Last season's controversial victory for Crewe was settled by the most outrageous penalty decision ever seen at Vale Park.
This season it was Crewe and their fans who found themselves on the receiving end of a suspect penalty decision.
Louis Dodds had already put Vale ahead on 13 minutes, heading home superbly from a Doug Loft cross from the left.
But on 72 minutes, former Crewe cadet Gary Roberts flew to the floor over the arms of Crewe keeper Rhys Taylor. The referee had no doubt whatsoever that it was a penalty, and Vale fans felt that justice had been done after the ref had seemingly missed a host of fouls on Vale players.
The Crewe players protested bitterly, much the same way that Vale players had done the previous year, but to no a-Vale. In the bear-pit atmosphere at the Bycars end, the noise of the large 8,607 was deafening. Taylor was booked, and the complaining went on long after Marc Richards had sunk the penalty.
Ten minutes later, Crewe had a curious penalty when Anthony Griffiths was ruled to have handled. He was red carded for a second yellow offence, and Clayton Donaldson put away the spotkick.
10-man Vale clung on desperately, and maybe Crewe can feel a little hard-done-by that they didn't get a point. But after last year's debacle, this was a poetic victory for Vale.
Vale stay second.