Two coaches full of Ford United fans made the long journey to a cold and dreary Burslem to see if their side could progress to the second round of the FA Cup.
As soon as the whistle blew, it was the Valiants who surprisingly showed all the nerves as they failed to get a grip on the game.
United took full advantage with Sammy Cooper exploiting Vale's weaknesses, going close twice early on to send warning shots across Vale Park.
The non-league side took a deserved lead after 20 minutes when Glenn Poole supplied pacy striker Mervyn Abraham who beat Liam Burns and Sam Collins to race towards goal and chip the ball over the oncoming Jonathan Brain to score.
Vale seemed to find their feet after the break but it was still Ford who created the better chances.
Stockbroker Alex Fiddes played it wide for Abraham in the 56th minute but his shot from a tight angle was saved well by Brain.
The Valiants then picked up steam and, from Brain's long goal kick, Steve Brooker flicked the ball through to Steve McPhee who stretched to poke the ball past James Lunan to equalise.
In a manic four minutes Brian Horton's men took the lead to brighten up a shocking afternoon when Mark Boyd's corner found its way to Liam Burns who hammered a shot into the net off Lunan's right post.
In true cup style the game did not stop there, and Ford grabbed an equaliser when Cooper fired in a wicked cross from the right to find Fiddes who finished with a great shot into Brain's bottom-right corner to force a replay.
Horton admitted after the match: "I thought we were lucky and got away with it.
"They played some good football and we are fortunate to still be in the draw. Credit to them, I can't take anything away from them."