Port Vale manager Darren Moore has urged his relegation-threatened side to put their disappointment of surrendering a two-goal lead against Exeter into their next outing.

Ethan Chislett and Baylee Dipepa both got their names on the scoresheet to put the Valiants firmly in charge at half-time, but two goals for Millenic Alli and one each for Zak Jules and Luke Harris earned the Grecians a 4-2 victory.

Moore was appointed Vale manager in February with the aim of beating the drop from League One, but his team are now three points from safety with just three games remaining – starting with the visit of Wycombe on Tuesday.

“It’s about putting all that energy and anger into Tuesday,” he said.

“I think that’s the only way really because ultimately coming against and fighting against each other, that’s not the way.

“It’s a case of sticking together and making sure that we take an opportunity to put the wrongs of the second half – and I only talk about the last 40 minutes here – right on Tuesday.”

Vale’s final two fixtures see them travel to Bolton before playing host to Cambridge on the last day of the season.

“We have to keep going because just when we think that we’ve figured this game out and this industry out, it can just turn its head,” Moore said.

“And that’s the thing, when we all surmise how things are going to go, football has a knack of turning things on its head, which you saw today from the first half to the second half.

“It’s just a crazy game that we work in but, again, we have to apply ourselves really because we know what we have to do on Tuesday.”

Exeter remain in 12th place, on 58 points, despite extending their unbeaten run to eight matches.

Manager Gary Caldwell was delighted with the character shown by his side to turn the game round after the break.

“The less said about the first half, the better,” the Scot said.
“The second half was probably one of our best performances of the season, the way we understood how to win the game. And there was no change, we didn’t change anything tactically.

“We obviously made a couple of personnel changes and made more throughout the second half, and I thought all the finishers were outstanding.

“But second half, the way we attacked – the speed, the physicality – we could have scored more goals. I thought we were outstanding.”

Exeter last suffered defeat in early March and Caldwell was full of praise for his team’s form since then, winning five and drawing three.

“We’ve had options from the bench so when things aren’t quite going to plan, we have people who are ready and able to come on and make an impact on the game,” he said.

“In the first half of the season we didn’t have that often enough for a number of different reasons, but in the second half of the season we have.”

Port Vale remain in the League One relegation zone after surrendering a two-goal lead to lose 4-2 against in-form Exeter.

Goals from Ethan Chislett and Baylee Dipepa put the Valiants firmly in charge at half-time, but two goals for Millenic Alli and one each for Zak Jules and Luke Harris earned the visitors – now unbeaten in eight matches – victory and leaves their opponents three points from safety.

Vale came close to opening the scoring in the 13th minute when Ben Garrity was denied by Viljami Sinisalo from close range after bringing down Chislett’s measured pass over the top.

And the hosts went in front just after the half-hour mark as a cleared corner was volleyed home brilliantly by Chislett from outside the area.

Their advantage was doubled in the 40th minute, with 17-year-old Dipepa cutting in from the right and guiding a left-footed shot past Sinisalo.

Alli nearly pulled a goal back for Exeter within moments of the restart, but his attempt from Yanic Wildschut’s delivery was saved by Connor Ripley.

The striker did find the net, though, in the 57th minute, with his deflected effort looping over Ripley.

Substitute Jules brought the Grecians level 10 minutes later, firing the ball in from Ryan Woods’ corner, and the comeback was complete in the 79th minute as Harris smashed a volley beyond Ripley from Pedro Borges’ lovely flicked pass.

Alli tapped in from Ilmari Niskanen’s cross late on to add extra gloss to the scoreline.

Darren Moore felt his Port Vale side “could and should have taken maximum points” at Wigan after the sides shared the spoils in a Sky Bet League One 0-0 stalemate.

Wigan’s Martial Godo came closest to breaking the deadlock, only to fire against a post in the second half.

At the other end, Wigan were indebted to England Under-21 goalkeeper Sam Tickle for pulling off, in the words of Moore, “an outstanding double save” to deny James Plant and Baylee Dipepa.

The point lifts Vale out of the relegation zone, and Moore says that will give them a “psychological boost” for their last five games of the campaign.

“It’s a good day for us at Port Vale, getting the clean sheet and how valuable that point is in terms of the psychological boost of getting out of that bottom four,” he said.

“While we’ll take that today, we know the work isn’t nearly finished, it’s only given us a platform.

“And we have to continue to perform, keep that togetherness, and keep that unity going forward.

“As a group we certainly feel we could and should have taken maximum points, but their goalkeeper has pulled off an outstanding double save.

“The first one, he was going the other way, and then he gets up and makes another save.

“Credit to him for earning them a point, but I just thought both teams were at it, both teams were pressing on, and it was a good footballing match.

“We pressed them high up the pitch, and I liked the way we played on them, and forced errors, which we should have capitalised more on.

“Overall it was a solid performance, and you’re always happy with a clean sheet away from home.”

For Wigan boss Shaun Maloney, it was a third game in a row where his side have failed to beat a relegation-threatened side, after a home draw with Burton and a defeat at Cambridge.

