Ryan Loft scored late on to give Port Vale a crucial 1-0 victory at Burton to end their 14-game winless run.

The striker pounced seven minutes from time to give Vale a first win of 2024 and pull themselves to within three points of Sky Bet League One safety.

Vale’s James Wilson fired the first effort of the game into the side netting and Burton keeper Jamal Blackman had to tip Nathan Smith’s goalbound header from a corner over the bar.

Albion’s best moments came from Mark Helm, the midfielder agonisingly wide with a curling effort while Connor Ripley had to come out of his goal to block him after an exchange of passes with Joe Hugill.

Burton captain John Brayford poked wide early in the second half before Vale’s Ben Garrity struck the post from Tom Sang’s corner.

The decisive moment came on a counterattack, Loft initially crossing for Ethan Chislett and, when the striker’s shot bounced back off the post, he was there to smash the ball in from close range.

Darren Moore wants to improve his new side’s mentality after his Port Vale reign started with a 3-2 loss at League One relegation rivals Cheltenham.

Vale led twice through Nathan Smith’s header and an own goal from Curtis Davies, but Matt Taylor and Jack Shepherd cancelled each out before Will Ferry struck a 73rd-minute winner.

Former Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield boss Moore, who was appointed on Tuesday, saw his team slip to 22nd in the table and two points from safety.

And he called for more resilience from his players after a disappointing beginning to his tenure.

“It wasn’t the start I wanted,” Moore said. “Our mindset and mentality has to be stronger.

“We had a really good start to the game and at half-time I thought we deserved to be ahead.

“Their second goal was a corner when it should’ve been a throw-in.

“But there were positives. We scored two goals away from home. That’s a positive. And the subs had an impact. That’s a positive.

“What I want to see is a Vale team that are fully committed. The commitment and endeavour was there, but our mindset has to be stronger when we get in front.

“As far as I’m concerned the slate’s wiped clean with all of the players, but we have to learn from this today – and learn quickly.”

Cheltenham’s third straight league win moved them above Vale into 21st and they sit just a point from safety.

Darrell Clarke hailed the talent of Barnsley loanee Shepherd, who scored a stunning second-half volley to make it 2-2 and earn a big milestone in the 22-year-old defender’s career.

“It’s Shep’s first (English Football) League goal and he’s done brilliantly, the kid,” Clarke said.

“He’s come from a non-league background into Barnsley and he is a bit raw, but he’s a winner.

“I could see that in training on Friday because he was on the ‘young’ team in a small-sided game and he was going mad because they didn’t win, so he has that appetite to win.

“That non-league background for him has done that for him and it was a really pleasing strike.

“Barnsley have a decent talent there. We are pleased to have him and he’s reaping his rewards with competitive games.”

Cheltenham twice hit back from behind to claim a 3-2 home win over League One relegation rivals Port Vale and spoil Darren Moore’s first game in charge.

Nathan Smith’s header and an own goal from Curtis Davies put Vale ahead, but strikes from Matt Taylor, Jack Shepherd and Will Ferry secured the points for Darrell Clarke’s side against his former club.

Luke Southwood had to save well twice to deny Ethan Chislett as Vale threatened early on and they went ahead when Smith headed in Conor Grant’s corner in the 25th minute.

Lewis Freestone was close to a leveller and Vale goalkeeper Connor Ripley blocked well from George Lloyd.

Taylor levelled after a free-kick routine involving Tom Pett, with the veteran striker stroking in his third goal in four appearances since joining the club.

Liam Kinsella and Taylor went close to giving Cheltenham the lead early in the second half.

Vale claimed the next goal when Southwood parried Chislett’s shot and Davies turned the ball into his own net under pressure from James Wilson in the 65th minute.

But Cheltenham responded quickly with Shepherd lashing in a superb volley four minutes later.

Ferry then won it, jinking past several challenges in the box before applying a neat finish for his first Cheltenham goal in the 73rd minute.

