A much improved performance from Saturday's defeat at Darlington saw Altrincham deservedly draw with League One Port Vale.

With winger Lucas Weaver and centre-backs Sass-Davies and Cooper again not involved, Alty were nevertheless the better side in the first half, which they started with just five regulars from last season who had started ten or more NL games. They took a deserved lead in the 45th minute when Keaton Ward scored a well-taken goal.

Vale improved after the interval whilst Alty, who had lost Lewis Baines to a first-half injury, made two interval changes, three more substitutions on the hour and a seventh outfield change since kick off in the 65th minute. Unsurprisingly, the performance dipped with the changes and the Valiants netted an equaliser on 72 minutes when former Chester defender Ben Heneghan out-muscled Banks to head home a cross from the left.

After that, what had been a well-contested encounter became a little flat.

SCORERS:

• 45 min: Keaton WARD (ALTRINCHAM 1 Port Vale 0)
• 72 min: Ben HENEGHAN (ALTRINCHAM 1 Port Vale 1)

REFEREE: Mr Garreth Rhodes

ATTENDANCE: 1,333 (379 in away section)

TEAM NEWS:

Winger Lucas Weaver and two centre-backs, Sass-Davies and Cooper, were all missing once more. Trialist Declan Drysdale again started at centre-back

Port Vale did not include former National League opponents Lorent Tolaj and Jesse Debrah in their squad.

LINE-UPS:

ALTRINCHAM (Red shirts with white stripes and black trim, black shorts and white socks): 1. Luke Hutchinson, 2. Lewis Banks, 4. Lewis Baines (c), 5. Declan Drysdale (Trialist), 23. Tylor Golden, 6. Isaac Marriott, 8. Tom Crawford, 16. Olly Crankshaw, 7. Kahrel Reddin, 10. Keaton Ward, 9. James Gale. Subs: 21. Louie Fallon, 3. Sam Reed, 10. Charlie Kirk, 12. Elliot Osborne, 11. Jimmy Knowles 14. Remi Raymond, 15. Joel Bailey, 18. Matty Kosylo.

PORT VALE (Cream shirts, black shorts, cream and black hooped socks) : 1. Trialist [Billy Crellin], 4. Ben Heneghan (c), 6. Liam Gordon, 9. Jayden Stockley (c), 10. Trialist, 18. Ryan Croasdale, 20. Jordan Shipley, 21. James Plant, 24. Kyle John, 38. Rhys Walters, 42. Sam Hart. Subs: 7. Trialist, 13. Aaron Davis (gk), 14. Joe Hunter, 19. Tomasi Wara, 23. Jack Shorrock, 26. Rico Richards, 30. Ben Lomax.

This was Altrincham's fifth pre-season game but their first outing at home, after two wins and two defeats on the road. Both defeats had been against National North clubs.

Vale were looking forward to a season back in League One after their promotion last season, when they finished runners-up in EFL2.

REPORT:

Without indulging in their customary pre-match huddle, Altrincham defended the Golf Road as Port Vale kicked off on a pristine surface which was hosting its first home friendly of the summer.

The floodlights were on but not needed at this stage as the Valiants gained the first corner of the evening (5 mins). But, after John had brought down Crankshaw, it was Alty who had the first meaningful strike at goal when Gale turned smartly but struck his shot comfortably over the bar from 30 yards (7 mins).

The hosts gained their first corner as Marriott fed Reddin, who advanced on the right wing only to see his shot deflected by a defender (9 mins). Alty were now beginning to get on top and when Golden smartly back-heeled a pass to Crnakshaw, the Alty winger fired narrowly wide (10 mins). But Crankshaw, on the left, and Reddin on the right were to prove lively in the opening stages.

When the advancing Banks latched onto a Reddin pass the Alty defender was upended to earn a freekick but this came to naught.

Next, another fine run by Reddin led to a cross which Ward headed narrowly over the bar (14 mins). Then, after a freekick, Ward played in a tempting low cross from the right but there was no team-mate in the goalmouth to convert it (18 mins).

Two Alty corners soon arrived and, from the latter of these, the ball came out to Crawford and ended up in the net, off Vale's John, but the whistle had already gone, presumably for offside (22 mins).

Altrincham continued to set the pace but whwn a Port Vale trialist mis-controlled the ball and lunged crudely at Gale, he should have been booked but was not (32 mins). After this, Reddin was played into the box but delayed his shot and the chance was gone but a home corner soon followed (34 mins).

Another very poor Port Vale challenge brought down Crankshaw but, once again, Mr Rhodes showed unwarranted leniency towards the offender, Shipley (38 mins).

However, even Mr Rhodes was induced to show a yellow to Stockley after his robust challenge brought down Marriott. Arguably this was the least serious of the three poor challenges so far in the first half.

Alty suffered a blow when Baines had to be subbed by Reed (40 mins). Baines became the third Alty centre-back carryibg some kind of injury with both Cooper and Sass-Davies already out of action.

The substitution meant that Banks moved to centre-back and Golden to right-back as Reed settled in on the left of a back four.

A corner, won by Ward came and went (41 mins) before Altrinchm finally got a deserved lead. The goal arrived after Crankshaw had fed Golden who, in turn, found Ward. He hit a superb shot from 18 yards into the net.

Alty made two changes at the interval as Kirk replaced Crankshaw and Osborne came on for Crawford. For Vale, Richards replaced the trialist no.10.

Altrincham started the half well with Gale make a good run on the right before having his shot blocked by the keeper at the cost of a corner (47 mins).

Reddin then got into the box before Vale responded as a neat move ended in John's 20 yarder which went close (51 mins). Shipley committed his second crude challenge of the game, felling Marriott but, again, he escaped a yellow card (52 mins).

Next, Gale fed Kirk whose shot was saved (53 mins) before Stockley went down under a challenge for which he made a very plausible, but vain, claim for a penalty.

The Valiants now made a double change, with a trialist no.7 replacing John and Lomax coming on for Shipley (56 mins).

Vale were now much improved and they should have equalised when Shipley got the ball under his feet and could only steer a tame shot to Hutchinson (57 mins).

At this stage only three players were on the pitch who had started ten or more Alty league games last season (Osborne, Golden and Banks).

That fact remained unaltered in the 61st minute when Kosylo, Raymond and Knowles replaced Gale, Ward and Marriott (61 mins).

A further change was needed soon afterwards as a superb tackle by Drysdale left the big centre-back trialist injured and he was replaced by Bailey, Alty's seventh change of personnel (65 mins). So there were now four Altrincham central defenders in the sick bay.

Following a Port Vale corner, which was half-cleared, a cross came in from the left which was met by a glancing header from Heneghan who out-muscled Banks to find the net (72 mins).

Altrincham's eighth and final change brought Fallon into the game in goal, replacing Hutchinson (72 mins). At the same time Shorrock replaced Shipley for the visitors (73 mins).

The final quarter of an hour was a rather tame affair compared with the competitive first 75 minutes of the game.

The Valiants won a couple of late corners but neither side went close to snatching a winner.

It had been an entertaining match overall in which Altrincham more than matched their League One opponents, with the injuries to centre-backs Baines and Drysdale the main downside to the evening.