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Ronnie Moore made one enforced change to the side that won 3-1 against Bournemouth last week, as the suspended Steven Jennings was replaced by John Mullin, making his first start of the season, in midfield. Otherwise, the team remained the same as Chris Shuker failed to recover from his injury in time.
The game started as it was to end, with each side struggling to get the ball down and create decent chances in front of goal. As a result, niether 'keeper was really troubled in the first 25-minutes, with David McGoldrick having the best chance of the opening quarter with a shot that went well over on eight minutes from outside the area whilst Myrie-Williams and Rodgers had shots blocked and a weak Shane Sherriff headed simply looped up in the air and was easily caught by Vale 'keeper Anyon. In all honesty the ball wouldn't even have had enough power to make it to the goal had he left it.
The best chance of the game yet, and the closest either team would come to scoring for that matter, came on 25-minutes, when Luke Rodgers left the post rattling with a superb free-kick.
Vale won a free-kick just left of centre of the penalty area, about 25-yards from goal. Rodgers stepped up to take the kick and brilliantly curled it over the wall and with Coyne well beaten, the ball struck the post and bounced away to safety.
On 32-minutes, Coyne made an excellent save as a cross from the Tranmere right drited to the back post where Callum Willock headed back across goal but Coyne stuck out a right hand and grasped the ball whilst the Welsh 'keeper made another save a few minutes with a save from Rodger's long range effort.
Coyne was to make one more save, diving to his left to clutch a header from a Port Vale attacker, again from a set-piece, before the half was out, but when the whistle blew it was still 0-0 and the fans were given 15 minutes to go and warm up in what were bitterly cold conditions in Stoke-on-Trent.
The second half started just as the first hand begun and ended though, with once again very few clear cut chances falling to either side.
Goodison blocked one shot early on, but the best chance of the opening 15 minues fell to Myrie-Williams for Tranmere with 55 minutes on the clock.
On one of the rare occasions Tranmere got the ball down and passed it about, the ball finally worked its way out wide to Andy Taylor, overlapping Shane Sherriff, on the left. The on-loan Blackburn defender put in a brilliant cross the far post where the other on-loan player in the side, Myrie-Williams, slid in and vollied the ball about a yard wide of the box.
This though was clearly Tranmere's best move of the match and it looked as if things were about to get going for the Wirral side. However, any hopes of a goal for Rovers were non-existant, as both teams continued to play poor football whilst Vale wasted chances in front of goal.
McGoldrick fired well over on 64-minutes for the Valients before two minutes later Ronnie Moore made a double Tranmere substitution, with Craig Curran and Gareth Taylor replacing Jennison Myrie-Williams and Calvin Zola on the right wing and upfront.
Gareth Taylor had an immediate impact as he headed an Andy Taylor header well wide on 71-minutes, whilst the best chances continued to come down the other end of the pitch.
Luke Rodgers had one shot deflected wide on 78-minutes as Vale piled on the pressure. The ball seemed to be stuck to the Tranmere half of the field and even when Rovers got the ball, the defence either hoofed it clear and it came straight back or miss-hit clearances fell straight to a Vale player.
Danny Coyne made a superb save soon after as he made a brilliant reaction stop, palming a volley from a Port Vale striker away from goal after Chorley's header had gone nowhere whilst on 83-minuets Coyne made another save, this time from a Rocastle shot.
Vale had a few more chances, but they failed to test Coyne in the final moments, with Luke Rodgers hitting their best effort wide as Rovers hung on for a point.
The game was dull and a 0-0 draw was probably just about a fair result, although in the end if the Port Vale strikers had had their shooting boots on they could easily have snatched the win and if either team was more worthy of a win, it was the home side.
Moore's player selection continue to bemuse as Myrie-Williams struggled to provide on the right-wing as he is clearly left footed whilst Sherriff was poor on the left.
Rovers now have not scored an away league goal from open play since September 22nd, with their three league goals coming from free-kicks. This is a record that must be changed against a tough to beat Luton side next week.
Jones' Man Of The Match:
Coyne played well in goal for Rovers but for me the player who stood out was Andrew Taylor. The left-back, who today extended his stay at Tranmere by a month, put in a solid performance in both defence and attack, making some good tackles in defence whilst he put in some good crosses when he got forward.