Geoff Horsfield quits Port Vale and football…
Geoff Horsfield quits Port Vale: the official Port Vale website has announced that coach Goeff Horsfield will quit Vale Park at the end of this season as he pursues interests away from the game.
The former Halifax and Fulham frontman joined the Valiants in 2009 in a player-coach role. Injuries restricted his playing appearances to just one start and nine sub appearances before he called time on his playing days to concentrate on coaching.
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Horsfield asked formally for a day off on the Thursday before the game to attend to a family matter. He was granted leave by Gannon to do so. However, Horsfield was staggered to learn on Friday, minutes before the coach left Vale Park, that a letter had been written by the club’s manager, complaining about his conduct. He was called to see a director and the letter was produced.
When Horsfield boarded the coach he confronted Gannon who initially denied the existence of the correspondence. When Horsfield argued that he had seen it with his own eyes, Gannon was forced into an embarrassed climbdown that led to him disembarking, but not before he had sworn at his number two.
Horsfield remained with the team but then received a phone call ordering him to return to the Potteries. The coach continued to Aldershot without a member of the management team on board.
Horsfield’s coaching spell was most notable for the spectacular “busgate” bust-up with former manager Jim Gannon. Gannon claimed that he was “completely the innocent party” but a subsequent club investigation cleared Horsfield of any misconduct and shortly afterwards, the unpopular Gannon left Vale Park.
Vale are not short of coaches at this time with Mark Grew the assistant manager, popular Rob Page earning plaudits for his work and defender Gareth Owen learning the ropes with the reserve team.
Horsfield told the official website: “I have got a couple of business propositions I can go into at the moment and at this stage of my life I feel it is time for a change.
“I have absolutely loved my time here at Port Vale. I have got on with everybody apart from the previous manager, which is well-documented, but that happens in football and I have just got to look at the future now and look at my family.
“I have enjoyed my time here and it will be the first result I look for. I will always keep in contact with a lot of people here at the club because this is a fantastic club. It is family orientated and there are some good people who work here.
“Telling the Gaffer of my decision was one of the hardest things I have done. I have been mulling over it for the last five or six weeks and making that decision has been hard.
“I have had a great time in the game, but football can be very unpredictable, as we have seen recently when we went into administration, it was difficult for everybody.
Horsfield factfile
Born:
01 Nov, 1973
Clubs:
Halifax, Fulham, Birmingham, West Brom, Wigan, Sheff Utd, Leeds, Leicester, Scunthorpe, Lincoln, Port Vale
Career stats:
310 starts
88 sub appearances
126 goals
“When we went into Admin I didn’t think about myself, I thought about Barbara the Laundry woman, the staff upstairs, the Media Department and the Club Shop, because I have had a fantastic career and I have earned some good money in the game, but it’s not just about me and I thought of those people when we went into Adminstration.
“I have always got on with the Gaffer, and Grewy has always helped me. I get on with the office staff and everybody else here, so I will definitely be coming back for a visit.”
Manager Micky Adams added: “Geoff will be missed by everyone around the club, including me, particularly as he and I are the reigning head tennis champions, so I will be actively looking for a new partner next season.
“We thank Geoff for everything he has done for Port Vale and wish him the very best of luck for the future.”
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