Despite drawing a side from the division above in the form MK Dons, James Gibbons admits that he and the players were full of confidence ahead of yesterday's FA Cup first round tie.
The Vale have lost just one of their last ten in all competitions now, and the Vale right-back says that the positivity in the squad is sky-high following yesterday's win.
Gibbons also mentioned what it meant for him personally to progress into the second round of the prestigious cup, as he admits that it's something that he dreamt of as a boy.
With the club through to second round of the FA Cup for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign, the 21-year-old says he is hoping for a good second-round draw.
“People probably would have written us off coming here to a league above thinking we were doing okay in the league but the positivity in the squad is next level at the minute, we’ve come here full of confidence and got the win and we’re into the next round.
“It was perfect weather for a lot of us in the squad, we’re a grafting side and it’s the first time I’ve played here and obviously it’s a happy place to come at the minute.
“The FA Cup is something I looked at when I was a little boy, I used to watch it on with my old man on a Saturday morning, Sunday morning. It’s something you always dream of playing in, and getting a good draw and now we’re in the second round hopefully we can get a good draw."
John Askey's men spent the majority of the second-half defending their slender lead yesterday afternoon, and Gibbons says how much the organisation of the squad allowed them to weather a late MK Dons storm.
The Vale right-back also praised the fitness levels of his teammates and stressed that they are up there with the fittest sides in the league.
Gibbons also described yesterday's win as a perfect away result and credited the clean sheet to the whole squad as oppose to just the defenders.
“I think you can see the organisation in the squad, the fitness levels, we’re probably one of the fittest in the league. You see in the 89th minute, Popey [Tom Pope] pressing the corner and four lads going with him, winning the ball back and I think we keep it in the corner, and it buys time for us.
“That’s something that we’ve been looking and the gaffer’s having us doing it’s no end of work, we’ve been practising and it’s coming together now.
“It's a perfect away win, once again cleans sheet for the back for but like I said it’s not just the back four who take the positive for the clean sheets. Now we’re scoring goals and it’s coming from the front we press from the front well and it’s a credit to the whole squad."