Port Vale manager Jon Brady has described his side's FA Cup run as a 'pain in the bum' as they battle to avoid relegation from League One. The comment came after Vale stunned Premier League Sunderland 1-0 to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 1954.
Ben Waine's 28th-minute header was Port Vale's only shot on target, but it was enough to secure a famous victory at Vale Park. The win marked Vale's first against top-flight opposition since a fourth-round victory over Everton 30 years ago.
Despite the historic triumph, Brady expressed concerns about the added fixture congestion. 'It's a bit of a pain in the bum, to be honest,' he said. 'It is really because what it's doing for us is adding to our fixture list and as you saw we lost one of our best centre-halves (Cam Humphreys) and we haven't got the size of the squad to cope with the amount of games at the moment.'
Port Vale remain bottom of League One, 11 points from safety, despite an uptick in form since Brady replaced Darren Moore in early January. The manager insisted he was focusing on the league, with a match against Bradford City looming, rather than potential quarter-final opponents like Liverpool, Manchester City, or Arsenal.
Waine, a boyhood Newcastle fan, scored the winner against Sunderland and celebrated by mimicking Alan Shearer's trademark celebration. The New Zealand international said: 'I always watched the Newcastle games against Sunderland and to be involved in this game and to score the winner is pretty special. Not just for me, but the whole family...this is the dream, so you've got to enjoy living it.'
Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris was disappointed with his side's performance, saying: 'In this competition, it's more about mindset, fighting spirit, rather than the tactical or technical qualities, and probably we were not consistent enough.'
