Manager John Askey commended his players for how well they have performed so far this season, but added how they need to keep that going until the end of the season and not get ahead of themselves.

The Vale sit 7th in table, one point clear in the Play-Offs, and the gaffer emphasised how the team cannot get carried away and must take each game as it comes and keep picking up valuable points.

Askey highlighted the strong mentality possessed by his players, stating how they are able to maintain their focus despite the impressive season they are taking part in, a characteristic he believes they have shown all season.

The boss described how the way they have bounced back so well from any hick-ups is a prime example of their mindset and hopes they will keep their good work going until the end of the season.

The gaffer also expressed his pleasure at what his team have done so far this season, describing how the belief of what they can achieve this season has grown each week.

He said: “We’re doing ok, the players have done great this season for me and the football club so hopefully we can keep that going until the end of the season now.

“You just think about winning the next game, so that’s all the concentration is on, on Cheltenham on Saturday, while it’s [automatic promotion] still a possibility, you still keep going but the main aim is to try and win on Saturday.

“The players we’ve got are like that [focused] anyway, none of them get too carried away and that’s shown all season really, when we’ve had blips they’ve done really well and dug in… they’ve done fantastic whenever we’ve come up against a bad result, the players have responded and hopefully they can continue the good work that they’ve done.

“You never know what to expect when you start the season… as the season’s gone on the players have got stronger and the belief’s got more and more, so I’m just really pleased with what they’ve done.”

As the Vale enter the final stretch in their search for a Play-Off finish, Askey expressed how the team need to make sure they remain tight at the back and reduce the amount of goals they concede in order to achieve their desired finish.

One man who can help with that goal is Mitch Clark who returns from suspension this weekend, with the defender receiving plaudits from the boss for his performances since arriving in January.

The gaffer added how the team will need to be on their game on Saturday as they take on a tough opposition in Cheltenham Town who are in an impressive run of form, but sees no reason the Vale can’t claim all three points having already beaten the Robins at Jonny-Rocks Stadium.

He said: “One area that we need to improve on is that we’ve started to give one or two goals away, more than what we were doing, so it’s one area now that we’re scoring hopefully we can improve defensively.

“Mitch [Clark] when he’s come back he’s played really well in the games that he’s played, so again it’s another player who can improve us.  

“They’re [Cheltenham] a strong team, they’re the form team at the moment, but we have gone there and won, we were unlucky not to beat them at home so we’re more than capable of getting a result against them.”