A nightmare in Burslem - VicB's take on our defeat at Vale Park

Since the time the ice retreated at the end of the last ice age the journey from Holmes Chapel to Port Vale FC Burslem has been a fairly long and arduous one. Then someone invented horses and more latterly the motor car and it can now be done in less than 30 minutes.

Consequently the League Cup 2nd round draw that paired us away at Vale was a great one for me and I decided to take Ed & Harriet for their first taste of following Wednesday away.

We arrived early, made use of the £4 onsite parking and wandered the 30 yards or so towards the kiosk to purchase our tickets. Tommo had arrived with his lads, Jamie & Joel and Mork. We made our way to Tommy’s – a bar within the ground, it was fine in there and there was a fair few Wednesday fans enjoying pre-match refreshments.

Despite the attraction of 16 pints, a curry and hotel stop over we decided to limit our intake to a couple. Jamie successfully challenged me to a game of name the squad number and beat me 6-0.

Tommo, perhaps aware that I had been asked to pen the ramble spent a few minutes explaining and defending his tiger motif faux pas in Droot's company at the Scunthorpe game- I must say they DO look like pumas though.

Tommo somehow got the conversation onto Bovril – Harriet turned her nose up at this as she’s a veggie although without realising her actions she immediately caused some Owslalive controversy by mentioning that she DOES like marmite - loves it she does. I didn’t dare mention that making such a comment online can have a negative effect on the poster's karma.

Into the ground then. Vale Park has been home to Port Vale since 1950. It's only completed on three and a half sides of the ground as the main grandstand seems to have been a work in progress for at least two years as it is unchanged from my last visit in July 2007 when Wednesday shipped four and a totally inept performance in a pre-season friendly. As it happened these were bad omens.

The Match

As expected Laws shuffled his pack and lined up with a back four of Simek, Beevers, Hinds and Spurr, a midfield of Potter & Miller with SAS and McAllister in wide roles and Jeffers and Tudders up front.

Before a ball was kicked even the most pessimistic of Owls fans wouldn’t have minded this. Give some pitch time to a few, put in a professional performance, respect the opposition and surely we’d have enough to dispatch a League 2 side that have started the season as erratically as us.

Vale started brightly and immediately launched an attack down our right flank. Maybe Micky Adams had seen the tape of the Rochdale game as Frankie was soon exposed and looked YARDS off the pace.

The first half wasn’t a classic my any means. One thing that was apparent was that Vale’s Number 9, Richards, was quite prepared to put it about a bit with Beevers and Hinds and it was clear that neither of them fancied it. He went close to getting himself booked following and assault on each of our centre backs but escaped punishment. He’d done his job though and unsettled Beevers and Hinds who were struggling big time.

Following another move down our left Vale managed to get a great cross into the box and they should have scored when a free header from six yards out narrowly missed the target. Grant made a fine save at the foot of his left post and Miller shot tamely from the edge of the box into their keeper’s hands which represented each side’s best opportunities of the half.

The main incident of the first half and arguably the turning point in the game came on 37 minutes when the game was stopped by what appeared to be a request by the fourth official whilst Wednesday were enjoying possession in their opponents half. The subsequent dismissal of Jeffers caused confusion amongst all around us as there had been no foul or visible infringement committed.

 Has FJ9 played his last game in a Wednesday shirt?

The matter was cleared up when JFD who had joined as just after kick off received confirmation of a Jeffers head butt from Paul Stomach, our respected wireless-side reporter. I have now seen the Sky TV coverage and that seems inconclusive to be honest but Jeffers did walk off with blood pouring from his forehead.

Vale had shaded the first half and were closing Wednesday down well, a tactic which Adams confirmed post match. Laws surely had to change things at half time and to be fair he did. Sodje & JJ replacing McAllister and Esajas respectively. Wednesday now appeared to be playing 3-4-2, employing Simek in a right wing role; he’d had a bad game at full back and faired no better second half in this more advanced position

Wednesday DID start brightly and JJ was causing a few problems with his pace. Potter and Miller played some bright stuff in midfield but we had no end product; as nice as it was to see Sodje back he was also off the pace and did little to influence the game.

As I have said previously Beevers and Hinds had shockers and both quickly contributed to our eventual defeat but at opposite ends of the pitch. Jeffers had a header parried by the Vale keeper and the ball lobbed up towards the far post, where Hinds was all alone and had about three yards of net to aim at, he could EITHER have headed or shot it appeared. The fact he had a choice caused the lad a few problems and he somehow managed to dummy himself on both accounts and didn’t even make contact. How a professional footballer can do that I don’t know.

Should Richard have been left beHinds? 

Vale took the lead just after the hour mark, a short corner was taken to Kris Taylor who let fly from fully 25 yards out. It sailed into the top corner and there was fook all Grant could have done about it; a great goal although to be critical our defence didn’t close him down.

Port Vale had their tails up now and punished Wednesday further only 2 minutes later. Beevers had the ball under no pressure in his own box and rolled the ball to Tommy who wasn’t either asking for it, or I am sure, expecting it as he was under pressure from a Vale player who nicked the ball and crossed it for Rob Taylor to force home at the near post.

Both sides enjoyed a share of possession thereafter although there were few opportunities for Wednesday to get a goal back – Simek probably coming closest when his right foot shot flashed a couple of yards wide in the final 10 minutes.

We left a couple of minutes from the end to beat the car park rush and said our goodbyes to JFD, Tommo, Mork and Jamie, & Joel.

This was a very poor performance from Wednesday make no mistake and no player can hold their hand up and say they performed to the best of their ability. Potter was the best of a bad bunch for us although the players around him didn’t appear on the same wavelength half the time. Tudders was winning flick ons as he always does but NO-ONE gambled off him. Port Vale set out their game plan to restrict us time on the ball, it worked and they FULLY deserved their win and no doubt a money spinning home tie in the next round or a trip to the Emirates.

There was talk last week that Doncaster had tabled a bid for Jeffers, in my opinion the time has come to get rid, let’s not worry about a fee just get him away from the club and off the payroll, toute fucking suit.

Harriet & Ed enjoyed their trip although a Wednesday win would have been welcomed, their keeper was touch on the chunky side and certainly looked heavier than our own 13 stone Owlsaliver. The kids were loving the usual keeper chant that questions his physique and parentage and they were joining in with gusto, although to be fair they were calling him a fat PERSON - clearly had a good upbringing them pair.

UTO 

Lee (VB6).