It’s now been just over three weeks since Neil Aspin was named the new Port Vale boss as he relishes his return to Vale Park.

The Valiants have been on an excellent run of form recently with nine points from three games which has propelled them up the League Two table.

Appointed alongisde the former defender was legend John Rudge who returned to the club on an advisory role. Rudgey’s [John Rudge] aim will be to assist the new gaffer to create a successful partnership.

Speaking to the local media for the first time about his former manager, Aspin believes that his return to the club has given Vale’s most successful manager in their history a new lease of life.

He said: “John has had a long history of being involved in football and when that’s taken away from you, it does become a big miss.

“You obviously don’t want to have the pressure of getting results. But, when you have the opportunity to come in and to be involved around players, it is something I feel he enjoys.

“He’s very experienced and is someone that we can all speak to, but at the end of the day I feel that it’s good for any person to stay active. Once you start to retire, you don’t want to be sitting around with nothing to do so it’s given John a goal and I think he will benefit from it.”

Vale now host Swindon Town on Saturday, but the gaffer wants to stay focused on his side rather than pay too much attention on the opposition’s attacking threat.

“Our job is always to make sure that the players are ready for every game”, said Aspin.

“You can never legislate the result or what will happen in the game but, we will be prepared and have a plan to try and implement.

“It’s down to the players to try and do it but nobody will give us anything so we will have to work exceptionally hard in every game if we want to get results.”