Valiants showed too much respect, concedes Moore

DARREN Moore said that Port Vale's first-half display in their 2-1 loss at Rotherham United fell short of what he expects from his players.

- Clive Youlton

The Valiants boss played with only two central midfield players and went with three men strung out across the front line, with Lorent Tolaj stuck out wide.

It didn’t work and Vale conceded a two-goal advantage to the hosts while Jaheim Headley was sent off to add to the woes.

But three substitutions at halftime changed things for the better, in particular Ryan Croasdale's introduction who Vale sorely missed in the first half.

After the match Moore told Port Vale TV: “The first 45 minutes I was a little bit frustrated. That's probably not what we want to see from a Port Vale team. We looked hesitant, we looked static and we were second to every ball.

“And then we get the sending-off which is our own fault because we give the referee a decision to make. Some may say it was harsh but I don’t think we need to put ourselves into that position which we did.