Manager John Askey credited his team for how much they put into claiming all three points against Northampton Town, with their desire to win in the second-half particularly impressing him.
The gaffer admitted he believes the win could be a key moment in the Vale’s season, as they defeated a Play-Off rival in a victory that he thinks will send a message to the rest of the league.
Askey also expressed how rewarding the win was in such a challenging game, against a side who had not lost a match in 2020 and were undefeated at home since October.
The boss also credited his players for how well they dealt with the difficult conditions, as the wind played a big factor in a game that saw the Cobblers send long balls and throw-ins into the Vale box all match.
The performance left Askey smiling as he feels his side displayed how much fight they have to secure vital wins in the big games, but also urged that they cannot let themselves get carried away and lose focus as they fight for the Play-Offs.
He said: “Everyone to a man has put a real effort in, I thought Popey coming on with 20, 30 minutes to go made a difference as well so everybody played their part.
“It’s a huge win, we said before the game that this is a massive game for us, it sends a real statement out winning here… everything was against us, the conditions with it so windy and it suits them with the long throws and the free-kicks which they tried to exploit, so to come here and get the three points is obviously a fantastic win.
“I thought we showed a bit more will to win the second-half, it was a great goal and there was some good football leading up to the cross from Tom [Conlon] and David Worrall’s out jumped a 6ft 3" bloke at the far post so it was a great goal.
“We won’t get too carried away, it’s another step closer to where we want to be, but if we show the effort that we’ve shown today and the guts and determination then as a manager you can’t ask any more of the players.”
One man who received huge plaudits from the gaffer for his stellar performance was Shaun Brisley, who was a rock at the back, with the boss adding how he’s caused him a positive problem to have in that he has three top class centre-halves to choose from.
The overall defensive display was really impressive to Askey who also commended Scott Brown for his excellent display, making multiple key saves after being battered and bruised last weekend.
Askey also highlighted just how good of a feeling it is to finally be out of the 10th position and into 9th, level on points with 7th, but emphasised how they need to keep their form going and look to follow up with another three points at Forest Green Rovers on Tuesday.
He said: “Shaun, along with everyone really [defended well], it’s a nice headache to have when you’ve got good players who can’t get in, we all know how well Nathan’s [Smith] done, Shaun’s a good player at this level and he showed that today, you needed people who were going to be brave and he was.
“I was pleased with [Scott] Browny as well, after getting that battering last Saturday, he was bruised from head to foot and I thought he was really brave and made some great saves today and that was Scott Brown at his best today.
“It’s great to be involved in these games for the players, you don’t have to lift them, they know what’s at stake and Forest Green on Tuesday, if we can get a result there then it pushes us that bit further up the table against a team who are in and around us so it’s great to be involved, all the players are confident and they’ve got that belief that they can win.”