Barnet-Port Vale 0-0
Det var ett varningens tecken som vi hade inför gårdagens motståndare Barnet när Port Vale gick in i matchen som serieledare och favoriter. Bortalaget verkade tagna av uppgiften att gå ut på samma plan som Hollands kanske bäste spelare de senaste 20 åren, Edgar Davids. Det var tack vare en storspelande målvakt i form av Chris Neal och ett säkert mittbacklås som Port Vale fick oavgjort med mycket tur på Underhill inför 696 tillresta Port Vale supportrar.
Port Vale har nu spelat två raka oavgjorda matcher på bortaplan mot Wimbledon och Barnet. Tidigare under säsongen var det på bortaplan som man vann sina matcher och det var hemma på Vale Park att visa upp ett bra spel inför alla hemmasupportrarna.
Men en poäng är i alla fall en poäng och det är fortfarande elva poäng ner till fjärde plats så chanserna för avancemang till League One är mycket goda. Vale supportrarna är också lyriska i sina rapporter om att ha fått se en snart 40-årig Edgar Davids spela toppklass fotboll. De flesta säger att det är den bästa spelaren de har sett i League Two denna säsong. På lördag väntar Cheltenham på hemmaplan som jagar en playoff plats.
Här följer en matchrapport från vår engelske kollega onevalefan.co.uk:
Micky Adams named an unchanged line-up for the third successive game despite concerns over how veterans Lee Hughes, Darren Purse and Liam Chilvers would cope with their third game in a week.However, those doubts appeared justified as Vale started slowly and the visitors had much the better of the opening exchanges. Vale looked off the pace as Barnet, who chanelled most things through the diminutive but inspirational Davids, had the better chances. If the Bees had possessed more clinical finishers, Vale could very well have been behind at the interval.
Lee Hughes barely figured and Ashley Vincent was peripheral, while the Barnet defenders were coping well with the physical presence of Pope. In midfield, the pairing of Burge and Loft, so successful in recent weeks was unable to cope with Barnet deploying an extra man in the centre and Vale often resorted to long balls forward.
At the interval, only the Vale defence really emerged with any credit – mainly for keeping regular Barnet attacks at bay and it came as no surprise when Hughes was withdrawn early in the second-half. Micky Adams opted to bring on Sam Morsy to replace Hughes and it became clear that Morsy had been asked to keep a close eye on playmaker Davids. Morsy made his presence known almost immediately with a strong challenge receiving a yellow card.
Adams made two further changes with Andrew replacing an ineffectual Vincent and Shuker somewhat surprisingly replacing Burge in the engineroom. But despite those changes, the better chances came from the home side with Vale indepted to the dependable Chris Neal making several crucial saves. That said, Vale could have snatched an undeserved win when Pope finally outjumped his markers but his header hit the post and deflected wide. It was clear who the outstanding player had been: Edgar Davids, serenaded with a chorus of “you’re just a small Stevie Wonder” by the away fans, was applauded off the pitch by the Vale fans when he was substituted on 81 minutes.
