Neil Aspin is calling upon all members of his squad to assist Port Vale in climbing up the table in Sky Bet League Two.

Following his first match in the dugout, the new boss has been working closely with the players on the training ground.

Most recently at Gateshead in the Vanarama Conference National, Aspin now has the job of handling a much larger group of players than he has in previous years.

“It’s a big task for me, trying to manage all of the players - particularly those that aren’t in the starting line-up or the 18,” he said.

“Everybody needs managing, Everybody needs to keep their fitness up and everyone needs to train, ready to be called upon.

“It’s important that they stay as match fit as possible.”

The Valiants have lined up in a variety of formations so far this season, but Aspin is determined to find a system that fits the characteristics of his players.

However, he knows that football is a game that requires a level of flexibility, and he wants his squad to be able to adapt if needs be to get results.

He said: “You might want to play a certain way, but you may then find that the personnel you have aren’t capable of playing in that way.

“It would be wrong to say you’re just going to do one thing and stick to it because it’s obvious that you can’t do that.

“I’ve looked at the games - it’s been a real crash course and I have probably had the busiest week of my life, but it’s obvious that we have tried every formation as a club.

“I have my own feelings on what I think will suit is going forward, but it’s the performances and results that dictate what happens.

“However, we do need to get to a system where everyone knows their jobs and we need to work at it, whether that’s after one game or further down the line."