Vale boss Micky Adams today drafted youth team 'keeper Sam Johnson into the squad after Chris Martin went down with a stomach bug and is unable to travel to Southend this weekend.

Vale Head of Youth Mark Grew has no concerns over the 17-year-old, a player he brought to the club three years ago.

He said: "Chris Martin started training on Thursday morning and began to get severe stomach pains and it developed into sickness and diarrhoea.

"He wasn't good this morning and we felt we didn't want him on the coach going down to Southend as he could have passed it on to the other lads.

"We have brought Sam Johnson in. He has been training with the first team this year and has impressed the Gaffer, so he has got no problems about bringing him in to the squad.

"He is growing - he is six foot six now and he is everything the Premiership clubs are looking for and he is only 17 years of age.

"I took him from Stoke when he was 14 years old after they had released him, I thought potential-wise he had got a great deal and he hasn't disappointed me.

"I think he is a good young 'keeper and I think he is going to make a good living out of the game.

"He is one of these laid back characters - totally different from me. He is a little bit like Paul Musselwhite really, in that nothing seems to perturb him.

"If he makes a mistake he gets on with it and doesn't worry about it, so I have got no qualms if he has to go on at some stage tomorrow."