hour, we were finally out of our seat and again, despite me feeling the left was our danger area, it came from the right. Darikwa delivered a superb ball into the danger zone a minute later, and Ben House met it with a powerful header that looked set to find the corner. Ben Heneghan slid in and cleared on the line, leaving us frustrated but encouraged by the way we were opening them up.
Finally, we got our diamond in the rough, our chink of blue sky in the dank, damp November gloom, and it came down the left. In truth, like the weather, we had tried to break into sunshine all afternoon and on occasion did manage some neat football. You know when you watch a film with a terrible plot, the occasional appearance of an actor you like lifts it to watchable? It was like that (Bill Nighy in the new Harlan Coben series, Lazarus, springs to mind). In amongst the fight, the cold and the defensive displays far outweighing attack, we got those little moments where you went ‘oooh, that was a good move’. Our goal was one of those moments.
Reach and Moylan exchanged passes to create a little space. Reach, with an assist last weekend, pulled the ball back into the perfect area and Hackett struck it from the edge of the area. In recent weeks these have gone over the bar, wide, over the stand, into the stand, anywhere but the net. Keeper Gauci got fingertips to it but could not keep it out, and this one nestled in the back of the net. After a momentary pause, which was either to get blood back into our leg, disbelief we had struck one from range, or because the angle felt like it had gone wide, Sincil Bank erupted.
It’s actually really nice from Hackett. I get the luxury of watching in half speed if I wish, and he checks his run slightly as he sees Reach glancing up. Of course, it’s a good ball, it’s Adam Reach, but Hackett’s awareness to slow a step creates himself the space. His finish is nice as well, little touch to control with the right and then he’s on top of the ball, but still digs out a lovely effort with his left.
Vale threatened briefly again before half-time when Curtis curled a corner to the penalty spot after 38 minutes, finding skipper Ben Garrity. He managed to get a shot away despite close attention but it flashed just wide of Wickens’ left post. It was a threat, but it was a bit more ‘Wealdstone Raider‘ than it was ‘I am the one who knocks‘.