Amos spot on to show what was to come!

RYAN Croasdale was pleased to be back in the Port Vale team but after defeat at Gillingham he said, 'we've got to have a bit of arrogance about us,'

- writes Clive Youlton

The combative midfielder missed the FA Cup tie against Barnsley because of a “slight issue with a hamstring” but after a week's rest was back in the line-up.

Ben Garrity was again absent, missing his first League Two start this season, and set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

On the defeat in Kent, Croasdale remarked to the club's media team: “We've been good away from home but we conceded that poor goal.”

“It wasn't to be but there's a lot of things to work on and it's only our third defeat of the season so there's positives.”

It was confirmed Garrity would be side-lined for 'some weeks' with what was said to be a calf problem. It was a blow.

The 27-year-old missed his first League Two match of the season and it ended in a rare defeat for Vale.

Next came a midweek Football League Trophy Northern Group B clash at home to League One Wrexham on November 12.

Wrexham posed a different challenge and Croasdale added: “I'm pleased we've got a game quickly. It's a really quick turnaround. You learn more sometimes losing a game than you do when you're winning games. It’s a relatively early part of the season, so we learn from that as we move on.”

The Wrexham match ended in a 1-1 draw.