Port Vale manager Darren Moore says returning club captain Ben Garrity’s late goal was the “icing on the cake” as his side got back to winning ways with a 3-0 victory over MK Dons.
Garrity, who was sidelined for a month out with injury, came off the bench late on to seal a well-deserved victory for Vale, dinking the ball over Dons goalkeeper Connal Trueman after being played clean through by Ronan Curtis.
Lorent Tolaj and Jayden Stockley also got their names on the scoresheet to help ensure the Valiants bounced back from a midweek defeat against Colchester – their first in 12 league outings.
The win keeps them in sixth place in the Sky Bet League Two table, two points outside the automatic promotion spots, and Moore was delighted with how his team closed the game out.
“When he’s marauding on to any balls like that, he’s really powerful Ben,” he said.
“The big thing for him is that he had a lot of time to think about it. He had the whole stadium willing him on.
“So for him to come up with that real cool, composed finish was really pleasing for him.
“And it’s the icing on the cake for all of us really to see our captain back and to see him be on the pitch for 10-15 minutes maximum.
“But to come up with a goal as well, it goes to show the importance [of him to us].
“So all round today, it’s been a real good day for everybody connected to Port Vale.
“It was an important three points for us and it just settles us back down.
“We now get a full week to work, which is great, before we start another little busy period.”
The Dons ended a run of seven matches without a win by beating Morecambe last Saturday, but they’ve now lost seven of their last nine games and remain in 18th position.
“It’s probably the quietest I’ve heard a dressing room after a game in all honesty,” interim head coach Ben Gladwin said.
“After what was achieved last week and the feeling that was created throughout the week, I think everybody will be really, really hurt by it.
“But football doesn’t wait for anybody so we have to pick ourselves up, learn from it, review it and move on.
“If the game doesn’t go the way they need it to or the way that feels right early on, they can kind of go into self-preservation mode a little bit and just try to protect themselves, which is understandable with the run that they’ve been on.
“They come out in front of a lot of people and they don’t want to make mistakes.
“But we can’t afford to be that way. You’re never going to threaten the other team’s goal that way and we have to match the other team’s intensity and ability to run.
“It was a really poor performance. There’s no getting away from it.”
