Neil Aspin made his first permanent signing as Vale boss on Tuesday afternoon as he welcomed former Colchester United man, Chris Regis, to his squad.

Having joined the club on a short term contract until the end of the season, the midfielder who was once an Arsenal player at youth level, made an immediate impact as the Valiants beat Crewe in the Checkatrade Trophy.

Just four minutes into his debut he fired Vale into the lead and the manager was delighted with his contribution. Following the game, Aspin revealed how the deal came about.

He said: “He’s a player that we’ve had on trial for a few days, there’s not many who are out of contract available, but we’ve had a couple in to play reserve games.

“With Regis, he has come in, trained and we thought the best way to find out what he can do is to sign him on a short term contract and put him straight in.

“He was thrown in at the deep end and like with all players, there’s something to work on there and if we keep him training and playing games, I’m sure he will benefit.”

Anton Forrester also found the net with an incredible finish on Tuesday and Aspin was delighted to see the striker back out on the pitch tormenting defences.

He also managed to play 90 minutes before being replaced during stoppage time, something which the manager believes will be key for his confidence following a lengthy injury layoff.

“As well as getting a good goal, it’s the fact that he’s played almost a full game that will be the biggest thing for Anton.

“When he’s had so many injuries, playing for that time is vital for him and I was really pleased with his efforts.

“He worked hard, he was a threat and his goal was fantastic.”