Valiants seize their chance to put more points on board

PORT Vale took advantage of some Salford mistakes to take the points in Burslem. CLIVE YOULTON continues his review of the Valiants’ season...

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RONAN Curtis admitted he trusted Port Vale boss Darren Moore to pick him when needed but insisted, “I've been used to playing every game so it’s tough.”

The 28-year-old was a regular at Portsmouth in his five years at Fratton Park where he played around 190 games and scored more than 40 goals.

He didn’t enjoy frequently being left on the bench by Moore but understood it from a team point of view.

Moore and others would argue that, when he started matches, Curtis might not have been as effective as when he came off the bench.

In any event, Curtis was included for the home game against Karl Robinson's Salford City on Saturday, February 22.

And Moore's side exploited some schoolboy errors to edge a 2-1 victory in a poor-quality affair.

Not that Moore, their players, or the home fans will have cared a jot about how their team won the points.

The three points were also much needed given Vale were one of seven teams in the top eight in League Two who won their matches.

It was a contest full of fouls, injuries, frustrating officiating and sub-standard quality that had more stoppages than a best man’s speech at a rowdy wedding.

Even after the final whistle, Curtis - voted player of the match and whipping up the crowd seconds earlier - was shown a red card after an altercation.