Aspin accepts defeat but feels Port Vale should have had a penalty

Port Vale manager Neil Aspin had no complaints about his ten men losing 1-0 at Mansfield Town in the end today.
Action from Saturday's game.Action from Saturday's game.
Action from Saturday's game.

But Aspin claimed the Valiants should have had a penalty when Tom Pope went down next to Hayden White early on and said it could have been a very different game if that had been give.

MATCH REPORT HERE“You have to analyse the game as a whole,” he said.

“If you're talking about chances then Mansfield had a lot of opportunities in the second half when they could have scored so there is no way that on chances created we deserved anything from the game.

“But in terms of battling and keeping going until the end I can't ask anything more from the players.”

“I thought we had a good shape in the first half and started the game well. And we should have had a penalty. I've looked at it against and Tom Pope gets his shirt pulled in the box. It's obvious to everyone and that changes the game.

“When you go behind against Mansfield it does give you a problem as they have of players up front and, when you're pushing, it leaves space behind you.

“If we'd gone in front with the penalty decision I am sure we'd have had a good chance of picking up something from the game. But I don't have any arguments about the score.”

He added: “I think Mansfield are a good side and they are going to have a good season. I expect them to finish high up the table and we knew today would be a tough game.”

On Manny Oyeleke's 64th minute red card for a second bookable offence, he said: “I have no complaints.

“From where I looked, when you're on a yellow card, it looked like another yellow card.

“When a player has been booked you have to trust them to be disciplined in their performance.”