Three months on from when Neil Aspin took over the managerial position at the club, Port Vale’s fortunes have transformed somewhat and his assistant, Lee Nogan, has praised the work of the gaffer.
Having worked with Aspin for several years, Nogan was delighted when they were handed the chance to make the step up from the National League to the Football League.
Now focused on ensuring that the Valiants continue to climb away from danger in Sky Bet League Two, the assistant manager spoke about his relationship with ‘Aspo’.
“I’ve known Neil for a long time now since my Darlington days, playing against him,” Nogan said.
“What I find with him is that he’s very honest, he’s up front with people, and there are no hidden agendas. He’s the same as me - as long as you give the effort on the pitch, that’s all we can ask for.
“Of course you want the quality to be better at times, and we understand that can’t happen all of the time.
“You’ve got to be realistic, we’re in League Two not the Championship or Premier League, and even then, they have off days.
“He (Aspin) will be massively disappointed with Saturday’s game at Forest Green and he takes it to heart, sometimes for 48 hours or so.
“I’m glad I’m not in the car with him on the way in today,” he joked.
Despite a few disappointing days, Nogan insists that himself and Aspin are enjoying their time at Vale Park after they were handed a ‘great opportunity’ to come to the club.
He said: “We’ve been striving to get into the Football League for a long time. As a coach or as a manager you have ambitions, and this was a great opportunity for Neil to come to Port Vale.
“Everybody knows he was here for a long time and that he has a great affinity for the place - I love it here and he loves it here.
“Football is all about results and we know that, but you’ve got to enjoy it as well. Everyone enjoys winning, but if you see what we’ve gone from the players since we came in, nothing has changed.
“We’ve brought in a couple of lads to add to the squad, but the hard work from everybody so far has paid off and we just need to start improving more consistently now.”