FOOTBALL: IT'S A STEAL FOR FAGAN

CRAIG FAGAN's injury-time penalty moved Hull City to the top of League One with a point against unlucky Port Vale.

A comical own-goal by Damien Delaney in the second half looked to have put Vale on course for a shock victory - but Fagan capitalised on Danny Sonner's handball with a sweet finish from the spot.

It was harsh on the visitors after Hull were made to look second best for most of the game.

And Vale manager Martin Foyle claimed: "You could smell it coming. Hull get a lot of penalties at home and I told my captain, Sam Collins, to have a word with the referee about it.

"But it obviously did no good. We are baffled by the decision."

Opposite number Peter Taylor admitted: "I wasn't really happy with our performance over the 90 minutes. There are times when you've got to dig in - and this was one of them."

Taylor's men were punished for a lackadaisical start when Lee Matthews stunned City's fans into silence. The Vale playmaker capitalised on Leon Cort's hesitancy with a magnificent right-foot volley from 35 yards which looped over keeper Boaz Myhill and into the roof of the net.

City manager Taylor was rightly livid with his side and replaced full-back Robbie Stockdale with Jason Price shortly before the half- hour mark. The switch proved a masterstroke as City restored parity within eight minutes.

Andy Dawson's cross from the left eluded everyone other than Cort, who planted a thumping header past keeper Mark Goodlad.

Hull were caught on their heels a second time when Delaney headed a cross into the back of his own net.

But the Tigers were handed a lifeline in injury-time when Sonner was adjudged to have handled and Fagan swept home the resulting spot- kick.

MAN OF THE MATCH

LEE MATTHEWS (PORT VALE)

Brought game to life with a stunning goal.

HULL: Myhill 6, Stockdale 5 (Price 25), Cort 7, Delaney 6, Dawson 6, France 6, Ashbee 7, Hessenthaler 6 (Lewis 62), Ellison 5, Fagan 6, Barmby 6 (Walters 72).

PORT VALE: Goodlad 6, Rowland 6, Pilkington 6, Collins 6, James 7, Dinning 5, Sonner 6, Cummins 6, Birchall 7, Matthews 8, Paynter 6.

MANAGERS: Peter Taylor (Hull) 7, Martin Foyle (Vale) 8.

REFEREE: Phil Prosser 7

The first ever meeting between these two sides took place 100 years ago, on Christmas Day 1905, when Hull recorded a 3-2 home win in the old Division Two.Cort 33, Fagan pen 90

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