A 74th minute Aaron Collins goal earned the Shrimps a vital victory at Port Vale.

The new signing slotted home a superb Richie Bennett just moments after coming off the bench to grab the headlines though goalkeeper Mark Halstead was the undoubted star of the show with a stunning individual performance.

As both teams battled for possession during the opening encounters, Luke Joyce had a snap shot saved from inside the box, before Steven Old headed wide up the other end all within the first 10 minutes.

In search of his 100th goal for the club, Tom Pope went close with 12 minutes played as Vale began to stamp their dominance on a highly contented first-half. His header from inside the box was saved comfortably by Halstead.

As the first half ticked on it looked certain Pope was going to reach his century as Vale were awarded a penalty for a trip on Luke Hannant inside the box. However, a diving save from Halstead denied the skipper as he palmed the ball around the post and away for a corner.

A spirited Morecambe came forward following the penalty save as Carlos Mendes-Gomes saw a shot from the edge of the box drift just wide of the post, before he later forced Scott Brown into a smart diving save from just inside the area

Halstead, who proved the hero for the visitors in the first-half, continued to frustrate the Vale captain as Pope’s header from close range looked certain to loop into the back of the net, only for the Shrimps' stopper to tip wide before the keeper saved well again from James Gibbons's curler.

Vale continued in the same fashion following the break, as they piled on the pressure following the ref’s whistle. Pope had an audacious effort dragged wide before Hannant skimmed the post from the edge of the box as the Morecambe back-line continued to drop.

The Shrimps always remained in the game and they were rewarded with 15 minutes to play when Collins, tapped home from close range to give the visitors the point.

Port Vale: Brown, Gibbons, Joyce, Kay (Conlon, 78), Pope, Hannant, Rawlinson, Crookes, Smith, Harris (Whitfield, 85), Clark (Montano, 82)

Subs: Legge, Worrall, Hornby, Turner

Morecambe: Halstead, Mills, Conlan, Kenyon, Old, Bennett, Ellison (Manderville, 87), Sutton, Mendes-Gomes (Collins, 66), Mingoia, Cranston

Subs: Roche, Dalby, McKay, Hedley, Price.

Attendance: 4147 (141 Morecambe)