Manager assesses his side’s next League One challenge as the Vale head to Cambridge United on Saturday.
Manager assesses his side’s next League One challenge as the Vale head to Cambridge United on Saturday.
- Darrell Clarke | “Mark Bonner has done a fantastic job at Cambridge United – they are a very good team”
- Port Vale manager Darrell Clarke on Cambridge United, Mark Bonner, the Vale’s Academy and game-changers
- Clarke: “The players are professional and when opportunities come, they have to be ready. You can see that with our game-changers and the amount of times we have come back to win points from losing positions. We finished second in League Two for that last season and we are second in League One this season.”
Port Vale manager Darrell Clarke says he anticipates a tough test from Cambridge United on Saturday as the Vale look to build on their three-match unbeaten run.
Speaking to the press ahead of Saturday’s game, Clarke spoke of his respect for his counterpart Mark Bonner and his established team, with several Cambridge players over three seasons into their careers at the Abbey Stadium.
“Mark Bonner has done a fantastic job; they had a cracking season last season and, while they are not one of the big clubs in the division, they are a very good team that has been together for a while now,” Clarke explained.
“Anybody will tell you that when you come up against Cambridge, you are going to be in for a difficult game. Watching their games, as me and my coaching staff have done, we know we are going to be in for a tough test.”
While keen to acknowledge that he hopes his side don’t get into the habit of falling behind in matches, Clarke stated the importance of his “game-changers” so far this season in League One, as the division’s top two sides for winning points from behind meet at the Abbey Stadium on Saturday.
“The players are professional and when opportunities come, they have to be ready,” Clarke said. “You can see that with our game-changers and the amount of times we have come back to win points from losing positions. We finished second in League Two for that last season and we are second in League One this season.
“We know the character of the lads and that they are ready to come off the bench and make an influence.”
When asked to reflect on progress in the Papa Johns Trophy and how he has already handed first team debuts to four academy players this season, Clarke said collectively the club should be pleased with the progress being made in developing the next generation of Port Vale players.
“Will Ryder [Head of Academy] and the owners deserve tremendous [credit] for getting the Academy right,” Clarke added. “Will is a top operator and he is being backed by the Shanahan family, which has helped us to get better coaches, a better system and players are doing well on the pitch and on the training pitch.
“When they are doing that and if they’re good enough, they get their just rewards. It is testament to the football club that we have some really good young talent, and we are trying to flourish that young talent and get it through the ranks.
“I have some really good senior players at the club and I don’t want to keep banging the same drum but the culture and the environment enables the young lads to flourish because we have good senior players at the football club. That is so important that in the changing room we have the right lads to help the younger lads, not just those in the academy system but those that are in the team.”