Manager Felt Vale Draw Was Important
“The lad kicks out at Natty and then the two of them come together. You can’t raise your hands in these situations. If you raise your hands, you run the risk of the referee sending you off,” Mellon insisted.
“He’s not a lad that does that so he’s gutted. He’s a big player for us, we all know that. But we’ll move on and get something organised for the next game.”
There were no complaints from Mellon but, with Knight-Percival set to receive a suspension as a result, he acknowledged that the skipper’s absence will be a significant loss to the side.
One setback for Town was the injury-time dismissal of Nathaniel Knight-Percival following a shove on Vale’s Richard Duffy inside Salop’s goalmouth.
“It’s certainly a bit of magic. I think we missed a great chance to get the equaliser before- that was a ridiculous chance to miss so we were disappointed with that,” he said.
“I’m disappointed with the other one when Jean-Louis went one-on-one with the goalkeeper to win the game. You’ve got to take chances like that if you’re going to be successful and win games in this league.
“But to pop up with another one to bring us back into the game so soon after Whalley’s miss was good.”
However, while Mellon agreed that the goal was a moment of magic from the 20-year-old, he was disappointed with missed chances from both Shaun Whalley and substitute Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro either side of that leveller.
Kaikai’s 73rd-minute equaliser was his fifth goal in as many games since re-joining Shrewsbury on loan, making it 10 in 19 for the season overall.
“We said at half-time how it was going to be a game that would hinge on one moment to open it up,” Mellon said during his post-match interview.
“It was very tight as there were not many chances within the game. It was one of those typical League One battles.
“We felt that all the action would end up in the last 15 or 20 minutes and that’s exactly what happened.
“We’ve got to continually improve but what we want to achieve at the end of it all is being in League One next season so it’s another point towards that and we’ll carry on into the next game.”
And, with both Doncaster Rovers and Blackpool failing to win, Salop are now nine points clear of the relegation zone with eight games remaining.
A stunning left-footed drive from Sullay Kaikai rescued a point for Town after Louis Dodds’ header gave Vale the lead on the hour mark at Greenhous Meadow.
Manager Micky Mellon says Shrewsbury Town’s draw with Port Vale is another important step towards securing the Club’s Sky Bet League 1 status.