Man of the match Sam Tickle made some crucial saves

• Wigan Athletic once again failed to impress in a dour 0-0 draw with relegation threatened Port Vale at the DW Stadium.
• The Valiants benefitted most from the draw as they moved out of the League One relegation zone as Cheltenham and Burton Albion both lost.
• Neither team created many chances in a game which struggled to ignite for long periods.
• Latics’ best opportunity came when Thelo Aasgaard’s close range header was well saved by Connor Ripley.
• Port Vale were denied by a superb double save by England U21 international goalkeeper Sam Tickle. Tickle parried out a deflected shot from James Plant, and then reacted quickly to divert the rebound from Baylee Dipepa around the post.
• Latics drop to 13th place and Port Vale move up to 20th in the League One table.

Shaun Maloney was forced to make four changes to his line up following the defeat to Cambridge United with Sean Clare, Luke Chambers, Josh Magennis and Stephen Humphrys all ruled out through injury.

Charlie Goode returned to the defence while Matt Smith returned to midfield in place of Liam Shaw. Callum McManaman made a return to the attack alongside Aasgaard as Chris Sze dropped to the bench.

Vale’s Ethan Chislett tried his luck from 25 yards in the first minute, but his effort cleared the crossbar. 

Five minutes later McManaman beat his man down the right, cut into the box and fired an effort which was saved by Connor Ripley.

McManaman was involved again on 14 minutes as he found Matt Smith on the edge of the box. His shot towards goal was diverted narrowly wide by Aasgaard.

Tickle made a crucial save on 25 minutes when Ben Garrity was played through. Garrity squared the ball to for former Latic, Gavin Massey, but the England U21 keeper did superbly to save the initial the shot and then divert the ball away with his feet.

At the other end, Godo fired over from the edge of the box after cutting inside.

Chislett then cut the ball back for Garrity, but the midfielder miscued his shot wide of the target.

Aasgaard then had a chance as a corner found him at the back post. His header into the ground was fumbled by Ripley, but caught at the second attempt.

Neither team had impressed after a poor quality first half.

Latics started the second half strongly, and Matt Smith’s dangerous cross nearly found Scott Smith who attempted an overhead kick and the ball nearly sneaked past Ripley at the far post.

Maloney made two attacking changes on 55 and 56 minutes with Jonny Smith and Charlie Kelman coming on for Adeeko and Sessegnon. 

Soon afterwards Matt Smith fed Godo in behind and he was very unlucky as his effort struck the inside of the post before Kelman was ruled offside as he tried to bundle the ball home.

Vale’s Nathan Smith then headed wide at the back post following a free kick before Aasgaard had probably Latics best chance of the game when his close range header from a corner saved was well saved by Ripley at the back post.

Jonny Smith threatened 10 minutes from time when he cut inside and fired a fierce strike towards the corner but it was inches wide of the target.

Tickle again came to Latics rescue with eight minutes remaining. The keeper first parried out a deflected shot from James Plant, and then reacted quickly to divert the rebound from Baylee Dipepa around the post.

Substitue Liam Shaw blazed high over the crossbar on 92 minutes, typifying the quality of what had been an insipid encounter.

Overview

This was another lacklustre performance from Maloney’s men against a team struggling for League One survival.

Many of the Latics’ players seemed to lack energy and drive and they only sporadically threatened the Port Vale goal.

Going forward only Martial Godo really provided any goal scoring opportunities.

Playing without a central striker, Thelo Aasgaard looked very uncomfortable in the False 9 role.

Admittedly Maloney’s striking options are limited due to injuries but the players generally lacked aggression in the final third.

Defensively Latics were solid but they had to rely on Man of the Match Sam Tickle to make some important saves.

Latics will have to be much better at Charlton Athletic on Tuesday night if they are to arrest an alarming downturn in form.

The season is in danger of petering out and Maloney’s desire for a strong finish to the season is now looking unlikely.

Post match comments

Speaking to the media afterwards, Maloney said:

“(A draw) was probably right. We had chances to score, and in fairness, they had similar. 

“Every substitution was trying to be more aggressive and attacking. The second half was much better than the last 20 of the first. 

“It was okay. In terms of effort, I was much happier today than the last time we were at home. 

“In terms of that aspect, I cannot ask for any more from the players. Some of the decision-making in the final third in the last 10 minutes could’ve been better for the team, but in terms of the effort, I demanded that from the players today. 

“The overall performance was just okay. With this stage of the season, and where the squad is at, I understand players’ minds will be on what the decision will be at the end.

“I’ve got 14 players in that situation, and I understand that situation. That’s maybe why we get performances like today, where it feels like it’s drifting, but in terms of effort, I can’t ask for any more from the players today.

“We are fighting very hard for the next three or four games to keep the intensity. We need that win!”

Port Vale almost claimed all three points at the DW Stadium, but Sam Tickle produced a stunning double save to keep the scores level, and Maloney was full of praise for the young stopper.

“He’s an incredible player. Every game, he produces a moment that has an impact on the result.

“He’s a brilliant goalkeeper and it’s incredible that I was watching him in a reserve game at Blackpool 12 months ago to where he is now. It’s a massive credit to him.

“The young players have been brilliant. They’ve been thrown into a League One season, minus eight, and some of them have never played league football.

“For them to get to 13th with a minus eight – they should be extremely proud but I’ll let them know nearer the time that next season, I want and will demand more.”

Player ratings

Player ratings courtesy of Whoscored.com