John Askey believes yesterday’s 1-0 win over Plymouth will have given Vale more “confidence” as they moved into 10th place.
The gaffer commended his players for how well they performed in the match after an unconventional start to the game which saw all three subs used inside thirty minutes due to injuries.
Rhys Browne and Jake Taylor played the majority of the game as a result and Askey was impressed by their performance, as he felt the team played better as the game progressed.
The game was always going to be a challenging one, as Plymouth are one of the favourites for promotion this year, but the boss remained confident that his team would get the win they deserved, and a late Nathan Smith header from an impressive Richie Bennett cross secured just that.
Plymouth did pose a threat during the game but the Vale defence were able to keep them out for the whole game and Askey felt Vale could have won the game by more goals.
He said: “It was quite an even game, it could’ve gone either way but for us to get that win gives us all confidence.
“They’ve worked hard again and it’s important, especially at home, that they get the crowd behind us and the crowd will back us when they work like that.
“With the. Weather being warm and the noise levels increase, it was a great day and I’m just pleased for everybody that we got the result.”
The win was Vale’s third this season at Vale Park as the Valiants made it four games unbeaten at home in the league, adding to the aim set by the gaffer of making Vale Park a fortress.
The team will now try to pick up their first away win of the season on Tuesday at Exeter and are heading into the game with confidence despite the challenging run of fixtures ahead, knowing they can beat any team in the league.
The win over Plymouth has added to the feeling around the club that when Vale go into a game as the underdog, they are more than capable of getting the points.
He said: “It was a really good team performance, and every one of them should be proud of the effort they put in today.
“We know we’ve got a tough group of games, but it usually brings the best out of us.
“We’ve got to take each game as they come and that’ll give us confidence going in to the Exeter game, we can enjoy that, but everything now is geared towards playing Exeter.”