Barrow vs Port Vale Match Report 13 August 2024

My Carabao Cup on the whistle report

Why this game?

An intriguing League Two only Carabao Cup tie with Barrow in transition and Port Vale one of the most tipped sides in the league. Both started the league campaign with a win but where do they really sit in the hierarchy of the fourth tier?

The story of the game:

45 seconds was all it took for Barrow to take the lead - a long throw was flicked on by a Vale defender off another Barrow head and kindly to Gerard Garner at the back post who had an easy finish to take the lead. I appear to have developed a tendency this season to tune into games where extremely early goals change the score before the flow of the game is set!

Once it was, the quality of Port Vale was on show - a notch of intensity higher than Barrow, an intent to win the ball higher up the park and much of the fastest passing coming in midfield as opposed to Barrow doing much of their work around their back line even though Vale were much changed. When Barrow did push their press a little higher, it was generally judiciously used.

Vale’s first big chance came the way of Funso Ojo in the 24th minute - meeting a cross at the back but finding only the keeper shooting low. It was the start of a period of sustained Port Vale pressure that resulted in a delightful Paton goal - a sweet and soft free kick into the bottom corner, clipped over the wall and leaving no chance of keeping it out.

The first half rounded off with a late Dean Campbell shot just deflected wide. Their success on the attack was almost entirely set piece based and this was a rare open play shot from them. They would come out firing in the second half, however, creating a series of half chances from set pieces and crosses. A Lomax slip when dallying at the back would present the best chance of those for Kouyate, but his snap shot was blocked.

Barrow would be punished - Laurent Tolaj, stepping up from the National League this season, laid the ball off at the edge of the area. For a split second, it looked slightly too inside but Tom Sang collected, turned and drilled a shot low into the opposite corner - a quality finish. Kouyate had a good chance to equalise straight away but blasted high under pressure after great work from Acquah. Dean Campbell had his second big chance of the game, forcing a hollywood save from Ben Amos.

A minute later, a half cleared coroner was thrown back in to an area centrally about ten yards out - Amos came, Acquah got there first and flicked it beyond the helpless keeper.

5 minutes later, Ben Jackson would leave Amos helpless once more with sheer quality, cutting in on his right and curling a wonderful shot into the bottom corner. Amos was faultless here - beaten by a perfect shot. While Port Vale would try to up the pace, it was not by enough and there was a feeling that there wasn’t really enough on the pitch to change the game.

Barrow progress into the next round with an entertaining win, Port Vale progress to a league campaign they will consider to be far more important.

Standout Players:

Ruari Paton’s first touch is as smooth as they come and he was clearly, in the first half, a level above this. His free kick goal was delightful but was only one part of his play - when the ball went up to him long, it stuck, when it went short, he linked up well. For a Vale side who liked to use pace to drive into channels with Shorrock, Dipepa and Boaitey, Paton was ideal to bring them into the game and, while their touches weren’t quite as delicate, they all had moments as a result of Paton’s touches and the spaces he was pulling defenders away from. While he was slightly more peripheral at the start of the second half, his last touches before going off was one touch to set up an excellent break and one pass to put Ojo in behind the defence - he impressed to his last second.

Impressing from his first second was Emile Acquah. Port Vale simply couldn’t deal with his power and size in the box and you could really chalk their victory down to the chaos he caused. His entry preceded Barrow’s best period of dominance of the game -  a 15 minute spell that took Barrow behind at first but eventually won the game.

Of the roster of kids that came in for Port Vale, Jack Shorrock was perhaps the most impressive - he was exposed by the second half substitutions Barrow made but, from an attacking sense, he was a willing runner. In that sense, his game was perhaps a net negative because of those late issues but in the scene of the entire defence struggling, he can perhaps be excused somewhat and looked at more on the period before than the period of concern. I’d certainly want to watch another 90 minutes of him to see what more there is there.

Analysis:

There’s not too much to take from a Port Vale perspective given the rotation and that the words “Ruari Paton is good” aren’t exactly the height of analysis so let’s talk Barrow instead.

Bearing in mind they’re a side I distinctly don’t fancy this season, this was a decent performance. Enthusiasm may be tempered somewhat by this not being a full strength Port Vale side but they pressed at sensible times, disrupted play well and were able to fashion plenty of opportunities to get the ball out wide and create crossing positions. While they don’t necessarily look the most potent side, they posed Port Vale questions that they dealt with reasonably well. As an outpost club, you have to develop an identity that is difficult to play against and, while they could do with a bit more dynamism, they are certainly an awkward prospect on this evidence. 

Signs for the season

If this is a relatively second string Port Vale, then their first string must be pretty good. Barrow were able to unsettle them but, when Vale played football, they were an enjoyable watch. Darren Moore will no doubt be rather displeased that Barrow’s substitute tactic of “hit it to the big man” worked so well but if they keep things on the front foot, you don’t imagine it’ll be a major worry, especially given the Barrow side was much closer to full strength. They absolutely dropped off in the second half -  another concern for Moore, but we’re talking about minor worries than this having exposed major structural issues and ones I’d perhaps chalk down to perhaps a lack of interest in this competition compared to the effort for promotion.. If I was Tranmere, who Vale have next, I’d absolutely be seeing if that weakness to a big man works with a comparatively stronger first XI.

Barrow are a touch off being a side that can do well this season. Those touches are a midfielder that likes to make late runs into the box (and give them another option for their decent crossing game which was too often stymied by a lack of a slightly deeper option) and tuning up those set pieces. Barrow’s ability to get themselves into good crossing positions and to get dangerous set piece areas ensured an extremely competitive game - keep that up and they will earn more than their fair share of points this season from that aspect of their game alone. It brought two goals - it could have brought more. With Carlisle up next, a side whose defence did go to pot for a period much as Port Vale’s did here, you wouldn’t bet against them picking up another three points.