Midfielder Manny Oyeleke signed for the Vale back in May very much under the radar with few knowing about his arrival at Vale Park. A fans and players player of the season at Aldershot, Manny has so far performed at a level which could send him well on his way to earning that sort of title at Vale Park.
Many underestimate the toll a big move can have on a football player, and for Manny Oyeleke it's been no different. Making the move up to Stoke from London alongside his wife, Manny has had to adapt to not only to a new team but a new environment as well. It's safe to say however, he's certainly taken everything in his stride and let his feet do the talking on the pitch.
His start to life at Vale Park was a frustrating one. A stop start few weeks due to injury meant he saw very little action over pre season, but The Beast as he's known amongst some fans, has not let this affect his excellent start to the season, and Manny is delighted with how things are going so far.
"I can't complain. I'm enjoying the transition here, I enjoy living in Stoke and I'm happy the team are doing well too. We won a big game on Saturday too which was important for all of us. The morale is high, everyone's happy and we're just hoping we can continue that for us and the fans.
"One of the major things I've been quite annoyed about so far this season is that I've had a few injuries and I didn't have a full pre season, came back and got injured again during the season.
"I'm hoping now it's the end of my injury problems now. I want to hit the ground running and play as many games as I can. I demand a lot from myself as does the gaffer... I'm looking to improve every single week, I don't want to just rest on past performances I want to continue to improve."
It's safe to say Manny has been improving week in week out and has proved to be one of the most valuable members of the squad since his arrival.
His robust and calm performances in the middle of the park has solidified Vale's midfield and the past two games he has formed quite a partnership alongside fellow new arrival Tom Conlon. Neil Aspin opted to pair up the two players for the past two games in the midfield, and it's definitely paid off.
A favourite amongst the fans, Manny is happy to be able to repay the fans faith in him with the recent performances and hopes it continues. Manny is also focused on making Vale Park a tough place for opponents to come to.
"We feel like the fans are really enjoying how we're playing and they're right behind us every game. We want to repay that faith as well with good performances and wins.
"I think it's a good thing we've got two home games back to back and then we can obviously focus on the away game next week. I think with any successful team, their home form has to be good.
"That's something that you know we have had, we obviously lost one here but I generally think we've played well at home and that's something we'll look to continue to do. We know that any given week that anyone can beat anyone in this league. We're not afraid of anybody despite their form."