Jon Brady tasted victory on his return to Sixfields as bottom-of-the-table Port Vale beat his former club Northampton 1-0.

Jayden Stockley scored the only goal of the game in first-half stoppage time to keep Vale's slim survival hopes alive.

This was a meeting of the two lowest scorers in League One and so it should have been no surprise that the first half was low on both quality and goalmouth action.

Elliott Moore blocked well from Martin Sherif while Northampton's best moment in attack saw Sam Hoskins glance wide from Nesta Guinness-Walker's cross.

The first half seemed destined to end goalless but Vale struck in the eighth minute of stoppage time when the hosts failed to clear a long throw and Stockley drilled into the bottom corner.

Tyrese Fornah's shot was blocked at the start of the second half but home supporters were growing increasingly unhappy with what they were seeing from their team.

Some of Kevin Nolan's substitutions were booed as Stockley went close to a second for Vale, while Kamarai Swyer sidefooted wide in the closest the home side came to an equaliser.