Shrewsbury 1 Port Vale 1 - Report and pictures

The on-loan Crystal Palace star scored another collector's item to make it five in as many games and 10 for the season to rescue a point for Micky Mellon's side.

Kaikai's superb effort cancelled out Louis Dodds' header on the hour in a fiercely-contested game, which saw Town captain Nathaniel Knight-Percival sent off for pushing over the Vale scorer at the death.

It was another step towards safety for Salop, who have now drawn their last three games.

Halstead made two first-half saves before Vale cranked it up after the break, so Town will be more than happy with a point.

Shaun Whalley and substitute Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro did miss excellent chances for the hosts.

Town made one change, with Jermaine Grandison preferred at centre back to new boy Jack Hendry in place of Dom Smith, who's away with Wales Under-21s.

It was Grandison's first appearance since the FA Cup tie against Manchester United seven games ago.

It left Hendry, who is on loan from Wigan, on the bench, where Jayson Leutwiler returned after missing the last three matches with a thigh injury and Ian Black after a two-match ban.

Shrewsbury Town (4-4-2): Halstead 7; GRIMMER 7, Grandison 6, Knight-Percival 6, J Brown 7; Whalley 7 (Black 69, 6), Ogogo 7, Wellens 7, Kaikai 7; Vassell 6 (Akpa Akpro 57 6), Mangan 5 (Cole 69 6).

Subs not used: Vernon, Clark, Hendry, Leutwiler (gk).

Port Vale (4-5-1): Alnwick; Purkiss, Inniss, Duffy, Dickinson; Dodds, Foley (Moore 78), O'Connor, M Brown, Kelly (Kennedy 78); Hooper (90+4)

Subs not used: McGivern, Birchall, Yates, Boot (gk).

Referee: Mark Heywood.

Halstead was quickly in action after just four minutes, when Ryan Inniss' header forced a point-blank diving save from Michael O'Connor's corner and Richard Duffy nodded the rebound over.

In a lively first-half shaded by Vale, the hosts hit back and Richie Wellens' chip just cleared the bar in the seventh minute after good work and hold up play from Shaun Whalley on the edge of the box.

Jack Grimmer was left treading a fine line after being booked - somewhat harshly - for a block tackle on Carl Dickinson which frustrated the crowd.

On the back of an eight-match unbeaten run, Town were in confident mood.

Whalley fired a rising shot over the bar from 30 yards after turning onto Grimmer's throw-in just before the midpoint of the half.

But Vale responded on 25, when JJ Hooper lashed high over the bar after Louis Dodds controlled O'Connor's chip and teed him up.

There was a let off for Town in the 31st minute when O'Connor sidefooted over from the edge of the box from Hooper's pull back, when Grandison misjudged the bounce.

Dickinson followed that up when he drilled a couple of feet wide, with Halstead at full stretch.

Town forced a simple save from Jack Alnwick seven minutes before the break when Knight-Percival volleyed straight at him when Whalley crossed.

Then Junior Brown made it both Town full-backs booked, after bringing down Sam Kelly.

Vale continued to match Town stride for stride as O'Connor's rising, 20-yard volley required Halstead to tip over, after Knight-Percival headed away a cross.

Things were pretty even at the end of a goalless first-half, but the frustration from Town's point of view was the inability to really get in-form Kaikai into the game.

The on-loan Crystal Palace winger never got chance to add to his four goals in as many games in the first-half, nor even the opportunity to really get on the ball and attack Ben Purkiss.

It was former Walsall right-back Purkiss' cross that threatened a goal at the start of the second-half, as Vale restarted with some purpose and tempo to force the issue and put Town under pressure.

The flighted centre was missed by Hooper in the air, for what seemed like a golden chance.

There was another let-off for Salop on 50 when O'Connor side-footed goalwards, forcing Halstead into a falling save to his left.

But he should have done better from Hooper's square pass after the striker outpaced Grandison on the break.

Little had been seen of the Salop attack but they tried to threaten on 56 when Whalley's fiercely-hit cross was punched away by Alnwick at his near pos,t only for Andy Mangan to blaze wildly over from the rebound.

In a bid to liven things up going forwards, Town made a change in the 57th minute when Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro replaced the below-par Kyle Vassell up front.

But instead it was Vale who were livelier in front of goal when they took the lead on the hour.

Dodds's header was judged to have crossed the line off the bar after Hooper nodded Dickinson's cross back across the face of goal. Shrewsbury wasted a golden chance to equalise on 63.

With Alnwick beaten, Whalley skipped around two men rather than bury the rebound then finally saw his shot blocked.

Akpa Akpro challenged Inniss to keep the ball in play and teed up Kaikai, whose shot was blocked near the line.

Town made their two last throws of the dice in the 69th minute when Ian Black and Larnell Cole replaced Whalley and Andy Mangan.

The changes saw the home side switch to 4-1-3-2 from 4-4-2 with Kaikai pushed up front alongside Akpa Akpro and Wellens sitting behind Abu Ogogo, Cole and Black.

The more fluid shape seemed to make the hosts more dangerous. Little had been seen of Kaikai all match, as Town struggled to get the winger into the game.

But all that changed with 17 minutes to go when he cut inside from the right and unleashed a sledgehammer of left-foot drive that beat Alnwick at full stretch and nestled in the bottom corner.

The goal, yet another top-class strike in a series of collector's items, was Kaikai's fifth in five games and 10th in 19 for the season.

The winger then turned provider to brilliantly release Akpa Akpro with three minutes left, but the Frenchman's finish didn't match the pass and his lob was held by Alnwick.

There was late drama in the third minute of time added on when Knight-Percival was sent off for violent conduct.

He shoved Dodds, who fell to the ground after the Town skipper reacted when Richard Duffy went in late on Halstead.

But Town only had a few seconds to hang on to their point with 10 men and they managed to see it out.