Port Vale boss Andy Crosby felt it was about time his side beat one of the bigger sides in League One after their 3-0 victory over Blackpool.

Ben Garrity’s opener was added to after half-time by James Wilson and Nathan Smith for a first win in three matches as Vale ended 2023 on a high.

And Crosby reserved particular praise for the likes of youngsters Ben Lomax and Jack Shorrock, who made their first League One starts as he effused about his side’s performance against the Seasiders.

He said: “It was a really good performance, both with and without the ball. There were four academy players in the 18, three on the pitch at once, like the two young boys who started the game making their full league debuts.

“I thought they were absolutely incredible, but I also think the senior players they had around them really looked after them within the game.

“We probably spent a little bit less time in the build-up phase today and we utilised the strengths of Uche (Ikpeazu) maybe a little bit earlier.

“It’s about time we beat a team here. It’s been a struggle for us since we’ve been in League One to beat one of the bigger clubs at home.

“We’ve been competitive this season against Bolton, Peterborough, Derby and lost by the odd goal, and we said before the game can we go and put a performance together both with and without the ball to be deserving of three points and I think we were.”

Neil Critchley felt Blackpool paid the price for not taking their opportunities before the Valiants went ahead as he lamented his side’s away form, but praised how the Seasiders kept going.

He said: “It’s a really tough night for us. For the first 35 minutes up until their goal, I thought we were in control of the game, had some good opportunities, don’t take them and with their first chance, they score.

“That’s the way it’s going for us away from home at this moment in time. We have a good chance to equalise after half-time, it goes straight at the goalkeeper, and then we get a deflected shot with their first chance after half-time that deflected straight over the goalkeeper and we’re 2-0 down and we’re chasing the game.

“We’re not getting that little bit of the rub of the green that sometimes you need in the penalty box and the big moments are going against us.

“But what I did see is, I saw a team that kept going right to the end. I thought their body language was very good and they were positive and that’s important because we need to stick together.”

Port Vale manager Andy Crosby was proud of his 10-man team after they earned an FA Cup first-round replay against fellow League One side Burton with a goalless draw.

Captain Nathan Smith was given a straight red card in the 18th minute after bringing down Mark Helm, but Burton failed to make their one-man advantage count.

Vale actually finished the game with nine men as Jason Lowe was withdrawn through injury and they’d already used their three substitution intervals.

The draw comes on the back of Crosby’s men booking their place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday, but they’re currently on an eight-match winless run in League One.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am of the group, the togetherness of the group,” Crosby said.

“We were the better team with 11 men, we were the better team with 10 men, we were the better team with nine men.

“We controlled possession, we controlled them out of possession, we controlled them with 10 men and we controlled the possession with 10 men.

“And I can’t tell you how together this group is, how much they care, how disappointed they’ve been with the run we’ve been on.

“But to go into that game and start the way we did and have the chances we did.

“And then to suffer the disappointment we did with the referee making the decision, to not feel sorry for ourselves, to keep going.

“They crawl off that pitch in a better place than when the game started.”

In a game not short on chances, Burton finally found the net in the dying moments through Josh Walker, but it was ruled out for offside against substitute Cole Stockton.

Albion boss Dino Maamria felt his team were blatantly denied a place in the second round, rather than missing a golden opportunity to go through.

“We scored a legitimate goal in the last minute of the game – it’s clearly onside,” he said.

“Watch it back. Diagonal ball from Jake Caprice, Ryan Sweeney’s in an onside position – he heads it down. Josh Walker’s in an onside position – he turned and volleyed it in brilliantly.

“But the offside got given on Cole Stockton at the near post with the ball nowhere near him.

“It’s a really, really frustrating decision to give, but in all honesty am I surprised by it?

“You see it when they got the sending off in the first half, every decision after that – the crowd, their bench – they’re on top of the referee, they’re on top of the linesman – he got abused throughout the game.

“I didn’t think they were strong enough to deal with that.

“And flagging that last decision there denied us going through.”