A NICKY WROE 'special' and a cracking header from Scott Rendell saw Torquay United bounce back with a hard-fought but deserved draw on a wintry night in the Potteries.

Mid-table Port Vale denied Paul Buckle's men what would have been their second away win of the season when substitute Rob Taylor scored a brilliant solo goal in the 76th minute.

The conditions – more driving wind and rain – forced United to mount a brave rearguard action during the second half.

But in an entertaining, action-packed match which was a credit to both sides, Rendell's header seemed to have given the Gulls a chance of all three points.

United, whose seven-match unbeaten run was ended by Rotherham last Saturday, should have been in front by half-time.

Not only did Wroe score his seventh goal of the season with a rasping right-foot equaliser in the 17th minute, but Elliot Benyon missed two good chances and Chris Zebroski also hit the post.

Paul Buckle made two changes – Rendell for Tim Sills up front and fit-again skipper Chris Hargreaves for Tyrone Thompson in midfield.

The match started at such a frenetic pace that goals seemed certain.

There was no sparring or feeling out from either side – just straight at each other's defences with a vengeance.

For instance, United made and missed a wonderful chance after only 55 seconds.

Lee Mansell intercepted the ball just inside the Vale half, slipped Benyon through and, with only goalie Chris Martin to beat, he pulled his right foot shot wide from 15 yards.

Benyon should have hit the target.

A non-nonsense tackle by Adam Smith on Louis Dodds gave Kris Taylor an early free-kick chance, but he cracked his effort well over the bar.

A lapse of concentration by Mansell allowed Lewis Haldane to go clear on Vale's left.

Haldane's low shot was met by Dodds in the middle, only for Michael Poke to pull off a brilliant close-range save with his legs.

The ball rebounded out to John McCombe, and his follow-up shot was cleared off the Gulls' line by Mark Ellis.

Vale went to Haldane a lot in the first half, clearly trying to set him up one-against-one with Mansell.

But in the tenth minute it was Ellis who slipped as he went to close down the on-loan Bristol Rovers winger.

Ellis did well to recover and help Mansell to clear the danger.

Two minutes later Vale took the lead.

Anthony Griffith's long diagonal cross from the right broke off Taylor, fell kindly for Loft and he belted a first-time left foot shot from 20 yards past Poke's outstretched left hand…1-0 to Vale.

Poke had no chance.

Hargreaves had a left foot drive saved by Martin under his bar, after a good move between Rendell and Carlisle.

But in the 14th minute – it was still end to end stuff – United had another escape when Poke dived to push Marc Richards' powerful shot onto his right-hand post and away off Robertson for a corner.

United made that moment of good fortune count in the 17th minute.

Robertson, up for a set-piece, spurned a shooting chance of his own, but instead laid the ball back to Wroe.

Wroe took one look, let fly from 22 yards and his right-foot shot screamed into the top right-hand corner…1-1.

United didn't stop there.

Rendell forced Martin to tip over a shot from the edge of the area.

Ellis headed over from a corner.

And Wroe blasted a 20-yard free-kick over after a brilliant run from Smith, cutting in from the left, had been ended by a Dodds foul.

Mansell's problems with Haldane produced a booking on the half-hour.

But the Gulls definitely should have taken the lead before half-time.

In the 41st minute Carlisle's shot rebounded off Martin's chest.

Martin recovered to claw Benyon's follow-up chip away.

Seconds later Zebroski shot on the turn. The ball hit the inside of the left-hand post, but rebounded straight into Martin's grateful arms when any other angle must have produced a goal.

Vale had to make two changes before the interval – Sean Rigg for Dodds in attack and Rob Taylor for former United loanee Gareth Owen in defence.

United had enjoyed the benefit of a swirling wind in the first half, but during the interval it started to rain move heavily, and it was clear that Poke and his defenders would have to handle the worst of the elements.

Sure enough, Vale poured on the pressure at the start of the second half.

A bad mistake by Mansell gave the ball to Haldane, and United breathed a sigh of relief when the winger's shot flew not far wide.

Then, in the 53rd minute, Robertson 'lost' Richards on a Loft free-kick, and Poke had to arch up and back to tip the striker's volley over his bar.

Hargreaves came up with a terrific full-length tackle to halt Haldane when he was nearly through, at the cost of a corner.

It was one of half-a-dozen which Vale forced in the first ten minutes of the second half.

Poke dived to his left to turn a Loft drive round the post, just before United made their first change.

It was Thompson for Benyon, with Thompson dropping into the 'hole' in a 4-4-1-1 formation.

United's hardy band of supporters did their best to call United up to their end, but it was quite an effort to get out of their own half in the conditions.

Then, in the 67th minute, they did have a sniff of a chance – and they took it.

Thompson forced a corner on the right, and Vale only half-cleared it out to Carlisle.

Carlisle curled a quality cross to the near post where Rendell rose to glance a perfect header into the far corner…2-1 to United.

Haldane had switched wings, but was having less success against young Smith on United's left.

Yet despite United's goal, they were still under severe pressure most of the time.

It wasn't pressure, however, which produced Vale's equaliser in the 76th minute, but a brilliant piece of individual play.

Substitute Taylor cut in from Vale's left and, just when his run appeared to be running out of steam, he hit a 25-yard shot which looped over Poke and into the far corner…2-2.

Smith, refusing to take a backward step, was booked for a foul in the 80th minute, just before Buckle sent on Sills up front for Rendell.

Sills must have expected to fight for as many headers in his own penalty area as in the opposition's goalmouth, and he was soon back in defence, helping to repel boarders.

Sills did nearly get on the end of a Carlisle cross in the 89th minute.

Referee Jon Moss added on four minutes of stoppage time, which gave Rob Taylor a chance to curl a 22-yard free-kick uncomfortably close to Poke's left-hand post.

But United held on to earn yet another draw, and a valuable one.