Fixtures come thick and fast this month as the Valiants are set to play Saturday/Tuesday between now and 25th November. Darrell Clarke sat down with the press ahead of game one of the run, which comes against Wycombe Wanderers.
- Vale host Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday 4th February
- Darrell Clarke has "Massive belief in the Squad" ahead of busy schedule
- Jamie Proctor's return is a "Great boost to the Squad" Says DC
Ahead of Saturday's League One fixture, Darrell Clarke sat down with the press for the first time since adding Matty Taylor to his squad in a Deadline Day loan switch.
"Matty’s record speaks for itself" says Clarke "He did very well for me at Bristol Rovers and he’s had a good career, I was very surprised to get him if I’m honest, many centre forwards at this level are hard to come by and obviously our connection helps that so we are looking forward to linking up with him again.
"Matty is Flexible, he has great movement, he’s a fox in the box and he still has that hunger and desire to want to keep working, keep learning and keep improving"
"If you hold your nerve a little bit you can up with a real good signing which I think Matty Taylor will be.
"I wasn’t wanting a younger centre forward I wanted somebody with more experience and with more knowledge, because we have been in and around mid-table and the top half of the table and as I said in the fans forum last night, that can make it very difficult to bring players in and improve it, because the budget of the players in the top 10 are out of our league"
This will also be the first of a busy run of fixtures which sees the Valiants take to the field seven times in February.
"[I've got] massive belief in the squad, preparation is always key and the preparation the boys get is always very good with the talented staff I’ve got.
"We are looking forward to the seven games this month, which will be one hell of a challenge but we are looking forward to it.
"I don’t really get the moaning in the Premier League with their massive squads, further down the pyramid it’s a lot difficult with a load more games but the lads enjoy it they love playing games, they prefer the games to the training and they like to be out there performing."
Speaking about the return of Jamie Proctor, who made his return to football against Cheltenham after a lengthy time on the sidelines, Clarke Said: "It's a great boost to the squad and He's a great lad in the changing rooms.
"He has had a real tough week on the training pitch which would of done him the world of good and we're getting his training minutes up to make sure he has as strong second half of the season as he possibly can.
"It’s great to have him back feeling really positive in his work feeling really in a good place and hopefully that continues."
You can watch the full press conference on the club's YouTube channel.