However three days later he dropped a "clanger" at Vale Park as a weak  shot from Dagenham & Redbridge midfielder Luke Howell "somehow squirmed beneath the embarrassed keeper and trickled into the Vale net" in a disappointing 1–1 draw. He began wearing protective face gear after bruising his cheekbone against Dagenham, and then continued to wear the gear as he superstitiously believed they were essential to the team's run of good results (however he stopped this practice after a run of defeats in December).
Three days later, he made a mistake at Vale Park, where Luke Howell's weak shot trickled into the net despite an embarrassed keeper. He started wearing protective face gear after bruising his cheekbone against Dagenham and continued to wear it as he believed it was essential for the team's success (but stopped this practice after a string of losses in December).