James Ball struck deep in stoppage time to secure a draw for Dale.
“It wasn’t pretty,’ said the Gaffer in his post-match interview.
“First and foremost, Port Vale are a good team. They’ve got some really good experience across the pitch and they’ve got a real physicality which I like as well, and truth be told they were the better team tonight.
“We’ve probably nicked a point when we didn’t deserve to. Saying that, we’ve drawn lots of games which we should have won so we’ll take the positive in that.
“I always say to the players, and it’s the same at any level – if you win your individual battles and get a minimum of seven or eight doing that, then if gives you a really good chance to win the game. We didn’t tonight but Port Vale did and they’ll feel very aggrieved that they didn’t take the three points, but as my old managers used to tell me, it’s sometimes better to be lucky than good.”
He continued: “Performances, you can judge them by many things. Technically we were way off the level tonight. You saw the second half performance at Scunthorpe and we were fantastic.
“The pitch didn’t help, and that’s not an excuse, it’s not in great nick, but you have to deal with that, so with that in mind, we can be better technically and better tactically, but I have to say, we stayed in the game.
“We stayed in the game and you always feel as the home team that you’ll get a chance at some point, and it was a really good goal and a great finish by James.
“It’s probably not what we deserved on the balance of play, I’ll accept that, but I’ve sat here many times with you guys and have been on the receiving end of something like Port Vale tonight, so we’ll take it and move on.
“We know we weren’t up to our levels tonight against a really good team but we got out of it with a draw, and if we win on Saturday, I think that’s quite a satisfactory week.”
The Boss gave credit to his players for getting something out of the game, despite the performance.
“I felt we started a bit shaky with passes going astray, but I thought it was quite an even first half.
“Sometimes goals change the momentum of games, and the team talk and atmosphere changes just on half-time when conceded as we did. It’s a rubbish time to concede, because what you’ve got in your mind to say to the players and what the players are going to come in and feel like can just change like that, so you’ve got to try and turn it around quickly.
“We tried to make some positive substitutions, but it was just one of those nights where our passing wasn’t great and our decision making was pretty average, but, again, for all that, the boys have fought, they’ve battled, they’ve stuck at it and got a point out of a really good team.
“We’ve taken four points off Port Vale this year – that shows we can compete but need to be better.”
And Stockdale felt that Tahvon Campbell should have had a free-kick in the first half when he was through on goal.
“It’s 100-percent it’s a foul on Tahvon in the first half. I’ve seen it back and it’s 100 percent a foul. He’s through on goal.
“It would probably have been a red card because it was just outside the box, so it wasn’t a penalty and the excuse the referee has given me just doesn’t weight up.
“That could change the game, but I’d never hide behind that for our performance, that’s down to us.
“Like I say, I’ve seen it back and don’t know how he doesn’t give it, it’s clear for me. He’s goal side of the defender but I’m getting told that he’s going down before the contact is being made. He’s a goal scorer and he wants to score goals, and that’s not going to happen.”
Watch the Gaffer’s nine minute post-match interview in full on the club’s YouTube channel.
