Port Vale assistant manager Andy Crosby hailed his side’s “effort and commitment” after the 1-0 win at Salford.

Harry Charsley struck the winner to end Salford’s 11-game unbeaten run and boost Vale’s League Two automatic-promotion hopes, moving them three points above fourth-placed Northampton.

Crosby said: “We’re immensely proud, their effort and commitment to the cause tonight was incredible against a team who are on an unbelievable run of form.

“For me there was only one team that was going to win the game, if it was going to be 1-0 I thought it’d be to us.

“It was a really good composed finish [from Harry Charsley] and it came from us recycling the throw and trying to play our way and impose our style on them.

“It’s been a good three or four days but now we’ve already spoke about making sure we’re ready and prepared for Oldham on Saturday”

The defeat left Salford two points off the play-off places with six games remaining.

Boss Gary Bowyer said: “I’m obviously disappointed to have lost the football match.

“The manner of the goal is poor defending from us and we haven’t really been cute or clever enough in the final third to really test the goalkeeper.

“They’re the best team in my opinion over the two games that we’ve played against them in the league, I know people will say Forest Green are top but the way that they play and how they play with intensity is good.

“I think it was a brilliant game under the lights with the rain, the following that they brought was magnificent, the noise that they made was magnificent as well and our supporters did the same, we just lacked that quality.

“There’s a hell of a lot of football to play, we’ve got six games, we focus on the next game which is Harrogate.”