Ryan Taylor returned to Sky Bet League One action last week as he returned to Vale Park after a brief stint in the MLS.

The defender came back to Burslem as part of a new-look squad that Michael Brown has been assembling ever since his premature promotion to manager over the festive period.

Taylor spoke exclusively to Valiant PlayerHD about the look of his old, yet new team-mates: “It is quite a different dressing room, with some new faces which is always nice.

Michael [Brown] has probably looked at what little things made a difference from when he was a player, and it is just little things around the place and how he treats everyone, it just changes the mentality.”

The defender made his return to Vale Park with immediate effect, scoring the winner against relegation rivals Shrewsbury Town, and was pleased with his contribution, but not his celebration as he reveals: “I was not too happy after I got up from my celebration because I was just so heavy from the rain,” he said jokingly.

He continued on a more serious note: “But I am absolutely delighted. This time a week and a half ago I did not know where I was going to be, and what was going to happen when I got home.

To come home and carry on playing; it was just what I wanted to do last time I came here and it is all I want to do now. But the main focus is trying to keep the team in this division.”

The ex-Wigan man believes that this squad has what it takes to keep playing League One football next year: “If you look at the next four fixtures, and if we can win quite a few of them and with them games in hand, it is in our own hands basically.

You would like the points on the board, but we have a job and that is to win football matches and we started that tonight. We are on the right path and we go again Tuesday.”