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Tranmere Rovers maintained their unbeaten start to the season under manager Darrell Clarke after a dramatic 1-1 draw at Port Vale.
Centre-back Bobby Faulkner was forced to pull on the goalkeeper's gloves after Harrison Male suffered an injury in the second half, adding to the drama of an already entertaining encounter, as reported by the Oxford Mail.
The home side took the lead on 18 minutes when Joe Ironside brought down Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel inside the box. George Byers stepped up to slot the penalty past Male for a deserved lead, after Mo Faal had already gone close to opening the scoring.
Tranmere struggled to find a response before half-time, and their situation worsened when Male's injury forced the unorthodox goalkeeper switch after the break.
Port Vale should have put the game to bed after the hour mark, with Faal missing two close-range headers that would have doubled their advantage.
However, things got interesting when Tom Ince struck at the 72nd minute to grab his first goal for Rovers. The experienced winger slid the ball under onrushing goalkeeper Jackson Smith to secure a point for the visitors.
The result leaves Jon Brady's Port Vale still searching for their first win of the season, while Tranmere continue to build momentum under Clarke's leadership.
Clarke was happy with the result, although he said the team didn't have lots of defending to do.
