Match Report

Two struggling sides shared the spoils on another windswept day by the seaside.

In a game played in driving, swirling winds, both sides gave their all but had to settle for a share of the spoils to take them a point closer to safety.

Morecambe, who started the day two points behind Port Vale, started the brighter and took the lead after just four minutes.

Rene Howe burst past his marker on the left before producing an excellent cross into the area for Craig Stanley to fire past Joe Anyon for his second goal in three games.

Vale should have equalised after 20 minutes when Paul Edwards delivered an excellent cross from the left for the unmarked Kyle Perry, who headed wide when totally unmarked six yards out.

Stewart Drummond went close for the home side when he almost got on the end of a deep cross from Howe and Fraser McLachlan tested Anyon with a shot from the edge of the area, before skipper Jim Bentley lashed an effort from close range well wide after seeing a close range header cleared off the line.

The Valiants saw Danny Glover fire wide twice from distance before equalising just before the break when Scott Brown's cross was headed home by Simon Richman, although it did seem to take a deflection off Perry before beating Barry Roche.

The visitors came close to taking the lead just after the break when Louis Dodds rattled the crossbar with a shot from close range, but just seconds later Anyon looked set to mark his 100th appearance with an absolute howler as he missed the ball completely as he attempted to clear a back pass and was left hugely relieved as the ball was blown wide of the goal and too far ahead of Howe by the wind.

The game then became a stop-start affair dominated by the referee's whistle but it was Morecambe who produced the better efforts on goal.

Drummond curled a shot just wide from 25 yards and Fraser McLachlan blazed over from ten yards when the ball fell perfectly for him in the box.

Michael Twiss almost nicked it for the Shrimps when Adam Yates' clever header found him in the box but his left-foot volley was just over when he perhaps should have scored against his former club.

Corners

Fouls

Goal attempts

Shots off target

Offsides