Port Vale

Foyle hopeful over Talbot appeal
Port Vale manager Martin Foyle thinks defender Jason Talbot should win his appeal over his sending off during Saturday's 2-0 win over Millwall. Foyle said: "Jason was fouled. The lad has grabbed him, thrown Jason to the floor and has landed on him. "I just hope a bit of common sense prevails for once because at the end of the day he has not done anything wrong. "But every time I have gone to the Football Association with an appeal I do not seem to get anything."

Keeper Anyon signs new Vale deal
Port Vale goalkeeper Joe Anyon has signed a new two-year deal which will keep him at the club until June 2009. Anyon, 20, had been linked with a move away from the League One side after establishing himself in the first-team. Boss Martin Foyle told Vale's website: "This is great news for us because Joe is a winner and a great talent. "He's caught the eye of a lot of people in the game and he has a good future - he has the right attitude and mentality to play at the highest level."

Vale boss Foyle clears the decks
Port Vale boss Martin Foyle has released seven players to make room for new summer signings. George Abbey, Nathan Lowndes, Michael Husbands, Rhys Weston, Christian Smith, Ross Gardner and Mark Soboljew have not been offered new deals. Danny Sonner, Jason Talbot, Robin Hulbert and Joe Cardle have been offered 12-month contracts. Danny Glover, 17, has been offered a two-year contract, Luke Prosser and Charlie O'Loughlin six-month deals.

Owls boss bids for Sodje brothers
Sheffield Wednesday boss Brian Laws has made an improved bid for Port Vale striker Akpo Sodje - and also hopes to sign Sodje's brother Sam from Reading. The proposed deal for Akpo Sodje, 27, could see an Owls player join Vale - while the move for defender Sam Sodje, 28, has been ongoing for a while. "We're awaiting Vale's response to our bid," Laws told SSB. "I spoke to (Royals boss) Steve Coppell over the weekend, and we've sorted some issues that will allow Sam to join us." Laws hopes the deal for Sam Sodje, for which a fee was agreed last week, could go through within 24 hours. He revealed last week that he had made offers for an unnamed striker, as well as a foreign midfielder. "Akpo was a real handful against us in pre-season," Laws added. "Maybe that's what we're missing at the moment - someone who can be a real physical presence for us. "We're waiting for Vale's response, but we can't increase the bid any further."

Rodgers ready to win back place
Port Vale striker Luke Rodgers is ready to fight for his first-team place. The 25-year-old was one of five players dropped before Saturday's League One defeat to Hartlepool. "We'd lost two games on the bounce, against Wrexham and Yeovil, and the gaffer felt the team needed a change," Rodgers told the Sentinel. "I feel good and I want to get straight back in the team. I'm going to be trying extra hard and as soon as I'm given my place back I'll give 120%."

Westwood in, Cardle out at Vale
Port Vale have signed Chester defender Ashley Westwood, while allowing winger Joe Cardle to join Clyde on loan. Westwood, 31 on Friday, joined Chester last summer but was transfer-listed by mutual consent in August. Vale say they have signed him "until Christmas", but have not made it clear whether it is a loan deal or a permanent transfer. Cardle, 20, has made 17 first-team appearances since his debut in 2005 and has joined Clyde until Christmas. "We wanted to give him three or four months' football somewhere," Vale boss Martin Foyle told his club's website. "(Clyde boss) Colin Hendry, who is a good friend on mine, will look after him and then give us the feedback we need."

Foyle delighted after first win
Port Vale boss Martin Foyle saluted a solid team performance after they won 1-0 at Bournemouth - their first win of the new League One season. "I'm delighted for the players, as they've worked very hard," Foyle said. "We created a lot of chances and our front two had done well, but I thought it was time to throw on some fresh legs and Luke Rodgers got the goal. "I don't think we had one outstanding player, but we had a good group of players. It's a good start for us."

Glover to sign new deal with Vale
Port Vale assistant manager Dean Glover has agreed a new two-and-a-half year deal with the League One strugglers. Glover was overlooked for the manager’s job at Vale Park last month in favour of Lee Sinnott but will now sign a contract to run in tandem with him. “I haven’t put pen to paper, but the negotiations have been sorted,” Glover told the Stoke Sentinel. “Lee would like me to stop for the same length of contract he has, the rest of the season and another two years." Glover added: "I'm very pleased with that. It's always nice when someone comes in and they like the way you do things.”

Eckersley set to join Port Vale
Port Vale are set to sign defender Adam Eckersley on a permanent deal from Manchester United. The 22-year-old left-back recently had a short loan spell at Vale Park, making two appearances before picking up a knee injury. "It's a new thing for me. I have been at Man Utd since I was nine years old," he told Port Vale's website. "I believe we have got a good chance of staying up in League One and I am happy to be back. It is a good club."

