John Askey said that the injuries sustained won’t be used as an excuse for poor results as he is confident in the ability of his squad.
The idea of not allowing for excuses has been echoed from throughout the dressing room, with David Worrall saying the same thing following Tuesday’s defeat to Exeter City.
Rather than viewing the injuries as an issue, the gaffer instead believes it just means that other players in the squad now have an opportunity they need to grab, with competition key in Askey’s eyes.
Although the injuries do cause problems for the boss, especially when having to play players out of position, he remains confident that whoever represents the side on the field will work hard and perform for the badge on the shirt.
He said: “We’ve got more than enough to compete, I’m not looking for excuses, the players shouldn’t look for excuses, whoever goes on that pitch has got to show that they want to play for Port Vale.
“Disappointing that we’ve lost so many [players] all at once, but it does give an opportunity to others.
“We’ve got more than enough to compete, that’s all I concern myself with, players who are fit, to make sure they’re right for Saturday’s game.”
That game will see Mansfield Town travel to Vale Park with both sides seeking to bounce back to winning ways after suffering a defeat in their last game.
The home form of the Vale has been a particular highlight this season, with the Valiants looking to make it four wins in a row at home, but Askey emphasised how key it is that that form is transferred into away games too.
Although tomorrow will be another tough challenge, the gaffer doesn’t see why the Vale cannot win the game and remains confident in the ability and attitude of his available players.
He said: “We said how important it is to win our home games but we’ve got to pick up points away from home as well, I would like to think we’ve got enough character about us to that when we go away we can compete and start getting some wins.
“It’s always going to be difficult against teams like Mansfield but as we saw last season when we played them when they were flying, if we are at our best then we’re more than capable of beating them.
“We’ve just got to make sure that every time we go out there we give everything we’ve got, then we know we’ll get the results.”