Skipper Antony Kay has reiterated how important it is to get off to a good start in any league as Port Vale grab a solid 3-1 win at Crawley Town.

The 34-year old featured in Vale’s first league game of the season on Saturday where he also managed to grab a goal on his debut.

Kay, has a lot of experience from across the Football League so knows how vital it is to hit the ground running during the early stages of a campaign.

He said: I think in the first five or six games, you need to get them wins and then other teams will be looking up to you.

“They will be seeing where you are as a squad. But, we have all come together and had a chat. We know we can get promotion so we will try and get that.”

Michael Brown’s new captain also experienced his first time playing with Nathan Smith in the heart of defence as he expressed his admiration for the youngster.

“Nathan is good. I remember playing against him last year and he sticks out as a good, solid defender – he’s still young too!

“Hopefully I can help him learn and develop so I hope that it will be a good partnership.”

The Valiants travel to Leeds United on Wednesday in the first round of the Carabao Cup as Kay expects a tough game against the Championship side, but claims that Vale do have a good chance of progressing.

“It will be a tough game”, said Kay.

“Whether they play a full team or not, you never know. Obviously, they have a big squad so we will just take it as the ‘next game’ which is the most important thing; especially for the club so we can get a few wins in the cup and bring the revenue up.

“It’s nice for the fans to go there too, it’s a nice stadium and a nice pitch so I hope that it will be a good night.”