Ling: We got lucky

Martin Ling admitted his side were fortunate to extend their unbeaten record after they survived a second-half barrage from Port Vale.

Ling was without seven players through suspension and injuries and he drafted in youngsters Nathan Craig and Kirtys Mackenzie for their full debuts. But Vale still needed a bizarre own goal from Brian Saah, who headed into his own net when unchallenged, to cancel out a first-half strike from Ian Morris. Ling said: "It would have been a smash-and-grab victory and, to be honest, it was a smash-and-grab point. "Being without so many players was always going to have an effect, but MacKenzie was outstanding at the back and we've scrapped away for a good point. "There was a lack of fluency to our play and we had to defend for our lives. We allowed Vale to put too many crosses into our box and they put us under a lot of pressure."