Midfielder treating opener as just another game
Midfield playmaker Chris Lines is treating tomorrow’s season opener against Brentford as just another game as he hopes to make his competitive Vale debut against the Bees at Vale Park come 3pm.
Having joined the Valiants from Championship side Sheffield Wednesday this summer the 27-year-old is confident his experience playing in the Championship and League 1 will help himself and Vale over the course of the upcoming campaign.
He told Valiant Player: “I’ve played in the league most of my career so it is just another game for me, it’s the first game of the season so everyone gets a bit more excited than usual but you have to play it as if it’s another game.
“I’m looking forward to it and hopefully we can get off to a good start.”
98 days is a long time to wait to watch football, that’s how long it has been since Vale’s last match of the season against Wycombe Wanderers.
Lines admits the players are itching to get back into competitive football after a gruelling but beneficial pre-season.
“Everyone wants to just get back out there and start playing football again.
“We’ve scored a lot of goals and had some decent games and a trip to Dublin which I enjoyed, it has gone well, the season has come round earlier than usual,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to just getting started, I am not a massive fan of pre-season, I just want to get the real games underway, it’s not long now.”
Joining a new club can a daunting prospect for any football player, for Lines though the transition was made all the bit easier by heading straight to Dublin with his new team-mates after featuring for 45 minutes against Newcastle Town.
Lines explain: “We went straight to Dublin when I joined so that always helps, a pre-season tour you obviously spend a lot of time in the hotel with the boys and a lot of time out on the training pitch with the lads.”
With his first Vale pre-season under his belt Lines explains how the team spirit that carried Vale through last seasons successful campaign is still here and why it is important to carry that through next season
He said: “Two of my best mates are here already, that always helps, I’ve got on well with the boys and they all like to have a laugh and you can see the team spirit is still there which must have helped them last year with promotion.
“The most important thing for me and the rest of the new signings is to fit in and make sure that carries on and try and do what the boys did last year.”
You can watch Lines' full interview on Valiant Player