Despite finding himself named amongst the substitutes at the start of the season, Leon Legge has worked his way into the starting line-up and he has been a revelation ever since, scoring the winner in the A500 Derby on Saturday afternoon.
The Valiants had to fight for the three points against Crewe Alexandra, but Legge's towering header 15 minutes from time was enough to ensure Neil Aspin's men picked up their first away win since December 2017.
As a defender known for his aerial prowess, the 33-year-old admits that he sets himself a goal scoring target every season, and he was delighted to get off the mark in such an important fixture.
He said: "It was an all-round great game for everyone, but to get my first goal in front of that away crowd when there is such rivalry was brilliant. I'm just buzzing for the supporters because we finally have that away win.
"I think Popey was right behind me and I nicked it off him so I don't think he's happy about it, but I didn't think I was going to stop on the knee slide. To score in front of the Vale fans was a great moment for me.
"I'm a different animal when we start playing for points and I think people are seeing that. Hopefully that won't be my last goal and I'm wanting to get a few more - I always set myself a target of five goals, and although I've only surpassed that once, I'm hoping to get five this year."
Despite finding the net at one end, the defensive performance of Legge and the rest of the back line was formidable as they restricted the Railwaymen to very few chances, and David Artell's men slipped to their first home defeat of the Sky Bet League Two season.
Legge was quick to praise the efforts of the whole team following the full-time whistle, and he believes that the togetherness in the dressing room can go a long way as the Valiants look to build on a positive few weeks in order to climb up the league table.
He said: "We were getting everything in the way to make sure we kept a clean sheet, and at the moment, we are looking strong at the back. The fans were on our side today by really backing us and that helped us get the win on the road.
"To have that relationship with the fans definitely helps, but hopefully we can get some more away wins this season to push us up the league.
"It's a tight-knit bunch here. Obviously the gaffer can only select 11, but the lads who are on the bench are ready to come on and give him something to think about. That massively helps, especially in games like this, so long may it continue.
"I was told a couple of weeks ago about what happened here last season, but these are the sort of matches you want to play in with the atmosphere and the buzz. You want to make sure you come out on top and the lads showed that we wanted it more than them."