John Askey hails quality of returning striker Theo Robinson in win at Scunthorpe

Posted Sunday, September 06, 2020 by PA

Port Vale boss John Askey hailed the quality of returning striker Theo Robinson as the substitute marked his second debut for the club with a late winner in the Carabao Cup.

The 31-year-old, back at Vale Park following a four-year absence after leaving Southend in the summer, stole in at the back post to convert from close range with just seconds to play and snatch victory in a contest that looked to be heading for penalties after Ryan Loft had cancelled out Zak Mills’ opener for the visitors.

“Sometimes you need a little bit of luck – if you can call it luck – but it’s nice when you’ve got someone like Theo who can come on, someone you know has got goals in him,” Askey said.

“That’s hopefully what he’s going to bring to the team. He’s always getting in behind and he’s got an eye for a goal. Balls have gone across the box before and nobody has been on the end of them. He’s got that knack.

“We’ve still got a lot of things to improve on, but it’s nice to go away on a Saturday night having got a win. It’s felt like ages. I’m happy with where we are at the moment.

“Of course you always want to improve, and hopefully we can perform better than we have for the most part today, but we’ve got a good group that I know will work hard, as they’ve shown. We kept going and got what we deserved.”

Vale went in front in first-half stoppage time when Mills finished clinically after Devante Rodney had nodded down David Worrall’s cross.

It was a strike against the run of play although Scunthorpe, who began the second period strongly, levelled when Loft – also making his first appearance for his new club – converted from a tight angle in the 69th minute.

Both managers would likely have been finalising their penalty plans when Worrall swung the ball into the box from where an unmarked Robinson gratefully scored with just seconds to spare.

While disappointed with the manner of the defeat, Iron boss Neil Cox – in charge of his hometown club for the first time following his appointment during the summer – was not down about Scunthorpe’s performance.

He said: “We’re a young side up against an experienced one and while we were maybe a bit lazy early on, after that I thought we were magnificent. We went too long at times, and we have to be better in front of goal and defensively, but we’ll learn.

“Overall there were plenty of positives, far more so than negatives. It was a proud moment for me to manage this team for the first time, though I’m disappointed we couldn’t get a win.

“We created a lot of chances, but I still believe there’s a lot more to come from people. We’ve got a lot of young players, but they are good players.”