Vale midfielder has won promotion to League One with both the Vale and the Imps, though he is hoping to make more of an impact on the third tier this time around.

• Programme | Tom Pett looks ahead to clash with former club Lincoln City
• Vale midfielder looks ahead to Saturday’s game and discusses recovery from injury ahead of meeting with the Imps
• Pett: “Before I came here, the time at Lincoln and the promotion was probably the most enjoyable moment of my career. The fans were brilliant home and away; we used to sell out all the time and they were unbelievable to me.”

Vale midfielder and vice-captain Tom Pett has won promotion to League One with both of Saturday’s teams, though he is hoping to make more of a mark on the third tier this time around, after leaving Lincoln City just over two years ago.

Pett, now 30, was a mainstay in the Imps side that won the League Two title in 2018/19, playing 51 times in all competitions as the club returned to the third tier for the first time in 20 years under the stewardship of the Cowley brothers, Danny and Nicky.

However, the early stages of a back problem from which he has only recently overcome, a short-term knee injury and the Cowleys moving to Championship side Huddersfield Town, resulted in Pett making just two League One appearances for Lincoln before leaving the club in the summer of 2020.

The Vale’s deep-lying midfield player has already surpassed that total of League One appearances this season, despite the fact he has been recovering from an operation in the short period between Vale’s promotion at Wembley at the end of May to this season’s July start.

Speaking ahead of Saturday’s game in the official match programme, Pett admitted he is hungry for a “fair crack” at League One this time around, though he is very grateful for one of the happiest and most important phases of his career at Sincil Park.

“Before I came here, the time at Lincoln and the promotion was probably the most enjoyable moment of my career,” Pett explained. “The fans were brilliant home and away; we used to sell out all the time and they were unbelievable to me.

“I still check up on their results. It was a similar feel to here, in terms of the family feel, though I would say I am enjoying my football even more now.

“When we got promoted, I was injured with my back and by the time I was back fit, the Cowleys had moved on and the new manager had come in with his own ideas.

“It probably didn’t end how I would have liked but that is in the past now. This could be the first time I have come up against them since I have left so I am looking forward to it.

“So when we got promoted this time, it was in the back of my mind to have a proper crack at this season. When I was having my operation [this summer], I was really hoping it would be successful and a quick recovery because I didn’t want to win two promotions and not have a fair crack at League One.”

To read the full interview and learn more about Tom’s recovery from a long-term back injury, his path from the Isthmian Premier Division to League One and how he is using his experience to help some of the club’s younger players, purchase a match programme at Vale Park for just £3!