Port Vale lead 3–0 inside 22 minutes and beat Rochdale 4–2 to climb out of the bottom two
Sunday 1 November 2026 · By Una Buckthorpe
Port Vale beat Rochdale 4–2 at Vale Park on Saturday lunchtime after going 3–0 up inside 22 minutes, and they are now 18th in League Two, three points above the relegation zone.
Onel Hernandez opened the scoring after 90 seconds, according to the Press Association. George Byers added a penalty, and Jordan Gabriel scored from the rebound after Kyle Dempsey’s shot. Keyrol Figueroa scored Vale’s fourth late on, and Ian Henderson and Charlie Tasker scored for Rochdale, also late.
It was a welcome change. The PA noted that Vale had scored only six goals in their previous 11 league games. Manager Jon Brady was pleased. “First off we were very clinical in what we did,” he said. “We created loads of chances and the way we played, especially in that first half, was really pleasing. To concede those two is disappointing but I want to focus on the positives. We’ve scored four goals at home, three from open play.”
He singled out Hernandez. “Onel stood out for me, he was excellent, his movement was great for the first goal and the way he finished it was brilliant,” Brady said. “Then to get the penalty really made a difference after breaking through their back line and Gabby following up well after a great strike from Demo. At the end it’s great work from George Hall and Figgy knows where the back of the net is.”
Brady also referred to the previous weekend’s defeat at York. “We said last week had to be just a bump in the road and we’ve bounced back this week,” he said. “I’m really pleased with the group, with everyone.”
On the table, Vale are 18th on 15 points from 12 games, with four wins, three draws and five defeats. Standing after the weekend’s games, their goal difference is minus four. Only Northampton and Crawley have also played just 12 matches, so Vale have games in hand on most clubs. Colchester, who are 23rd and in the first relegation place, have 12 points, with Crawley bottom on nine. A few days ago, Vale were in the bottom two.
The next game is an FA Cup first-round tie at home to Scunthorpe on Saturday 7 November at 3pm. Accrington Stanley visit Vale Park in the league on Saturday 14 November at 3pm, and Vale then travel to Barnet on Saturday 21 November. Northampton Town visit Vale Park on Tuesday 24 November at 7:45pm, and Vale go to Colchester on Tuesday 15 December at 7:45pm, a rearranged fixture.
Rochdale’s two late goals made the final scoreline look closer than the match had been. The task for Brady is to keep the attacking energy going. It is only one win, but it came with the kind of scoring that Vale had been missing.
Vale Park sits on Hamil Road in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent (ST6 1AW). Opened in 1950 and once billed as the “Wembley of the North”, it is now an all-seater ground of around 16,800, high on the Potteries skyline. Visiting supporters are housed in the Bycars Stand, the covered single-tier end behind the northern goal. That allocation has been in place since 2023/24. The Hamil Road Stand at the opposite end is home only: family blocks, general seating and the singing section.
Away parking is not on the Hamil Road car parks. Use Dimensions Leisure Centre (ST6 4ET), a short walk from the Bycars turnstiles, and pre-book at portvaleparking.co.uk when you can. Coaches should follow club or police instructions on the day. Turnstiles 25–32 serve the away end; opening times are usually 60–90 minutes before kick-off, sometimes earlier for bigger crowds. Bags should be no larger than A4. The stadium is cashless.
Inside Bycars you will find kiosks for hot food, snacks and alcohol, plus toilets. Flags without poles are generally allowed if they do not block sponsor boards. Views are decent from most of the stand, but four roof pillars can catch you if you sit well back and off-centre, so a more central seat is worth seeking. There is no standing. Wheelchair and some accessible places sit in the mixed Accessibility Stand in the Lorne Street–Bycars corner rather than in the main away block; book those in advance through your club.
Around the rest of the bowl, Lorne Street is the main west stand: tunnel, dressing rooms, boxes and the television-camera side. Opposite it, the Railway Stand and its lower Paddock run the east touchline. A narrow track separates stands from pitch all the way round. Home hospitality and the University of Staffordshire FanZone behind Hamil Road are not for away fans, and Tommy Cheadle’s on Car Park C is home only. The White Horse on Brownhills Road, Tunstall (ST6 4JU) is the usual pre-match recommendation for travelling supporters.
Give yourself time on arrival. Burslem’s streets are tight, and the walk from Dimensions or the nearest buses is straightforward once you pick up signage for Gate K and the Bycars turnstiles. Stewards can point you to Gate L if you need to avoid steps. Check Port Vale’s site and your own club’s away notes before you travel, because kick-off, ticket prices and exact opening times change fixture to fixture. Once you are in, the Bycars End is compact enough for a proper away noise if the following is up for it — and the Valiants’ home support at the Hamil end will be trying to drown you out from the other goal.