The Irow Show: Mansfield 3-0 Port Vale

Report from the One Call Stadium as Mansfield put on a second half show to defeat lowly Valiants.

Nigel Clough's Mansfield Town made it four consecutive league wins and clean sheets with a 3-0 victory over League One's bottom club Port Vale this afternoon.

19-year old Tottenham loanee starred on his Mansfield debut, scoring two goals either side of a Will Evans strike.

The victory puts The Stags within four points of the play-off places and leaves Jon Brady's Port Vale 11 points adrift of safety.

‘Jon's teams are right at it and will be right up for it’, were the words of the Mansfield boss in midweek, speaking about his opposite number in the Port Vale dugout. And today's first half was vindication for his words.

The away side came flying out the blocks, with Devante Cole and George Hall leading the press from the front. Mansfield's Baily Cargill and Stephen McLaughlin were evidently struggling to deal with the pace and power of George down their left-hand side, and 

Port Vale's early momentum was halted just 5 minutes in, as captain George Byers suffered an injury that would bring a premature end to his afternoon. The former Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea midfielder was unable to continue after a challenge involving Mansfield’s Will Evans. Byers was replaced by Funso Ojo in a like-for-like central midfield swap, giving the Belgian his 13th appearance of this campaign.

The game's first real flashpoint came after a quarter of an hour. Jordan Shipley found Cole unmarked, in acres of space on the edge of the 18 yard box.  Port Vale's no.44 curled a well-struck shot towards the near corner, leaving Liam Roberts rooted to the spot. Fortunately for Roberts however, Cole's effort would ricochet back off the post and be cleared to safety, preventing the striker from notching his seventh league goal of the campaign.

But respite was only brief for the hosts, as Vale created another huge opening on 30 minutes. Shipley again managed to find space in behind Deji Oshilaja and advanced into the box relatively unchallenged. He chose to go for goal himself, but could only fire into the side-netting, prompting a lengthy stare from Cole who probably had a tap-in, had the ball been squared.

 Hall, who is still in search of his Port Vale goal since signing in the summer, remained at the heart of everything positive for Brady's men. Just before halftime his directness brought the game's first booking, with Baily Cargill seeing no other option than to cynically bring him on halfway as he attempted to break.

The visitors were firmly in the ascendency with the interval approaching, and will feel they should have been in front when Dajaune Brown was released in-behind by a deft, disguised pass from Cole. With the goal at his mercy, Brown could only fire into the onrushing Roberts, who ensure that the two sides in at the break goalless. 

Brady will certainly have been the more content of the two managers, however, with his side boasting the lion share of both possession and clear cut chances.

But the second half would play out exactly as the proverbial 'tale of two halves'