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.”
Ricketts congratulates 'Bunny' Shaw on FWA Women's Player of the Year award
Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president Michael Ricketts saluted Reggae Girl and Manchester City striker Khadija “Bunny” Shaw on her latest accomplishment of being voted the Football Writers’ Association (FWA) Women’s Player of the Year for the 2023-24 season.
Shaw won the women’s Footballer of the Year award with 80 per cent of the voters opting for either the Manchester City striker or Chelsea’s Lauren James. James finished runner-up with another Manchester City standout Alex Greenwood finishing third. Yui Hasegawa, Elisabeth Terland and Khiara Keating completed the top six.
In a release on Friday, Ricketts pointed out that the award spoke volumes of Shaw's impact on Manchester City's Women's Super League charge, as she has been a model of consistency since joining the Gareth Taylor-coached club in 2021. Her performances have placed Manchester City on the brink of securing their first WSL title since 2016.
“This award is a beautiful feather in her cap and a massive advertisement for Jamaica’s football,” Ricketts said.
“I am happy to see the consistency in quality shown by Khadija. She has always been a top player, but her standard has risen a notch this season. This augurs well for the national team in the future. We wish her all the best on the road to recovery,” he added.
Prior to Shaw sustaining a broken foot during her last Women’s Super League match against West Ham, the Reggae Girls captain scored 21 goals, which were complemented by three assists in 18 games this season.
Shaw is the third Jamaican-born individual to have won the award after John Barnes (1987-88, 1989-90) and Raheem Sterling in 2019.
However, she is the first national representative to receive the honour, as both Barnes and Sterling were England internationals when they earned the recognition.
'It's football hunger' – Moyes intent on West Ham stay as Lopetegui speculation swirls
David Moyes insisted there remains a "football hunger" to carry West Ham forward as speculation persists over the Hammers moving for Julen Lopetegui.
Widespread reports suggest West Ham have been in contact with Lopetegui, who left Wolves ahead of the 2023-24 campaign after just eight months in charge.
Yet Moyes reiterated his commitment to West Ham as the Scotsman aims for another top-10 Premier League finish, with the Hammers ninth in the table heading into the weekend's action.
"Absolutely, it's football hunger," Moyes responded when questioned on his drive to take West Ham to the next level.
"I'm nearly a bit embarrassed to be asked that question because I'm a football nut. I love my football, I go to games, I love it, really do. I have got great hunger."
"I said to everybody that we will make a decision at the end of the season."
West Ham and Moyes will hope to end a three-game winless run in the league when they head to London rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Courtois to make first start this season as Madrid close in on title
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois will make his first start of the season against Cadiz on Saturday after making a full recovery from two knee injuries, Carlo Ancelotti has revealed.
Ancelotti, however, will remain cautious with Courtois, who has not played since suffering torn ligaments 13 months ago, with Andriy Lunin set to return for Wednesday's Champions League semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich.
"The decisive game we have in mind, a final, is Wednesday's match against Bayern, where Lunin will play. After that, we'll see what happens," Ancelotti said on Friday.
"Courtois is fine, he will play tomorrow after a long, long time. It's good news that he's coming back, just like [Eder] Militao.
"Courtois can contribute, he's feeling good, he's very excited. We are delighted to have him back."
Lunin has established himself as Ancelotti's preferred deputy in Courtois' absence, seeing off competition from Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Lunin was Madrid's hero as they beat Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals, making two saves in their 4-3 penalty shoot-out victory after an inspired performance in a 1-1 second-leg draw.
Courtois, however, is widely considered to be one of the world's best goalkeepers and the Belgian is likely to regain his starting spot soon, with a LaLiga and Champions League double in Madrid's sights.
He was named man-of-the-match in the 2022 Champions League final after making nine saves to deny Liverpool as Madrid clinched a record-extending 14th European title with a 1-0 win in Paris.
Brazil centre-back Militao returned in late March after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in August, making his first start in last week's win at Real Sociedad in LaLiga.
"We were too passive against Bayern. We have to be more active. So Militao will play tomorrow to get into a rhythm," Ancelotti said.
"We are only thinking about the 'final' on Wednesday. We don't think about what might happen in a month's time. Hopefully, soon we can start looking further ahead, it will mean we'll make the final in London."
With five games left, Ancelotti's side top the LaLiga standings on 84 points, 11 ahead of Barca and 13 clear of third-placed Girona. They can clinch a record-extending 36th Spanish title if they beat Cadiz and Barcelona fail to win at Girona later on Saturday.
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