Stevenage to sign Vale's Willock
Port Vale striker Calum Willock has agreed to join Conference side Stevenage Borough. The 26-year-old rejected the chance to extend his short-term contract at Vale Park in favour of a move to Peter Taylor's side. The former Fulham, QPR, Brentford and Peterborough forward joined the Valiants in August 2007. Willock scored four goals in 20 appearances for Vale, who are currently bottom of League One.

Port Vale snap up Chasetown duo
Port Vale have added two more players to their squad by signing two of Chasetown's FA Cup heroes - striker Kyle Perry and defender Chris Slater. Both players signed for a nominal fee from the non-league side but do have sell-on clauses in their contracts. Perry, 21, and Slater, 23, played in the 1-0 FA Cup victory over Port Vale in December and will join up with the Valiants squad on Monday. Perry and Slater have quit their jobs as a graphic designer and block paver. Perry assisted Chasetown's winner in the game against Port Vale Slater was on the books at Wolves and had trials with Tranmere, Walsall and Blackpool. Perry was a trainee at Walsall but was let go by then Saddlers boss Paul Merson, before going on to have spells at Hednesford Town and Hereford United. Vale boss Lee Sinnott has already signed Dave Mulligan, Chris Herd and Adam Eckersley since the opening of the transfer window. He told SSB "I want to bring people who think like me, act like me and want like me. I'm sure they'll pull out all the stops to have a career in football." Also this week, Callum Willock and Craig Rocastle have left Vale Park.

Returning Richards is goal hungry
Port Vale striker Marc Richards says he is fit again and hungry to score goals to help the Valiants desperate struggle against relegation. The 25-year-old has missed the last nine games with an ankle injury. He told SSB: "It's a big disappointment when I'm not on the scoresheet. When I play I expect to score goals." "It's been a bad season for me, but it's now may aim to get back in the team and find the back of the net." Richards joined Vale on a free transfer from Barnsley in summer 2007 but has endured a frustrating time with injuries. The striker is hopeful of making his latest comeback against Millwall on Saturday. "Training has gone well over the last ten days. "The ankle is still sore but I think it will be that way until the end of the season. I'm looking forward to being involved against Millwall" he said. On Vale's fight against relegation, Richards said the whole squad remains optimistic: "We're 12 points from safety but if we put a run together we can get out of trouble. "Hopefully that will start on Saturday against Millwall and we can kick on from there."

Vale boss cannot wait for the end
Port Vale manager Lee Sinnott says he cannot wait for this season to end after his team's latest defeat. Doomed Vale missed a chance to move off the bottom of League One as they lost 2-0 away at Tranmere on Thursday night. Vale are now 14 points shy of safety with just seven games left - and face being relegated by the end of March. Sinnott told SSB: "If I could I would play the next seven games in seven days so that the season could end next week." Vale have won just three times in 25 league games since Sinnott took over on 5 November.

Attacking style impresses Sinnott
Port Vale manager Lee Sinnott says a more attacking style of play is the main reason for their improved form. Vale have won their last three League One games, including Saturday's 3-2 victory at Brighton, to delay their impending relegation to League Two. "My joke about wishing the season would begin in March is starting to ring true," Sinnott told SSB. "We're showing what we can do as an attacking force, and I'm full of admiration for the players." Sinnott believed the scoreline at the Withdean Stadium could have been more emphatic, but for some poor luck in front of goal. "I think the woodwork might need another coat of paint on it because of the number of times we've hit it. "I was looking at the statistics a couple of weeks ago and I saw we've hit the woodwork the most times out of all the teams in the league. "I'm not being unkind to Brighton but if they got two goals from their balance of play, we deserved seven or eight." Vale's late revival looks to have come too late to save them from the drop, but Sinnott is proud of the way his players have been giving their all for the cause. "We could have been relegated two weeks ago but we're still in there fighting, and that's important because it shows what we're all trying to achieve," he added.

Martin unfazed by debut drubbing
Port Vale's 17-year-old goalkeeper Chris Martin is not worried that his debut for the club ended in a thumping 6-0 defeat against Swindon on Saturday. Martin replaced the injured Joe Anyon in goal and endured a nightmare afternoon at the County Ground. But he told BBC Radio Stoke: "I think it will be one I'll look back on and hopefully laugh about in the future. "You just want a bit of luck in those situations, but I think I did OK and I'm looking forward to the next game." He added: "It was the biggest crowd I've ever played in front of and the biggest game I've ever played in. "The manager told me just to keep my head up at the end. "I'm hoping to take the positives into next week's game; it's a home game so hopefully I'll keep my place and I'll be playing." At the final whistle Vale had five players on the pitch, including Martin, who were involved in the club's run to the quarter-finals of this season's FA Youth Cup. Martin hopes that will continue in the final two matches against Northampton and Southend as Vale's relegation to League Two next season has already been confirmed. "My goal is to get some more experience and more games under my belt between now and the end of the season, and then progress further next season," added Martin.

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