Neil Aspin admits that he is 'delighted' to have secured the services of experienced goalkeeper, Scott Brown, as the 33-year-old has agreed to join Vale on a two-year deal once his contract at Wycombe Wanderers expires.

Having played in every one of the Chairboys' Sky Bet League Two fixtures as they clinched promotion to the third tier in 2017/18, he will provide the Valiants with a strong option between the posts, something which the gaffer believes to be crucial.

"We are really pleased about signing Scott, and with all the problems we had last season with goalkeepers, we needed to get one who has played a lot of games and he fits the bill," said Aspin.

"He had a good season last time out and he played every game for Wycombe. It was a successful one as well because they got promoted, so I am delighted that we have been able to get him in.

"We had to do it quickly because there were other clubs interested, but the fact that he is from Wolverhampton was in our favour and it is great to have him here.

"Due to the amount of football that he has played, he was our number one target. Invariably, there is a lot of 'keepers about who haven't had much game time, but with Scott, he has been used to featuring and that is important."

The signing is a statement of intent by Aspin and he is hoping that the goalkeeper can be a key player in the upcoming season, with Sam Hornby also battling for a starting berth.

With everyone at the club aiming for a much more positive 2018/19 campaign, the manager also believes that Brown has leadership qualities that will be key if Vale are to achive success in Sky Bet League Two.

He said: "That is important as we have a young right-back, a young centre-back and a left-back who is still learning the position - we needed a goalkeeper with a wealth of experience.

"There wasn't a lot of clarity with the goalkeeping situation last year, but we have changed that at the first opportunity and it is now up to Scott to prove that he is the number one. We have Sam Hornby too who will contend with him for that spot.

"This club has played at a higher level and it has got to have aspirations to do better, and Scott sees it as a challenge as he knows how keen we are to improve on last season. He is well aware that he is joining a club that needs to perform a lot better.

"When you come to the ground - it has improved dramatically since I was here - you realise that it is a big club in this division. Instead of being negative, we have got to have a lot more positivity around the place and make it one the supporters can be proud of.

"With Scott, you could see how keen we were to bring him here, and he is relishing the challenge."