Vale beat curse and promotion rivals

A look at Port Vale after their 2-0 win at home to Bradford

Lorent Tolaj celebrates his goal against Bradford. Pic by Gerard Austin

Hello and welcome to our Wednesday morning edition of The Valiant for April 2.

Let’s see how the season ends up but Vale played like a promotion side to beat Bradford 2-0 on a terrific night at Vale Park.

They produced arguably their best 45 minutes of the season to take the game away from the visitors in the first half thanks to Lorent Tolaj’s strike from the edge of the area on 11 minutes and then Mitch Clark’s header on 32 to round off a flowing team move.

The Bantams came back into the game after the break but Vale defended solidly and, when the visitors were given an 88^th-minute penalty for Mitch Clark’s foul on Calum Kavanagh, Ben Amos made a great save from Richie Smallwood.

That ensured Vale won a league game at home on a Tuesday for the first time in three years.

They stay third but now only behind second-placed Bradford on goal difference and just two points behind leaders Walsall ahead of their game at the Poundland Stadium on Saturday.

We’ve got news, analysis, opinion and nostalgia as we reflect on a great win. 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 265.