Interim manager speaks to the media ahead of the Valiants’ final day clash against Plymouth Argyle on Sunday.
- Andy Crosby | “We have to match Plymouth’s desire and be capable of playing at our very best”
- Interim manager speaks to the local media before Port Vale’s League One match against Plymouth Argyle
- Crosby: “They are chasing the title and we have to be at the same level as them in terms of our preparation and application for the game, the basics of the game.”
Port Vale’s interim manager Andy Crosby says his side have to be at their best and will need to match Plymouth’s desire to win the League One title on Sunday, if the Valiants are to finish the campaign on a high at Vale Park.
Crosby’s side will be backed by likely the largest crowd for a league match at the Vale this season, with this season’s average home attendance the highest club has enjoyed in 25 years.
And the interim manager acknowledged the importance of sending the Valiants faithful home happy on Sunday afternoon.
“We have to congratulate Plymouth [Argyle] and Ipswich [Town],” Crosby said. “It is a fantastic achievement over 45 games so far to achieve automatic promotion. They have been run extremely close by the two teams below them, Sheffield Wednesday and Barnsley.
“Personally, I think it is a fantastic game to finish the season, at home with a large away following. “They are chasing the title and we have to be just at the same level as them in terms of our preparation and application for the game, the basics of the game.
"We have one final game to finish this season, in front of our home supporters, and to go and beat a team in the top echelons of the league - which we haven’t done yet this season at Vale Park – though we have run one or two really close, is a definite goal for us.
"There are no restrictions on us, we have achieved what we wanted to at the start of the season. The basic requirement was to make sure we are a League One club next season. That was the requirement three games ago when I took over, to make sure the League One status is preserved. We have achieved that.
“Do we go into the game under the same microscope as Plymouth? Probably not. But we have to at the very least match Plymouth’s desire to play well. We have to turn up on Sunday and be capable of playing at our very best.
“We have gone to their place and won the game, we beat them 2-0, we are one of the few teams to beat them at Home Park where they have had an amazing record. But their motivation is to win the league. We have to have different reasons to be motivated. We can’t win the league, we can win a game of football, we can send our fans home happy. There is always something to play for.
“We are always trying to prove something, to someone, to ourselves, that we are representing this football club in the right manner.”
Crosby was asked about the futures of players in his squad moving into the summer and he clarified that conversations will happen with the squad following Sunday’s game.
“My plan is to speak to each of the players individually post-Plymouth, so to have a conversation with them face to face of where I and the club see them individually,” Crosby explained.
“That will then come out in the press and the club will release a statement informing everyone of what is happening [the retained list].”