Tom Conlon draws praise after starring role in Port Vale’s win over Exeter

Posted Sunday, September 20, 2020 by PA

John Askey praised the progress of match-winner Tom Conlon after he scored one and made one to fire Port Vale to a 2-0 win over Exeter.

Conlon made the breakthrough in the 21st minute with a stunning curling free-kick which found the top corner.

The 24-year-old midfielder then teed up Devante Rodney for his first goal for the club since arriving from Salford in the summer.

Two straight wins have taken Vale up to second in the table and manager Askey said: “To come here and get a result is really pleasing.

“It is a tough place to come, they are always in and around it come the end of the season.

“I wouldn’t say we were great, but the players worked really hard and finished well.

“We came here last season and we got bullied a little bit, so it was important that didn’t happen again. The work rate was great and that is what gets you results.

“Free-kicks are something that Tom has been working on. He works really hard at his game and there is no-one at the club that works harder than Tom.

“Hopefully he can continue to keep improving. The system seems to suit Tom and he is getting more mature.”

Exeter manager Matt Taylor was left to count the cost of conceding what he felt were two soft goals.

Taylor said: “I am disappointed to lose the game and I thought we were second best too often today.

“We still had the lion’s share of the possession and the better opportunities in the game but that counts for nothing.

“It looks like a convincing scoreline, but they only had two clear sights of our goal. There was not enough all over the pitch.

“Port Vale were the first to the ball in a 10-yard radius around each of our players today, which is disappointing.

“The simplicity of their goals is clear. The first one was a direct ball into our back line and we have not picked up the second ball.

“Their lad has put it in the top corner, which is a bit of quality from their point of view, but it shouldn’t have got to that point.

“The second one comes from our corner. We missed the opportunity to put the ball in the opposition’s box and then got caught in possession in the middle of the pitch.

“Whether we felt it was a foul or not, it was not good enough from our point of view.”