Sturrock: 'We took our chances, which was nice'
Blues boss Paul Sturrock was obviously delighted with victory at Vale Park acknowledging that not many sides will return home with all three points, as well as being concerned about the fitness of scorer Liam Dickinson.
Sturrock told the Press Association: "Liam rolls his ankle periodically and we very much hope this latest setback isn't too serious. He took his goal very well, but I was pleased with all the players because this was an excellent three points. We started the game particularly well and we took our chances, which was nice. You've got to be up for every game in this league and the boys worked very hard from the first whistle. It was a bit like the Alamo in the last 15 minutes, but we stood strong and I think we just about deserved the win. There were a lot of good performances all over the field."
Luggy has already passed on his doubts about full-back Sean Clohessy for the JPT cup-tie against Crawley town Tuesday evening at Roots Hall. (See articles below.)
Adams: 'Not bitter about the defeat, that's all credit to Paul and his side'
Meanwhile, Valiants boss Micky Adams remained typically honest as his team sunk to their first defeat of the season at home to the Shrimpers, who swapped places with the Valiants in to the play-off zone.
Adams told www.port-vale.co.uk: "We never gave a chance to win the game. We were 1-0 down and then 2 down very, very early and I'm disappointed. I think that the arrogance of the side, particularly in the first half, was that we had to do was turn up today and we'd get a win. That wasn't the case."
He then went through where his teams made the errors that cost them the points.
Adams said: "I think that the first goal was a free header - somebody not doing their job again from a corner. If you look at the goals conceded this year, that's been one of our achillies heels. I said to the boys that we never seem to get to free headers. Either we don't get the delivery or we don't get the opportunity for a free header, but once again, we have a left a man free there and he has scored a goal that was too easy and could easily have been avoided."
As we said the former Fulham and Brighton boss is always telling it how it is, but can remain defiant when he wants to.
Adams continued: "I think all round the pitch we were second best, particularly in the first half. We just weren't at the races. That's not bitter about the defeat - that's all credit to Paul and his side. Having said that, we lost too many individual battles all round the pitch and if you do that, it's a problem for you. We are disappointed but we will regroup and get on with it."
And Adams certainly tried to change things around, making two of his substitutions at half-time.
He concluded: "There's no point playing three centre-halves when you are 2-0 down. I thought that Dickinson and Harris scared the living daylights out of our central defenders today for whatever reason. You would have to ask them that. In the second half, we got closer to them and got back into the game with the penalty but after that, huffed and puffed really. We didn't really create too many opportunities to win the game."
Thanks You Micky, a fair and intellegent summing up, if only more managers could speak like this after a game, whatever the result.