Clark: Valiants must deliver consistently in new division

MITCH Clark admitted Port Vale "can't do that again" when referring to handing the opposition a two-goal lead in League One matches.

- Clive Youlton

Ahead of tomorrow night's first home game of the season, against Cardiff City at Vale Park in front of the Sky TV cameras, Clark said lessons must be learned, and quickly.

The Valiants fell 2-0 behind at Rotherham on Saturday - and also had Jaheim Headley sent off - in the first half.

Connor Hall pulled a goal back during a much-improved second-half display, but Vale couldn’t find an equaliser.

"I think obviously will look at the second half and see the grit and determination to try and get back into it especially with 10 men but I think we have to look at the first half and put that right," he maintained.

"We can’t do that again. So we have to make that second half into 90 minutes."

It was a bit of a wake-up call and he added: "If people weren’t used to League One they certainly saw it in that first half and realised you can’t be performing like that in the first 45 minutes and that goes for all of us.

"The comeback just stemmed from the fact we knew how bad the first 45 was and if we perform like that again there is only one place we were going and we didn't want that to happen.

We want to be as high as possible in the league table and we only want to take positives from that second half and show that on Thursday.