25/04/2008 - Elwell head injury ends derby clash
Port Vale youngster Jamie Elwell has been given the all clear after he was knocked unconscious in yesterday's reserve game with Stoke City, causing the match to be abandoned.
The 16-year-old defender, from Wolverhampton, was knocked out after an accidental clash of heads an hour into the game at Newcastle Town.
Play was stopped for around 20 minutes while he was treated on the pitch before paramedics took him to hospital.
Vale's physio Nick Oakley said: "Jamie was unconscious for five minutes, but was in a delirious state for a good hour. There are standard questions you ask such as 'what day is it?' but he didn't have a clue.
"The Stoke City medical staff were excellent in helping us. The doctor suspected he may have done something to his neck so it was important we didn't move him until he was put on to the paramedics' spinal board. He was in hospital for a couple of hours before he was given the all clear after tests on his neck and to his reflexes."
The injury inevitably overshadowed the derby, which was heading for a 0-0 draw before the injury.
Port Vale welcomed midfielders Lee Hildreth from Coventry and Connor McCormack from Manchester United, while Stoke fielded an unknown French-speaking striker alongside Jon Parkin.
It was Parkin who had the first sight at goal. Demar Phillips played a clever ball, but the former Hull striker's shot was well parried by Daniel Lloyd-Weston, on trial from West Brom.
Stoke's dominance continued, and Parkin missed two golden opportunities to open the scoring.
Hildreth, a veteran of 20 games for Coventry reserves this season, was seeing plenty of the ball in the middle of the park.
On the half-hour mark, Ritchie de Laet took off on a 70-yard run, before laying off the ball to Stoke's trialist, who forced Lloyd-Weston into a routine save.
Lloyd-Weston was doing his best to earn a contract at Vale Park for next season, and five minutes later, he produced a cracking save with his right hand, tipping Parkin's fierce drive wide of the post.
Port Vale's best chances of the first half fell to right winger, Ross Davidson but he narrowly missed the target.
However, the match ended prematurely in the second half when Elwell clashed heads with Jimmy Phillips during an aerial challenge.
After consultation with both sides, the referee abandoned the match and the game will stand as a 0-0 draw, with a point awarded to both teams.
Vale reserves manager Andy Porter said: "You don't worry about the game being abandoned. The most important thing was making sure Jamie was ok.
"You want to know the players are looked after and Nick Oakley did an excellent job."
STOKE: Ryan, Keys, Vauls, Thorley, De Laet, Buxton, J Phillips, Gallagher, Parkin, Trialist, D. Phillips. Subs: Grocott, Brunt, Watson, Wedderburn. Cohen
VALE: Lloyd-Weston, Slater, Miles (Elwell, 45), O'Loughlin, Crompton, Hulbert (Pike, 45), McCormack, Lawrie, Chapman, Davidson. Subs: Perry, Ransome, Lovatt
- MICHAEL BAGGALEY & JAMES KNOWLES
www.whydelilah.co.uk/news/Elwell-head-injury-e77291158.aspx
