Have a read of what the defender had to say about making his debut against Bradford City.

The first game of the 2016/17 season quickly came around and Vale travelled to Bradford City looking to get off to a good start.

Come the final whistle, the Valiants came away with a 0-0 draw, a good result away from home for many.

One highlight in the game for defender Nathan Smith, was the chance to finally make his first team competitive debut for the club.

Nathan spent last year on loan at Torquay United and after scooping the awards down south; Smith has continued his impressive form in pre-season.

Following the final whistle, Smith spoke to Valiant PlayerHD about his thoughts on the game and on making his debut.

He said: “It’s been a few years coming I’ve been waiting for this opportunity and hopefully I did enough to keep my spot to carry on playing in the starting eleven.

“I thought it was a very high tempo game to start the new season with, it was a definite battle, but I think it’s a good building block to start the season and a point away at Bradford is definitely more a positive than it is a negative.

“As a defender a clean sheet is probably one of the best things you can get in the game and I think definitely to get the point at Bradford sums the whole day up really as a positive.”