“It wasn’t too bad, it was just OK,” he said. “I know it finished 0-0, but both teams had chances.

“The first 20 minutes was OK, but for the next 25 minutes we became a bit toothless really.

“The second half was a bit better, we had chances to score, as did they…the overall performance was just OK.

“In terms of effort and the mentality of the players – something I really challenged the players on – I couldn’t ask for any more.

“Port Vale are desperate for points, and they went very aggressive during parts of the game.

“When that happens, you have to use the forward passes enough, we just didn’t recognise when to play the forward pass.

“I liked the way the three centre-backs (Charlie Hughes, Charlie Goode and Jason Kerr) played, the forwards they have are good players and I never felt in massive, massive danger from open play.

“Sam Tickle has also made an amazing double save, and he’s just a brilliant player.

“I say it every week, but there always seems to be a moment where Sam influences the result, and that was the case again.

“Those four players were the stand-outs for me.”

Darren Moore called for Port Vale to keep the momentum going in their survival bid after they registered their first home victory since he took over.

Vale secured back-to-back Sky Bet League One wins for the first time since September with a 2-0 defeat of out-of-sorts Bristol Rovers.

Buoyed by their first win in 2024 in a relegation six-pointer with Burton last time out, Ben Garrity’s header and Baylee Dipepa’s controversial effort – which the visitors felt he handled in the build-up – secured Vale a vital three points.

Boss Moore, whose side are just a point shy of 20th-placed Burton, said: “It’s a tremendous day all round for us with three valuable points.

“It’s our first win [since I’ve come in] so I’m really pleased for everybody connected to the football club.

“It was a really committed performance from the team. The hard work and the desire to get those three points was incredible. We’re really pleased. It’s three points and a good couple of goals.

“All those stats bode well for us going forward and it gives us momentum. We’re really pleased to keep the momentum up from the Burton game.

“I thought our togetherness was really good. It allowed us to be on top of them.

“Even at the end of the game, we felt we could have got more goals. The most important thing was getting the two goals and keeping the clean sheet.

“We needed that performance and I’m pleased it came in front of the home fans.”

It was another disappointing display for Rovers, who have failed to score in their last four games.

Boss Matt Taylor said: “It was another difficult afternoon. It’s not an extreme scoreline.

“I’ve said it so many times but it’s such a poor moment for their goal. It’s another individual mistake which can’t happen – but it has.

“It was another goal with the same sort of principle. As much as the mistake is ours, it’s the officials’ as well. But we still have to defend the outcome of it a lot better than we did.

“On a difficult pitch it was difficult to chase the game and get the ball from A to B.

“It’s poor execution from us. It puts more pressure on being clean defensively. It’s another poor defensive moment and then they’re boosted by that and we’re low.

“There are excuses ‘someone else should be taking care of it’ as opposed to dealing with it.

“Whether he controls it with his hand or not a player should never be allowed to turn and run at your back line like that.

“It’s bitterly disappointing and we couldn’t find any way to force the issue.”

Paul Hurst voiced his relief as his Shrewsbury side propelled themselves seven points clear of the League One drop zone with a 2-1 victory at Port Vale.

Town took an early lead through Dan Udoh and doubled their tally early in the second half when Tom Bloxham struck.

Teenager Baylee Dipepa hit his first professional goal to reduce arrears, but it proved too little too late for Darren Moore’s strugglers.

“I’m relieved more than anything,” said Hurst, whose side had suffered back-to-back defeats before this confidence-boosting win.

“We were 2-0 up and gave away a poor goal. You can’t leave a player unmarked in the area. We made the end of the game a lot more nervy than it needed to be.

“We knew Port Vale would come at us. They had a response first half so we expected it.

“We got a second goal and knew they wouldn’t give up. But we certainly made the end of the game more nervy than it needed to be.

“I don’t think that we gave too many chances away from a lot of things.

“Marko (Marosi) made three really big saves from memory and he was credit as to why we went in ahead at half-time.

“He’s done very well since I’ve come to the club. An experienced keeper and seems to enjoy the big moments. He delivered some of those today.

“It was nice to go ahead early because it’s something we’ve worked on and identified.

“From where I was I thought it had gone in but there was a delayed reaction. It’s something we’ve worked on so I was delighted.”

Vale, who have not won so far in 2024, are seven points adrift of safety with time running out.

Boss Moore said: “It’s a hurdle we have to overcome. No matter how you dress it up, it’s been a mental thing with us in terms of conceding early and then taking a backwards step and giving ourselves a mountain to climb.

“As the game goes on, we grow into it. That was a disappointment because when you concede a goal very early it can shift the momentum of the game.

“We were holding on in the first half, we showed more impetus and got into the game in the second half.

“We had chances to go and win the match. It’s a small positive that we got the chances to go and win the game.

“We’re not talking about Vale not having chances to score. As long as that continues I believe the players we’ve got will score.

“On the flip side we need to show more concentration, togetherness, to make sure at all costs from set plays we get the first contacts and defend the second phases better until the ball’s out of the danger zone.”