A cold, breezy and dry afternoon greeted the Rovers on their return to the Keepmoat this afternoon. With the postponement of the Leeds United game it is exactly a month since the Rovers played at home. Since then they have won three of the four games played on the road and lie in second spot in the League. They are forced into making one change today because Steve Roberts is out with an injured ankle sustained at Bristol Rovers on Tuesday. Mark Wilson comes in necessitating some positional changes, with Paul Green going to right back and Matt Mills going into the middle. Jason Price is still out with his ankle injury so Paul Heffernan continues up front. As usual they defended the South Stand end having won the toss.

The Vale, in black shirts and white shorts, set the ball rolling and got in the first shot at goal after 4 minutes when Whitaker tried his luck from 25 yards but he put it wide. Three minutes later, a quick break by the Rovers, the referee playing advantage when Lockwood was fouled, brought a corner on their right. Nothing came of it but the Rovers were now showing the confidence to take control of the game. This brought it's reward on 11 minutes when a move reached Coppinger on the right. A great cross into the middle was headed out of defence but only to HEFFERNAN, just inside the penalty area. His rifling shot hit the underside of the bar, bounced down, over the line said the linesman before bouncing out. The officials signalled a goal to muted protests from the visitors. They made it two seven minutes later when Heffernan received the ball in the penalty but was denied a crack at goal so played it back to Coppinger, whose drive was blocked by McCAMMON on the Vale's six yards line. However, the big man recovered the ball and slammed it into the net. Two goals up in the first 18 minutes. The next fifteen minutes saw the Rovers have most of the play, the only excursion into the Rovers half coming on 28 minutes when the visitors won a corner. Nothing came from this but on 33 minutes, after Green had shot wide following a move between Coppinger and Wilson, an innocuous ball from Herd on the Vale right wasn't cleared properly and ran to the near post where WHITAKER got to the ball first and slammed in from 2 yards. It took some minutes for the Rovers to pick up the momentum again but five minutes from the break Heffernan dragged his shot wide from 25 yards. A minute later and from a cross by Green on the Rovers right McCammon headed against the bar, the ball bouncing away for Port Vale to go to the other end and win a corner. The half ended with the Rovers on the attack and going in with a 2-1 lead. 

The Rovers the second half in motion and went straight on to the attack, Heffernan finalising the move with a shot from 20 yards into the side netting. Two minutes later, Wellens, in the centre circle, to Heffernan, who put out to the right to Coppinger. He played it down the line to the overlapping Green, who hit a low cross to the far post for McCammon to stab into the net. However, the linesman's flag said he was offside. The Vale were not going to be cannon fodder, however and got their game going, winning a corner on 55 minutes and Hulbert firing wide from 25 yards two minutes later. On the hour, Howland deliberately handled the ball to stop Coppinger putting Green away down the right thus earning himself a booking The free kick on the right touchline halfway in the Vale half was placed into the middle by Gareth Roberts where Mills met it with a powerful header but Anyon reacted brilliantly to tip it over. The corner from the Rovers left by Stock was placed to the far side where Wilson put a firm header from 12 yards just past the far post. On 70 minutes, Coppinger, on the right, lifted the ball down the line for Green to cut inside and hit a left foot piledriver over the bar from just inside the penalty area. The visitors then went on to the attack which culminated in Herd, to the right of goal, hitting  aleft foot shot against the far post and then bounce back into play. A corner to the Rovers came to nothing but a minute later Elliott cut in from the left and drilled a low shot at goal, which Anyon beat away at the near post. The visitors were by no means out of it and strived to get some reward but the Rovers defence were having none of it so that when the final whistle went it remained 2-1 to a low-key Rovers.

Teams - Neil Sullivan; Paul Green, Matt Mills, Adam Lockwood, Gareth Roberts; James Coppinger, Richie Wellens, Brian Stock, Mark Wilson; Mark McCammon, Paul Heffernan.

Subs used - Stuart Elliott for McCammon 68 mins; Sean McDaid for Coppinger 82 mins; Gareth Taylor for Heffernan 87 mins;

Subs not used - James Hayter, Sam Hird,

Port Vale - Joe Anyon; Paul Harsley, Krystian Pearce,George Pilkington, Jason Talbot; Chris Herd, Robin Hulbert, David Howland, Danny Whitaker; Marc Richards, Kyle Perry.

Subs used - Paul Edwards for Talbot 70 mins; Luke Rodgers for Howland 77 mins;

Subs not used - Mark McGregor, Danny Glover, James Lawrie

Cautions - Howland, Perry,