Ryan Edmondson’s strike helped Port Vale ease to a 2-0 home win against Stevenage.

Manager Darrell Clarke was on compassionate leave after a family bereavement, but in his absence his players stretched their unbeaten run to eight games.

The Valiants were given a helping hand just six minutes in when visiting left-back Luke O’Neill headed James Gibbons’ free-kick into his own goal.

The hosts then doubled their lead six minutes later, with Gibbons again at the heart of it. His twisting run got him to the byline from where he picked out Edmondson for a close-range tap-in.

The scoreline could have been worse in the first half for struggling Stevenage but goalkeeper Christy Pym had already saved an earlier chance for Edmondson while he also gathered Ben Garrity’s goalbound header from a corner.

Vale substitute David Amoo sent a header wide after the interval but that was as close as anyone came to scoring in the second half and Stevenage fell to a defeat that extends their winless run to six.