Mad few minutes proved so costly

EAST MANCHESTER...3 ELTON VALE...2: A CRAZY five minutes at the start of the second half, in which Easts scored all their goals, allied to a string of missed chances in the first period, sent Vale crashing to defeat.

But it was a game they should surely have won with a little more ruthlessness at both ends.

When skipper and centre back Anthony Doran limped off at half time with a knee injury, no-one in the Elton camp could have forseen the consequences of having to re-organise the defence.

But free headers at corner kicks for the home side's Patrick Wilkinson and Darren Green put Easts two up in as many minutes.

A shell-shocked Vale then quickly conceded another goal when the Gorton side's player-manager, former Bury and Macclesfield winger Darren Lyons, latched onto a long ball before rounding 'keeper Steve Crossley and slamming it home.

Apart from that frenetic but damaging spell, Elton held the upper hand for large parts of the game.

Vale were particularly dominant in the first half as the home side barely got beyond the half way line. And they could themselves have been three up in the first ten minutes, but Steve Smith, Stuart Stott and Steve Dearden squandered good openings.

Teasing crosses from Ian Hutchinson constantly got beyond the Easts' backline, but didn't get the final touch they warranted, yet it was a cross from the right from John Price that led to Elton's best chance of the half.

Price, playing his first full game since returning after a short spell with Highfield United, picked out Andy Sensale, whose downward header was scrambled round the post by Luke.

Having gone in goalless at the break, Vale quickly had to pick themselves up off the floor as Easts' confidence soared after their breathtaking start to the second period.

The Bury side gradually came back into the game and Steve Smith reduced the arrears in the 65th minute when he drove the ball home.

Elton piled on the pressure once more and were desperately unlucky to have a 'goal' disallowed for a supposed infringement on Luke, who appeared to have simply dropped the ball in a packed goalmouth.

The custodian did then pull off a good save when, despite frantically back-pedalling, he just managed to get an outstretched hand to keep out Chris Hopkins' lob.

Hopkins then did well to beat three opponents and curled in a dangerous looking low cross that a defender nicked off the toes of Smith by diverting it for a corner.

The pressure finally paid off but there were only seconds left on the clock when Sensale's snap shot through another crowded penalty box found its way into the net, but it was too late for anything else and Vale were left to rue that mad, bad five minute spell together with their own lacklustre finishing.

TEAM: Crossley 7, Burke 6, Doran 6, Dearden 8, Hulme 7, Price 6, Howson 6, Stott 7, I.Hutchinson 6, Smith 6, Sensale 7 Subs: Hopkins (for Doran, 46 mins) 6, D.Hutchinson (for I. Hutchinson, 70 mins) 6

A depleted reserve team lost 2-0 at home to Irlam MS.