Soccer
Ben Waine hails Port Vale's 'togetherness' in stunning victory over Sunderland
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The magic of the FA Cup was alive and well for Port Vale on Sunday, as they defeated Premier League side Sunderland 1-0 in the fifth round of the competition.
The Valiants — who are dead least in League One — got an early goal from Ben Waine and held on for the rest of the match to advance to the quarter-finals, with the goal-scoring hero hailing his team's "togetherness" in toppling a side currently 56 places higher in the English footballing pyramid.
"The togetherness - the last five or 10 minutes, how connected we were," Waine told BBC Sport when asked what was the best thing about Port Vale's performance. "Galloping up the pitch and getting back, anything it took to get it over the line."
Along with the Valiants' work ethic, Waine pointed to the pitch at Vale Park as an equalising factor between his side and the Black Cats, crediting his team for "playing to the conditions" amid a flood of pressure from the Premier League outfit.
"We went out and gave it our all, to come out 1-0 with a clean sheet and the performance we put in was outstanding," he explained.
"They were up for it but the field levelled it a bit. We know that and we were smart and played to the conditions. Similar game plan to Bristol City [in the previous round] and it paid off."
Port Vale are now the sole club from below the top two divisions to remain alive in this season's FA Cup, setting up another potential giant-slaying opportunity in the quarter-finals. Sunday's jubilation was such that some on the team forgot just how far the Valiants have advanced, including manager Jon Brady, who told his kids that Port Vale "were in the last 32," and Waine.
"I didn't even clock it was the quarters we got into to be honest," Waine said. "I just heard that. I know it was 30 years to get into this round, it's amazing."
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