Port Vale 2 Town 1 - Report and Pictures

The relegation dogfight heated up in torrential conditions as Salop went without a win in three, all against relegation rivals.

Ex-Town man Sam Foley broke the deadlock midway through the second period, before Ryan Taylor added an instant second.

Sub Louis Dodds dispatched a rocket into the top corner against his former side moments after that but Salop couldn't find another to earn a crucial point.

Instead, the Valiants, still occupying a relegation spot, hauled Town to within two points of Shrews, while they boast two games in hand.

Hurst hinted at a recall for Junior Brown, who was benched last week at Chesterfield, and the popular full-back returned after catching the eye with his response in training.

The other change caught Town fans more by surprise. Stefan Payne was handed just his third Salop start, and first since the 2-1 reversal at MK Dons, where - still recovering from a metatarsal problem - he failed to impress.

It was a big show of faith from the manager in former non-league hitman Payne, with four viable attacking options on the bench.

Vale sprung a surprise of their own between the sticks. Turkish shot-stopper Deniz Mehmet, signed on a free transfer, last played a competitive game in Falkirk's loss to Ayr in October.

Town knew that a defeat of two goals or more would send them below 20th-placed Oldham on goal difference, leaving Vale two points behind with two games in hand, meaning safety was out of their hands.

The game billed at Town's biggest of the season.

The hosts began brighter, Chris Eagles, re-signed before kick-off for his second Vale spell of the season, pulled the strings for a couple of early JJ Hooper moments - but the in-form attacker was offside.

Sam Foley worried Town fans behind that goal moments is as he flicked a header goalwards and it found the post - but the offside flag was again raised.

Gary Deegan almost placed his side into trouble 18 minutes in, his square pass in midfield was wayward and straight into the path of Eagles. The ex-Manchester United youngster played in Hooper but Leutwiler was able to keep out his tame finish with relative ease.

It was midway through the first-half before Town found anything near their groove. Tyler Roberts was central to everything impressive they did. Winning headers and flicks against a rugged defence, showing his physical prowess matches that of his technical.

But the visitors managed little to test Mehmet inside half hour, a flaky, half-hearted punch from a corner was the only mark on his copybook.

After Sam Foley had sent a Vale warning narrowly wide from outside the box, Hurst's side began letting fly themselves.

First, Alex Rodman - profiting from Bryn Morris' fine challenge - checked inside and unleashed from range, his arrowing effort looked set for the corner but flew inches wide.

Moments later Roberts looked intent on beating the Staffordshire hosts on his own.

The Albion loanee's spellbinding first touch sent his man inside out, before again beating the hapless midfielder and choosing to shoot from 25 yards. The effort was a little excitable and rose well over.

Town trudged off at half-time, as the weather again worsened, Vale had began with a spring in their step but failed to take advantage, and Shrewsbury enjoyed the stronger end to a first period.

A couple of rare lapses in concentration from skipper Mat Sadler had the home fans hopefully. Toto Nsiala covered well both times, the latter saw sub Billy Reeves blaze wastefully over.

The game came crashing down on Shrewsbury in the 67th minute. A contested corner was swung in by Taylor and there was former Salop loanee Sam Foley, on-hand to steer his header beyond Jayson Leutwiler.

With the considerable wind in Vale's sails, Shrews couldn't weather the storm and three minutes later it was two.

A low and harmless-looking left sided cross was inexplicably air-kicked by Hooper but fell straight to Taylor who expertly buried it.

Hurst rolled the dice and threw on Stephen Humphrys and Louis Dodds. The latter to a warm round of applause from the club he spent eight years at before joining Town, scoring 50 times.

Barely seconds later, Town fans were screaming Dodds' name as he buried an unstoppable piledriver into the top corner, hauling his current side back in it. Game on.

Brown tested Mehmet's handling with a low shot and Dodds agonizingly sent one across goal as the final 10 minutes rolled around.

The game became frenetically stretched. Conditions didn't help, Town were throwing bodies forward, Vale looked lively on the break.

Dan Turner's late break almost nicked a superb third, but Vale didn't need it on a crucial night.

Port Vale (4-4-2):

Mehmet; Purkiss (c), Streete, Smith, Kiko; Taylor, Guy (Reeves, 16), Foley, Hooper; Eagles (Kelly, 84), Forrester (Turner, 45)

Subs not used: Fasan (gk), Tavares, Cicilia, Shodipo

Shrewsbury (4-4-2):

Leutwiler; Riley (Leitch-Smith, 89), Nsiala, Sadler (c), Brown; Whalley (Dodds, 71), Deegan, Morris, Rodman; Roberts, Payne (Humphrys, 71)

Subs not used: Halstead (gk), Yates, Ladapo, El-Abd

Attendance: 4,626 (719 from Shrewsbury)

Referee: Ross Joyce