As a Port Vale fan, to say that this season has been a nightmare is nothing short of an understatement.  In a division where three clubs have had points deducted, Vale are still bottom of League One, which is embarrassing on its own.  Then add the cup competitions – out of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy at Morecambe from two up; out of the Carling Cup at home to Wrexham, bottom of League Two; and Chasetown in the FA Cup.  Enough said.

The problems stem back to the summer.  Martin Foyle, who should have been sacked long before, signed a poor crop of players, and lost 42-goal frontmen Leon Constantine and Akpo Sodje, along with releasing players like George Abbey and Rhys Weston – both far better players than who came in.

Lee Sinnott came in and couldn’t turn the tide.  Until recently that is.

We have picked up ten points from the last five games – play-off form.  its just a pity it has come too late.  The run in form coincides with the return of Marc Richards.  The striker has probably been fully fit for five games all season: the last five.  He has scored two in two, both wins, and there is no reason a fully fit Richards, with Luke Rodgers (below) alongside him, can’t and won’t score 20 goals in League Two next season.  The same can be said for Rodgers on the goal front.

The optimism has grown further since the debut of Simon Richman in Saturday’s win over Leyton Orient.  The 17-year-old winger is a part of the youth team that made the quarter final of the FA Youth Cup, and was excellent.  He kept things relatively simple, and wasn’t afraid to take his man on.  He almost capped the day off with a stunning effort.  Add to Richman youth strikers Danny Glover and James Lawrie, who both signed professional deals to ward off the big clubs, and the answer to Vale’s problems could be on their own doorstep.

With the quality of the youngsters and some shrewd summer signings in the ilk of Kyle Perry (a member of the Chasetown side that beat Vale, who has excelled since joining)  from Sinnott we will be back in League One within a year.  And after as a negative a season as this one, how’s that for positive?

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