Neal happy with back-to-back promotions
Goalkeeper Chris Neal will have played in every Port Vale league game this season if he makes an appearance in the final League Two match of the season against Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday.
The former Shrewsbury Town goalkeeper is on the cusp of back-to-back promotions having been promoted with Shrewsbury Town almost 12 months ago.
The Vale goalkeeper reflects on a season full of twists and turns.
Neal said: “I think it was even better than last year, to do it twice in two seasons is an unbelievable achievement really and to have played such a big part in it means a lot to me.
“Hopefully if I play Saturday it will be every single league game I've played this season so for me that would be a great personal achievement.”
Neal believes that one game changed the course of the season for Vale, York City away from home on March 16. Coming into the game Vale had not won in five league games but Neal explains how the squad went into that match with huge self-belief.
“I think the York game was a massive turning point for us.
“We knew before the game, you could just tell in the changing room and before the game at the hotel that we were going to win, there was no way we were going to lose that game,” said Neal.
Second place remains the target ahead of the trip to Wycombe and having occupied one of the top two places for the majority of the season, Neal wants to finish where Vale deserve, second.
He said: “We had a meeting with the manager and he is under no illusions that we have occupied the second spot for most of the year, there will probably be a few changes but we want to go down there and consolidate that second place.”
Neal reserved special praise for Vale manager Micky Adams after guiding Vale to promotion for the first time since 1994.
Neal added: “The big attraction of this club is the manager and staff.
“Even when things weren't going right in pre-season, the administration dragged on and on but the manager stuck with us and that's why we wanted to stay here and we knew we were going to have a successful season.”