Port Vale interim boss Andy Crosby delighted with win over Bristol Rovers

Posted Sunday, April 23, 2023 by PA

Port Vale’s interim boss Andy Crosby was delighted for his players after ending an eight-game run without a win with a 2-0 victory over Bristol Rovers.

Goals from Ellis Harrison and Tom Pett, within eight first-half minutes, all-but secured Vale’s safety in Sky Bet League One.

Vale sacked Darrell Clarke on Monday, and Crosby said: “It’s difficult to win any game of football, but when you’ve almost forgotten how to win it becomes even more challenging.

“I’m delighted for the players because it’s been a challenging period of time for them and I’m glad they’ve stuck together and got through that challenging time.

“It’s about making sure the message is the same. We are going to need everyone. Five players came off the bench and one or two might be struggling going forward.

“We highlighted weaknesses in the opposition that we wanted to exploit hence the team selection. We put balls into the box and we thought we could dominate that area, which we did first half.

“I think we could have been so much better second half when we got the ball.

“I thought the supporters got behind the team really well at the start of the game and created a really good atmosphere.

“A big well done to everyone. It’s a great result.”

Rovers boss Joey Barton was frustrated after his side’s defeat, especially with the manner of the goals.

He said: “I don’t think we fired on all cylinders, certainly in the first half.

“We got a little bit sloppy, we didn’t defend the throw properly and they got the corner which they scored from.

“I wasn’t happy with the response after that because we were second best for five or 10 minutes. That gave them confidence and they managed to get the second goal.

“There was a chance to look at some players for next season, that was an audition for some of the boys.

“The result and the level of performance is not at the expected standard for us going forward.

“We’ve got no qualms with the goals, we’ve got to be better in that regard.

“People are auditioning for places on the bus for next season.

“You can say that maybe there was nothing on the line for us and they were motivated with what’s at stake, but that’s no excuse not to defend your goal properly and we’ve got to be better.”