League One basement boys Port Vale gave their very slender survival hopes a boost with a narrow 1-0 victory over relegation rivals Rotherham. Jon Brady's Valiants bounced back from their 7-0 FA Cup quarter-final drubbing at Premier League side Chelsea with a second successive home league win, achieved for the first time in a year.
Ryan Croasdale marked his return from injury in style, firing the hosts in front from the edge of the box in the sixth minute after Ethon Archer's shot was blocked. That early strike proved enough to separate two sides battling for their League One lives.
Early Breakthrough Settles the Hosts
Croasdale's sixth-minute finish from distance gave Port Vale the platform they craved, with Archer's blocked effort falling kindly for the returning midfielder. The early goal allowed the basement side to play with belief against opponents in similarly desperate need of points.