Port Vale’s interim manager speaks ahead of Saturday’s penultimate game of the season as the Valiants head to South London to face Charlton Athletic.

• Andy Crosby | “The message is absolutely the same from me; togetherness, unity, discipline, hard work and making sure we are a League One football club”
• Port Vale’s interim manager speaks to the media ahead of Saturday’s League One clash at Charlton Athletic
• Crosby: “We are taking up to 1,000 fans to London tomorrow and in the current climate, with the money they will spend, it is important we represent them, we give them the very least 95 minutes of absolute hard work, graft and commitment and hopefully on top of that have really good spells of the ball and show what a good team we are.”

Port Vale’s interim manager Andy Crosby says that the Valiants’ approach will remain consistent as his side head to Charlton Athletic looking to secure League One football at Vale Park next season.

Last weekend’s 2-0 victory against Bristol Rovers followed a strong showing at Ipswich Town and Crosby’s side are now in a strong position to complete the primary objective of securing our League One status at the first time of asking.

If the Vale avoid defeat at the Valley, League One football will be guaranteed in the 2023/24 season and Crosby says he wants the same ingredients of his side’s last two performances.

“The message is absolutely the same from me; togetherness, unity, discipline, hard work, making sure we are a League One football club. We have put ourselves in a better position after last week’s performance.

“A large number of fans are travelling down to London to watch the game so we owe it to ourselves, to them and the football club to approach this game in the exactly the same way we did last week.”

The Valiants were boosted by the news that defender Nathan Smith and young forward James Plant both signed two-year contracts with the club this summer and Crosby said the news was positive for all parties.

“Nathan has come through the system, he’s been here through difficult times with the football club, he’s been here under the new ownership seeing the club grow, he’s grown himself, his heart is big and his desire to win is incredible,” Crosby said.

“I think there is more growth in him but I think he has developed; I think people have seen him over a period of time when he was that head it and kick it defender, he has certainly grown this season, he has got more responsibility with the ball and he needs to keep that belief in himself that he can get better.

“James is obviously right at the start of his development; he has come through the system as well and he is a credit not only to himself and his family, but to the academy and to the people running it. He made a fantastic debut at Ipswich having never started a first team game before; he has got the attributes required to fill a number of positions in our team framework.”

Crosby also acknowledged that there are members of his squad who don’t currently have clarity on their futures, whether that be players at the club on loan or those out of contract this summer.

However, the interim manager also explained that isn’t a situation exclusive to Port Vale and that others will be in the same situation.

“It is totally understandable; there’s a lot of indecision, a lot of unknown to them at this moment of time,” Crosby said.

“We have got a lot of players in that category who are out of contract either here, on loan here and out of contract at their parent club or on loan here who go back to a contract at their club so they have got a lot of things that will play on their minds.”

“I said to them before we played Ipswich that I shouldn’t be their motivation, though. Let’s get to the end of the season, let’s make sure we secure the League One status which was the mantra and as soon as that is confirmed then obviously those discussions can take place with the individuals within the group.”

“Since Dean Holden has gone in to Charlton and taken the job, he’s changed their style slightly. They have got real strengths like a lot of teams have but it is up to us to expose the weaknesses within their team.

“I think they are in a similar position to us and they have got a number of unknowns; there are reports of a change of ownership, there’s a number of players out of contract, they have got loan players going back to their parent club, so they have things that all other football clubs have got in the last couple of weeks of the season. I think Dean, his staff and the players want to finish the season really well, and so do we.”

Crosby, who also added that he is likely to be without a couple of players who featured in the win against Bristol Rovers, added that further motivation is derived from the level of support his side will get from the Valiants faithful in South London:

“We are taking up to 1,000 fans to London tomorrow; in the current climate, with the money they will spend, it is important we represent them, we give them the very least 95 minutes of absolute hard work, graft and commitment,” Crosby continued. “Hopefully on top of that have really good spells of the ball and show what a good team we are.”