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Nathan Smith on Askey's 'right' approach to Vale

30 April 2019

Club News

Nathan Smith on Askey's 'right' approach to Vale

30 April 2019

Port Vale's Young Player of the Year, Nathan Smith, has praised manager John Askey on how he's dealt with the Vale side since his arrival and is keen to see him in charge next season.

Askey became the fourth manager that Smith has played under since he made his debut back in September 2016 with Bruno Ribiero in charge, and has been a consistent starter for the new manager.

So it's fair to say that despite being just 23 years old, Smith has experienced his fair share of managers during his short career in which he's made 135 appearances for the Valiants.

With Askey being his most recent manager to take the reigns at Port Vale, Nathan says he's enjoying Askey's style of management at the Vale and has been impressed by the way he's installed his way of playing football.

"I think he's done it right to be fair to him. All the lads have bought into what he's come in and tried to do, he's not come in and been a bull in a china shop and upset a load of people. He's slowly done what he wants to do and he's slowly changed things in training, the prep work and in the style of play and I think it's slowly paying off. He's done it the right way.

"It would be nice to start the season with someone I've worked with at the end. Then you know what he wants from you, you're not learning new faces and learning a new way of playing. He's come in and put his stamp on things slowly.

"You can't come in and change drastic amounts in January. He'll have a lot of new thoughts in the off season, a lot of new faces so hopefully that'll bring better things.

Picking up his second 'Young Player of the Year' award in three years exemplifies that no matter what manager is in charge at Vale, Smith will continue to impress managers with his professionalism and consistent performances at the back.

The defenders' honours haven't just been awarded during his time at Vale. He joined Torquay United on a one-year loan deal in 2015 where he picked up the Young Player of Year and Player of the Season award after making 44 appearances for the club. 

Having been settled for a while now at Port Vale and with a year left on his contract, Smudge is happy with the way things are going for him at the Vale and is looking forward to the future.

"I'm very happy, I'm local, I'm still living 20 minutes away from here so I can't ask for anything better really. I've grown up at this football club and I've not known any different. To continue playing here obviously makes me very happy.

"The last two months or so, take the last couple of games away where we've perhaps taken our foot off the peddle, if you look at the results before them and look at the form table we were definitely play-offs if you counted just that period.

"There's a lot of things to come with a lot of new faces so they'll have to work that out but I've got very high hopes for next season from what we've done so far."


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