Vale left all at sea by Mariners

PORT Vale slumped to defeat on their visit to Grimsby Town. CLIVE YOULTON continues his review of the Valiants' season...

- CLIVE YOULTON

If ever there was a defining match in a season then Port Vale's 3-0 defeat at Grimsby Town on December 29 was it.

By common consensus it was the shoddiest performance in Vale's promotion season and it's hard to believe Darren Moore's side went on a run of seven matches at the end of the year without a win. Three of those games were defeats. This was considered the worst of them.

The Christmas period had yielded just a single point from three matches - against then bottom club Carlisle United.

This was another disastrous result for Vale who lost second spot and dropped to fourth in the table, locked on 37 points with three other teams as Walsall romped clear.

Predictably, Moore made four changes to the team that lost at Bradford City in what was now a familiar trait of his.

Tom Sang began a three-match suspension, Jayden Stockley was rested, while Jason Lowe and Brandon Cover were left out.

In came Mitch Clark, for his first league start of the season, Jack Shorrock - who had a poor game against Carlisle United and was left out of the squad at Bradford - Ruari Paton and Rico Richards.

There was a return of the bench for Kyle John and Sam Hart, who had recovered from a hamstring issue.

Nathan Smith, Conor Grant and Diamond Edwards were absent as were injured quartet, Ben Garrity, George Byers, Benicio Baker-Boaitey and Rekeem Harper.

But Ryan Croasdale passed a fitness test before the game to take his place in the middle of midfield.