A wet, rainy, cold evening in the Potteries was the setting for the Rovers Youth team when they took on Port Vale at Vale Park in the Second Round of the F.A.Youth Cup. Port Vale had beaten Derby County in the last Round so the Rovers faced a hard task. On the biggest expanse of grass they have probably ever played on there would be some tired legs by the end of the game.

After a fairly even opening few minutes, the Vale lads began to have the better of possession, with Richman, on the right, volleying over the bar from a cross on the home left and then forcing the first corner of the game, which was cleared. The Rovers were defending well and working hard in midfield but at this stage could not get the ball through to the forwards. A free kick on the home left by Richman after 16 minutes brought a good header from Elwell but Cherry, in the Rovers goal, was equal to the task of making the save. Minutes later and Lawrie, for the Vale, received the ball outside the Rovers penalty area, slalomed past a couple of defenders and slammed in a shot that Cherry held well. Having weathered the early pressure the Rovers began to find their feet and their touch, with full back Hawksworth being far enough forward to send in a shot from 25 yards that Martin saved. However, from the keeper's clearance, it took one bounce in the Rovers half and sat up for Chapman to try a lob over Cherry from outside the penalty area to the right. He got too much on it and put it over the bar. But the warning was there, he was on his own and had space aplenty. The Rovers were now stringing their passes together and making inroads into the home territory. Past the half hour mark and Hall put a shot from distance wide of the mark but from the goalkick the Rovers regained possession. The ball was fed to HARDY, who skilfully beat a couple of defenders to rifle a left footer into the net from the edge of the penalty area after 33 minutes and give the Rovers the lead. This stung the lads of Port Vale into trying to regain their earlier poise and Lawrie should perhaps have done better from the angle of the area on the right but Cherry was in the right place to save the shot. With four minutes to go to the break, Chapman, for the home team, broke through on the Rovers goal and only a timely tackle by Duffy saved the day, the tackle taking the sting out of the intended shot. From the goalkick, Lodge, on the halfway line played a 1-2 with Hardy and was through on goal down the inside left channel but was chased down, although he got in a left foot shot from inside the penalty area that was comfortably saved by Martin. The interval arrived with the Rovers going in one goal to the good.

The home team started the second half by giving notice of their intentions and attacking from the start. On 47 minutes, only a fine save by Cherry, tipping a fierce drive over the bar, kept the score in the Rovers favour. Five minutes later, the Valiants were awarded a free kick slightly to their left of goal about 25 yards out. GLOVER took the kick and neatly drilled his shot past the wall and past the keeper, who barely moved such was the venom in the shot. Back came the Rovers with a dipping effort from about 25 yards by Henderson that had Martin back-pedalling to tip over the bar. The resulting corner was headed down by Hardy and saved at the foot of the near post. Minutes later and Lodge, from 30 yards out, was just the wrong side of the goal and followed this with a left foot effort from the right edge of the penalty area that went over the bar. As the halfway mark of the half came up the home team had a loud shout for a penalty against Bowland as he got in the way of a cross but it seemed clear that it hit his chest. After 67 minutes came a strange incident at the Vale end. The Rovers outnumbered the home team as they attacked down the right, the cross came in, Dixon missed the ball completely and it fell to Lodge, who appeared to be level at least with the Vale man. He slotted it past the keeper but the linesman gave Lodge offside and he was the man in the best position to see although it looked fine from the press box. The Rovers were having their best spell of the game. Hall had a good run from the halfway line before shooting over, persistence in chasing a lost cause by Lodge won them a corner and Hardy had a shot saved. The home team then had a chance when Lawrie lined up his sights on goal but another good tackle by Duffy foiled him. However, on 81 minutes, a free kick was awarded to the Vale on their left touchline. It was swung into the Rovers six yards area, skimmed off the top of a Vale head over the covering Bowland to land at the feet of RICHMAN, who slammed past Cherry to give them the lead. The Rovers tried hard to get an equaliser, Fisher even trying to do a Beckham from within his own half, in an effort to take the tie to extra time but time ran out on them.

A good effort from the Rovers but the heavy pitch and several players suffering knocks took its toll.

Teams - Port Vale - Chris Martin; Danny Edwards, Jonathan Crompton, Jamie Elwell, Adam Copeland; Simon Richman, Paul Dixon, Ross Davidson, Luke Chapman; Danny Glover, Jame Lawrie.
Subs not used - Jordan Branch, Lloyd Ransome, Sam Lovatt, Lyndon Share, James Beeston.
Caution - Dixon

ROVERS - Ross Cherry; Andrew Hawksworth, Andrew Boyce, Luke Duffy, Danny Bowland; Charles Fisher, Tom Griffiths, Robbie Hall, Alex Henderson; Jason Hardy, Jordan Lodge.
Subs used - Valentino Shielis for Boyce 80mins;
Subs not used - Joe Conkleton, Robert Clark, Craig Fletcher, Ross Adamson (GK)
Caution - Shielis