Two offside calls in build-up to equaliser cost us victory – Darrell Clarke

Posted Wednesday, February 02, 2022 by PA

Port Vale manager Darrell Clarke believes two offside calls cost his team all three points against League Two leaders Forest Green as they had to settle for a 1-1 draw.

Matt Stevens scored a late equaliser to earn the table-toppers a share of the spoils and stretch their unbeaten run in League Two to 16 matches.

It appeared as though on-loan striker Ryan Edmondson’s first-half finish would be enough to earn promotion-chasing Port Vale victory and complete a league double over their opponents but Stevens poked home his 21st goal of the season in all competitions to deny them.

Clarke felt there were two offside calls that should have gone his team’s way in the build-up to the corner that led to the leveller.

“I’m very disappointed that there are two offsides that lead to a corner that lead to their goal,” he said.

“Not one, two. It cost us the game.

“So I’m disappointed – I’m disappointed for my players, I’m disappointed for my supporters.

“I thought both of those sets – the players and the fans – were outstanding today and I thought we deserved to win.”

Edmondson, who joined the Valiants from Leeds earlier this month through to the end of the campaign, put the hosts ahead in the 12th minute after his flicked header from Chris Hussey’s inswinging corner found its way into the net.

They deservedly went into the half-time break in the lead but Forest Green came out fighting in the second half with leading marksmen Stevens testing Tomas Holy three minutes after the restart with a close-range effort.

Although Rovers were by no means piling the pressure on Vale, they were still able to snatch a point through Stevens in a true show of why they sit at the summit of League Two.

Clarke added: “They’re a good team. They’re top of the league for a reason.

“They’re the best team in the league at this point of the season, so we knew it was going to be a tough game but we knew we could give them a lot of questions and I thought the first half was excellent.

“We needed to get a little bit better quality going in the second half if I’m honest but as for effort and commitment from everybody I can’t fault it.”

Forest Green manager Rob Edwards was pleased with the character shown by his team, whose lead at the top of League Two has been reduced to eight points following nearest challengers Tranmere’s 1-0 win over Stevenage.

“I thought they had the first half – no doubt about it,” he said.

“I thought we had most of the second up until we scored and obviously they start pushing again.

“The momentum shifted a bit because they’re at home and they wanted to push and I think we probably went more into protect mode.”