Gaffer confident Tom will benefit from playing alongside Lee Hughes
Lee Hughes has done exceptionally well since joining Vale in January and has netted some important goals and Micky Adams feels his partnership with Tom Pope is developing nicely.
The Vale boss said: “If you look at his goals to game ratio it is terrific and when he is scoring every two games you have got to be pleased with what he has done.
“There is a blossoming partnership developing between him and Tom Pope. Early on people said they couldn’t play together because they were very similar, and I suppose in a lot of respects I can see that.
) to be fair they look a decent comedy partnership on it sometimes.tongue in cheek“But they have become more pally and I think off the pitch they have formed a decent comedy partnership and (
“They are gradually understanding each other’s game, which can benefit them and it does take time for centre forwards to develop partnerships.”
Despite Tom going through a bit of a barren spell at the moment, the manager is confident he will benefit from playing alongside Hughes and he feels sure the goals will being to flow again before long.
He said: “Lee is getting older and we have to monitor his training and we have to make sure he is ready for games come Saturday, and if that means him missing a couple of training sessions in the week then we have to do that.
“He is a confident boy and we hope that confidence comes through to Tom as well. If Tom can learn one thing off Lee that is that you have to keep going. You are going to get chances and if you are in the right areas you are going to get goals.
“Obviously Tom is going through a lean spell at the moment but I am sure that Lee, being a goal scoring centre forward, can talk him through that and say ‘listen, we have all been there, you have just got to keep going.
“ ‘If you keep doing the same things and getting in the box the opportunities will come’ and I sure it won’t be long before Tom gets going again.“