Football Season Review

Port Vale are coming from a season of turmoil, which saw them have spells where they looked like play-off candidates, but also times where they seemed all but certain to go down. Typically the Vale were just your average solid mid-table side, and their finishing position reflects that, as they ended the season on 54 points, four clear of the relegation zone. Their start to the season was particularly worrying, as a five-game losing run in September caused Micky Adams to lose his job. Adams's assistant Rob Page, who also led the club for a month last season due to a surgery that Adams had to undergo, was initially named their interim boss and eventually got the role full-time, as the Vale showed significant improvements under him. The revival shown under Page is even more impressive when bearing in mind the fact that Tom Pope, a player who the Vale have heavily relied on in the previous two seasons, has missed large chunks of this campaign with injuries, and was rarely at his best even if fit. However, the Vale kept playing well and managed to remain near the play-off places until March, when they had a shocking run of six consecutive defeats which ended their top six hopes and even had them fear relegation. Rumours started to surface that Page had lost the dressing room, but several players vehemently denied this, and went on to prove their point on the pitch, as the Vale went on a four-game unbeaten run and managed to secure their survival. Page has agreed a new two-year deal with the club at the end of the season and is now set to spend the summer making the squad his own.

Player of the Season: Michael O'Connor