Moore 'really pleased' with Vale improvement

Darren Moore took Port Vale back to League One after winning promotion last season

Port Vale boss Darren Moore says he is "really pleased" to see the improvement in his side since their opening-day defeat by Rotherham.

Vale's reintroduction to life in League One after last season's promotion was a sobering one as they were beaten 2-1 by the Millers following a poor first-half performance in which they conceded twice and had Jaheim Headley sent off.

In the aftermath, Vale wing-back Mitch Clark said the team were "only heading one way" if they did not improve but, thankfully for Moore, they have.

A goalless draw with Cardiff City followed, before Vale beat Blackpool 1-0 in the first round of the Carabao Cup to clinch their first win of the season.

"It just wasn't us [against Rotherham]. We made some terrible mistakes," Moore told BBC Radio Stoke.

"We certainly addressed that in the second half with our performance and the last couple have seen that happen [again]."

Trying to make the perfect pancake

Moore joked that a frank exchange with his players at half-time might have helped the turnaround, but said co-owner Carol Shanahan likening their improvement to trying to make the perfect pancake is pretty apt.

"Call it what you want - me losing my rag at half-time," Moore said.

"Carol associated it with your first pancake that goes terribly wrong and then your second and third one, you get more like the one you want.

"So I was really pleased to see it again at Blackpool. Making the [nine] changes but there was that consistency of approach from the team that we identified against Cardiff."

Vale will get the opportunity to register their first league win of the season when they travel to Burton on Saturday and Moore is confident their newly-established standards will not slip

"We don't sit back on our laurels, we know it's a different game and one that will ask different questions," he said.

"You have to be ready for whatever eventualities come at us and I think that's the bit I'm trying to get into the boys while we're still trying to find our feet at this level."