Port Vale booed off as Darrell Clarke earns win on return

Analysis and reaction to Port Vale's 2-1 defeat at home to Cheltenham as well as a look at issues on and off the pitch

Cheltenham keeper Luke Southwood keeps out Jesse Debrah’s header as Vale are beaten 2-1. Pic by Tom Green

Beaten and booed off, Port Vale endured a bleak afternoon as they suffered a 2-1 defeat at home to Darrell Clarke’s Cheltenham on his return to Vale Park.

Clarke, who lost his job at Vale in April, has improved the Robins since taking charge four weeks ago but, even so, this was a shocker from Vale against a team that kicked off bottom of the league.

Andy Crosby labelled it their poorest performance of the season as the winless run in the league stretched to eight games, a sequence that began with a home defeat to Burton when a point would have taken Vale to the top of League One.

This defeat came despite taking a 32^nd-minute lead through Alfie Devine, the on-loan Tottenham midfielder scoring with an overhead kick for Vale’s first goal in six league games.

But Sean Long levelled ten minutes later before scoring a 66th-minute winner to leave Vale in 16^th ahead of a big week, away to Mansfield in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, and at home to Burton in the FA Cup first round on Saturday.