The Vale are going up

A promotion special as Port Vale win 2-0 at Wimbledon to return to League One

Welcome to edition 274 of The Valiant. Pic by Pete Stonier

Hello and welcome to our Sunday edition of The Valiant for April 27.

And now you’ve got to believe us, the Vale are going up.

A year and a week from relegation at Bolton, Vale confirmed their place back in League One with a performance worthy of promotion.

Bradford’s defeat at Doncaster in the day’s other early kick off meant the celebrations could begin at full time, although in truth the party had begun in the away end once Jaheim Headley ran on to George Byers’ through ball to slot the ball past keeper Owen Goodman on 67 minutes.

The hosts hadn’t recovered from Vale’s opener three minutes earlier when Jayden Stockley met Headley’s free kick with a classic glancing header past the keeper.

And the Dons never looked like denying Darren Moore’s side as Vale dominated the second half, going up a couple of gears after a hard-fought first half of few chances.

The win means Vale can enjoy their final game of the season, at home to Gillingham on Saturday, although there is still something on that game. If Doncaster fail to win at Notts County next week then a victory for Vale would clinch their first league title in 66 years.

For now though, let’s just enjoy the moment. The Vale are going up.

We’ve got news, analysis, opinion and nostalgia in this morning’s edition. If you are interested in subscribing, we offer a minimum of 150 editions over 12 months from the day you sign up. That’s less than 27p each for that £40 fee. There’s also a monthly option and a free trial available. Or, if you’d like to see more about what we do, our 200th edition was free and is available here.

If you are already a subscriber then thanks for your support and please read on for edition number 274.