Vale vault Brentford to lift Vans trophy

Brentford's Dobson climbs highest for the opening goal

Brentford 1-2 Port Vale

Port Vale lifted the LDV Vans Trophy after spending much of the match frustrated by a battling Brentford side.

Second half goals from Marc Bridge-Wilkinson and Steve Brooker cancelled out Michael Dobson's third minute header.

But in the dying moments Vale were hanging on as Brentford threw everything forward in an effort to take the game into extra time.

Late substitute Mark McCammon should have done better with a header - his first touch of the game.

And Lloyd Owusu failed to find the target with the last touch of the game when he headed wide from Olafur Gottskalksson's overhead kick, the Brentford goalkeeper having joined the attack in injury time.

As in the league meeting between the teams only eight days earlier, Brentford raced into the lead within minutes of the start.

Dobson ghosted into the penalty area climbing above Neil Brisco to head home a corner beyond Mark Goodlad.

However from that moment on Vale's five man midfield over-ran Brentford and Dave Brammer was instrumental as the midlanders looked for a way past the Bees backline.

Brammer had the first effort on goal but his long-range effort deflected wide.

Sagi Burton proved a constant menace from set pieces and Tony Naylor, Brooker and Bridge-Wilkinson always threatened from open play.

Bridge-Wilkinson hooked Vale's best effort of the first half wide from a Naylor pull back on 20 minutes.

Fair credit to Port Vale who deserved it - we were disappointing and we didn't play well

  Ray Lewington,
Brentford manager

And in the second half Naylor peppered the Brentford goal only to be denied an equaliser by a debatable off-side call, which further frustrated Vale as Ray Lewington's men rode their luck.

However that luck was to run out when Darren Powell brought down Naylor on the edge of the area.

Referee Jones pointed to the spot and Bridge-Wilkinson made amends for his first half miss and sent Gottskalksson the wrong way.

Moments later Naylor was on hand to make a nuisance of himself again and force another mistake from a Brentford defender.

When Gavin Mahon dwelt on the ball Naylor stepped in to steal possession before setting up the winner.

The ball was squared to Brooker who picked his spot to to give Vale a deserved lead which they held onto to despite Brentford's best efforts in injury time.

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Brentford: Gottskalksson, Powell, Dobson, Theobald, Gibbs, Mahon, Rowlands, Ingimarsson, Evans, Owusu, Partridge.
Subs: Lovett, Folan, Williams, McCammon, Paul Smith.

Port Vale: Goodlad, Carragher, Burton, Walsh, Smith, Cummins, Brooker, Bridge-Wilkinson, Brisco, Brammer, Naylor.
Subs: Delaney, Tankard, Widdrington, Twiss, Viljanen.

Referee: P Burns.