Following Port Vale's 0-0 draw with Macclesfield Town at the Moss Rose on Saturday afternoon, Tom Pope says the fixture was a tough game to play in.

Vale came into the tie four games unbeaten in all competitions, however it was the hosts who impressed from the first whistle as The Silkmen dominated both possession and chances created in the first-half.

A Scott Brown wonder-save with just minutes to go in the first period kept The Valiants level, before a rather uneventful second-half saw the sides share the points, extending Vale's unbeaten run to five games.

The skipper was frustrated with his lack of chances throughout the game.

He said: "Apart from Browny's save in the first-half, I think it had 0-0 written all over it. It was a scrappy game where neither created much.

"The referee could've blown the full-time whistle at half-time because second-half, not a lot happened of any note for either team. 

"The quality wasn't great either. I'll always win your fair share of headers but out wide, we didn't put in anywhere near enough crosses or create really enough chances to put the ball in the net.

"As a striker, I'm a target-man who's there to hold the ball up and win headers, but I'm there to score goals and I haven't had a shot all game."

Despite his struggles against The Silkmen, the skipper certainly hasn't had a problem finding the net previously this season and the Vale fans were treated with an early christmas present, as our top goalscorer signed a two-year-contract extension, keeping him at Vale Park until 2020.

With two more years and the 100-goal record just around the corner, Pope has claimed there are big things to come, not just on a personal level, but for the club as a whole.

He said: "When your contract is running out, it's quite a stressful time. It was quite easy to get it done in the end and I've got two more years so hopefully I can get a few more goals in that time.

"I'd like another promotion, obviously you want to get to 100 goals, but after that the goal-scoring record is well out of range. It's a case of getting the club back to where I think it belongs.

"A club like Vale should be playing at least, higher level League One football. Once you get to there and the fans start coming back, there's a good chance that we can get back to the championship.

"Over the next few years, getting to league one has got to be the aim, and hopefully try and kick on from there."