Bogie's lightning strike catches Stoke cold

PHIL SHAW

Port Vale 1 Stoke City 0

Ian Bogie equalled the English game's quickest goal of the season on a bitterly cold night at Burslem, scoring after 12 seconds to give Port Vale their first derby double over Stoke City since the time of the General Strike 70 years ago.

Stoke must wonder what it is about them that brings out the best in the enigmatic Bogie. The Vale midfielder also hit the winner when the sides met in the south of the city last August, his only other League goal this season.

This game was as entertaining as that first meeting had been sterile, perhaps because there was more than Potteries pride at stake. Vale's victory took them out of the bottom three - allowing them to treat Sunday's Anglo- Italian Cup final at Wembley in more relaxed fashion - while preventing Stoke from moving into third place.

John Rudge, the Vale manager, had called for "passion and patience". Both teams had the first quality in abundance, but Bogie ignored orders on the second by beating Mark Prudhoe before a Stoke player had touched the ball. After the kick-off, it was played back to Andy Hill, whose through pass was dummied in turn by Lee Glover and Martin Foyle.

Bogie, finding himself free in the inside-right position, still had the hard part ahead of him. Yet while his goals may be scarce, they are usually spectacular, as Everton would testify, and his venomous angled drive from 15 yards brought a stunning end to Stoke's run of more than eight hours without conceding a goal.

The timing of the goal matched James Quinn's effort for Blackpool against Bristol City on the season's opening day. Despite some slick approach play, Vale could not find the second goal to finish off their neighbours and were fortunate when Mike Sheron's shot on the half-hour struck their left-hand post before spinning across goal to safety.

Stoke, with a strong wind behind them, had the better of the second half without seriously threatening the home goal. Towards the end, police on horseback had to prevent rival fans getting at each other, but the fare on the pitch remained absorbing to the last.

Port Vale (4-4-2): Musselwhite; Hill, Griffiths, Aspin, Stokes; McCarthy, Bogie (Walker, 85), Porter, Guppy; Foyle, L Glover (Naylor, 85). Substitute not used: Talbot.

Stoke City (4-4-2): Prudhoe; Clarkson, Sigurdsson, Cranson, Sandford; Wallace, Beeston (Potter, 66), Gleghorn, Keen (Gayle, 83); Sheron, Sturridge. Substitute not used: Dreyer.

Referee: E Lomas (Manchester).