Kevan delighted as Port Vale scrap for victory
Posted Wednesday, October 23, 2019 by PA
Assistant manager Dave Kevan expressed his delight as Port Vale won their first away match of the season with a 2-1 win at Bradford thanks to a stoppage-time winner from former Bantams player Will Atkinson.
The match was heading for a draw when Atkinson, a 73rd-minute substitute, who was part of the Bradford team that reached the League Cup final and promotion from League Two through the play-offs in 2012-13, scored with a close-range foot shot from Richard Bennett’s pass.
Port Vale began well and were rewarded by taking the lead in the 18th minute with a right-foot shot from David Worrall after Bennett held the ball up for him.
Injury-hit Bradford were handed a lifeline a minute before half-time when midfield player Danny Devine was fouled in the box and skipper James Vaughan equalised from the spot.
Bradford dominated the second half and Kelvin Mellor had a shot cleared off the line while keeper Richard Brown saved well from Zeli Ismail and Connor Wood before Atkinson had the last laugh.
Kevan said: “It was a tense night. I’m delighted with that performance. “It was real frantic, end-to-end stuff with good quality from both sides.
“We had to be at our best defensively and what better place to win. It was a tough game especially with nine minutes in all added on.
“We needed to be at our best at a place like this and everyone played their part.”
Bradford manager Gary Bowyer was disappointed with his side’s performance.
He said: “We were a yard off the of the pace all over the pitch to start with and we never really got going until after they scored.
“From my point of view, their first goal was a soft goal. Then we got the penalty. Danny Devine told me he had been pulled.
“We were not at the levels we needed to be in the first half, but we put that right in the second half and had 20 attempts on goal.
“You look at the saves the keeper has made, Aramide Oteh should have scored and Kelvin Mellor had a shot cleared off the line.
“Then came the sucker punch of their second goal. We should have defended better, but this defeat is just a bump in the road.
“We haven’t played badly but we didn’t play well enough. Credit Port Vale. They have got some good players.
“Now it is a question as to how we react and I am sure we will react positively.”
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