Town: Steve Phillips, Dean Holden, Graham Coughlan (c), Kelvin Langmead, Dave Hibbert (Elder, 63), Jake Robinson (Bright, 63), Paul Murray, Jake Simpson (Leslie, 57), Lewis Neal, Shane Cansdell-Sherriff, Kevin McIntyre

Subs: Andreas Arestidou, Nathan Elder, Kris Bright, Steve Leslie, Harry Hooman, Andre Gray, Will Richards

Port Vale: Chris Martin, Sam Stockley (Yates, 59), Anthony Griffith, John McCombe, Marc Richards, Tommy Fraser (c), Louis Dodds, Lee Collins, Gareth Owen, Kris Taylor, Lewis Haldane

Subs: Joe Anyon, Robert Taylor, David Howland, Adam Yates, Jamie Guy, Damien McCrory, Jason Jarrett

Goal: McCombe 45

Attendance: 7,096 (1,155 away)

Referee: S J Bratt

Assistants: A D Hutchison, M S Perry

Fourth Official: G Hilton

Martin Wild reports from the Prostar

Paul Simpson has to shuffle the pack, with Lewis Neal recalled to the starting XI after a couple of substitute run-outs. This is due to Joss Labadie's suspension running into today's game, after the midweek washout at Accrington cost him the chance to have the ban wiped out. Kevin McIntyre moves inside to partner Paul Murray, with Neal taking up his favoured position down the left. Today is a milestone occasion for young Will Richards, who lines up amongst the substitutes for a first taste of life with the first team squad.

A decent crowd of over 7000 was gathered inside the stadium with Vale's allocation into four figures, but the bulk of it would be hoping that the Shrews could extend their unbeaten run to six games this afternoon.

There was a feisty opening to proceedings. Before the clock had even reached forty seconds, Louis Dodds - scorer of Vale's first here last season - received a yellow card for a poorly timed challenge on Kelvin Langmead, as the defender looked to clear just to the right of the Town penalty area.

Graham Coughlan received a similar fate after ten minutes for tangling with Marc Richards - who had received the inevitable cat-calls from the Shrewsbury fans for his involvement in the injury-time winner here twelve months ago.

The Valiants were having the better of the early stages, and at the same stage of their cup tie against First Division opposition in midweek, they held a three-goal advantage! With thirteen minutes played though, neither side had managed to work the goalkeeper, although Steve Phillips had dealt very well with a number of quality crosses in by the opposition.

Sam Stockley then got away from Neal and his delivery was met by Kris Taylor coming in at the far post. Thankfully the header was at a comfortable height for Phillips who was happy to give away the corner with a routine tip-over.

That came to nothing, but from another Vale corner, Town almost sprang the classic counter. McIntyre's clearance left Jake Robinson in space but with no-one up in support, he was forced to go it alone and could only drag his effort well wide of the target.

There were some really meaty challenges going in with no quarter asked or given. The game wasn't exactly a classic, but there was some honest endeavour with a typical 'derby' edge feel to it.

Phillips dropped onto a long ranger from Anthony Griffith - another villain of the piece in some Town fans' eyes, as he'd been the player involved in Marc Pugh's eventually rescinded red at Vale Park back in January.

Dave Hibbert whipped a volley wide after a good cross in from Jake Simpson, but with more than half an hour now played, stalemate remained the order of the day. Griffith then incurred the wrath of the West Stand after a foul on Shane Cansdell-Sherriff, and Mr. Bratt was left with little option but to produce the third card of the match.

Taylor then had a glorious chance for Port Vale when a mis-directed header by the previously unblemished McIntyre, fell beautifully for the number 26. His shot on goal from inside the box had the look of a tired back-pass to it and Town escaped.

Murray played the pass of the match to get Neal into some space down the left, but his incisive cross was just a little too far in front of any Town attacker.

Right in the final seconds of first half stoppage time, Vale nicked in front when John McCombe headed in unchallenged, after Dodds had returned the ball into the danger zone.

Half-Time: 0-1

Although the goal came at a bad time for Town, few could begrudge the away side the lead. Paul Simpson would have used the interval break to try and rally his side, in an attempt to turn around the deficit.

For their part, Vale made half-time changes by way of a double substitution. Jason Jarrett replaced Griffith, and Dodds' place was taken by Jamie Guy. Micky Adams perhaps had erred on the side of caution with the two players now warming the bench, having attracted the unwelcome attention of the match official during the opening 45 minutes. A wise move some might say with the referee having administered fifteen cautions in his previous two outings at League One level!

Right on cue, Mr. Bratt lived up to his name and took centre stage ten minutes in. Coughlan was dismissed with a second yellow for handball, and despite the Irishman's protestations, the Shrews were reduced to ten. The punishment was almost made even more severe but Taylor struck the angle of bar and post from the free-kick.

Shrews fans howled their displeasure from the stands as the odds appeared now to be massively stacked in Vale's favour with half an hour to go.

Steve Leslie came on with Simpson sacrificed, to allow Cansdell-Sherriff to partner Langmead at the heart of the Town defence, before Stockley then added to Bratt's collection with another booking. Murray went close for Salop, but sadly, not close enough.

Adams took Stockley off seconds after his card, as the Vale manager appeared wary of the referee looking to even things up with a ten on ten encounter - a distinct possibility with his handling of the game deteriorating rather quickly!

Nathan Elder and Kris Bright were introduced as a new front pairing after 63 minutes, with Hibbert and Robinson the men to make way.

The visitors still looked reasonably comfortable with the home side not quite as dominant as in recent performances here, and the clock was running down at a rapid rate of knots.

Sub Adam Yates blazed wildly over the top with a lot of the goal to aim at, and at the other end Elder directed a header just wide as Town looked to rescue something from the game. But Chris Martin had been largely untested throughout in the Vale goal, as Shrews appeared headed for a first shut-out here at the Prostar since last May.

Murray did work Martin with ten minutes left but it was a simple save for the man dressed from top to toe in orange, as he fell to his right to gather the midfielder's precise angled shot.

Town had survived a number of penalty scares - all for handball - and Langmead's latest stop again brought up loud appeals from the North Stand.

Martin entered the notebook for bouncing the ball down in anger when Town were awarded a corner, but Vale defended it well as they continued to frustrate Simpson's men.

Four minutes of added time were indicated but Town's ten looked like they'd little left in the tank. No-one could fault their endeavours but the visitors had done their homework and Elder's far post header from Neal's free-kick might have plundered a point on another day. As it was, this one belonged to the men from the Potteries.

The game ended in confusion with Mr. Bratt still holding court and appearing to brandish a red to a Town player. No-one had a clue what he was doing - did he himself I wonder? Mercifully, shortly afterwards he put us all out of our misery.

Full-Time: 0-1

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