Scott Brown agreed to make the move from Wycombe Wanderers to Port Vale last week, and having played a key part in the Chairboys' promotion-winning side, the experienced goalkeeper is determined to help the Valiants improve on last season's finish.
The 33-year-old played all 46 of Wycombe's Sky Bet League Two fixtures in 2017/18, but he admits that the distance from his Wolverhampton home was too much and commuting was becoming a real issue. As a result, he wanted to join a club closer to home and he is itching to get started after agreeing terms at Vale Park.
On signing, he said: "I am delighted and it's a massive club in this league. The fans are fantastic and I don't think I realised how big the club was, but once I signed and I got all the messages, it opened my eyes.
"This is a club that should be playing League One football at least and there is a really good squad of players here and I am looking forward to getting going in pre-season.
"I spoke to the gaffer at Wycombe (Gareth Ainsworth) and I told him I wanted to move back nearer to home because I was getting up at 5am, travelling in early to avoid the traffic and sitting in my car for an hour before training.
"That wasn't sustainable and it was going to take years off my career, so I was pleased when Neil Aspin called me. I told Gareth about the few clubs that were interested, and he told me Port Vale was the one to go to, saying it's a great club with a fantastic ground and there are some brilliant people around the place.
"My mind was already set on here, but that did it for me. He loves coming back here and he speaks really well of the club, so it certainly helped, but I will keep in touch with him because he is a great manager and a top person as well."
Brown is now looking forward to working under Aspin and meeting his new teammates, but he insists that the Vale boss played a big part in attracting him to the club. Following last season's disappointment, the goalkeeper was impressed with the ambition ahead of the 2018/19 campaign.
Supporters will be hoping that his presence in between the posts will boost the chances of success, but Brown knows that despite being one of the club's top transfer targets, he will have to work hard to prove his worth if he is to establish himself as the number one.
He said: "When the gaffer phoned me I was really pleased to hear from him, and he said we were not good enough last season and we need to better - he said he will make sure we are better and he has signed some great players so far. I am looking forward to seeing who else comes in and I can't wait to get back in pre-season with the rest of the lads.
"I'm not taking anything for granted and I need to come in on the first day to prove myself because you are starting from scratch. I will have to impress the gaffer, the goalkeeping coach, the players and the supporters to earn the right to be in the team and to keep the shirt every week.
"I'm under no illusions and it's the same as it has been throughout my career, you have to do well every Saturday to keep your spot for the following week. That's the way I've always seen it - I take it game by game - and you look forward to the next one if you do well, but you must work hard and always strive to improve.
"The welcome messages were really great, but I know I need to show them what I can do from day one. Hopefully people will like what they see, but it isn't about doing well for one or two games, it's about being consistent over 46 league games and the cup fixtures as well - hopefully that's what I can do."