Port Vale fans excited for next Season
After a promising season, Port Vale has everything to look forward to. Nothing highlights this more than the enthusiasm shown by the team’s fans who bought over 1,200 season tickets during the recent bank holiday weekend.
The great reception to the team’s ‘Loyal Valiants’ event points to the hopes the fans have in the new direction the team has taken under manager Darrell Clarke.
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Excitement in the Air
While the banking holiday event marked the launch of the 2021/22 sales, it was an opportunity to thank the season-ticket holders who have been the club’s mainstay throughout the current campaign. Most of the season ticket holders among the 4000 who had bought tickets never asked for a refund and this helped the club manoeuvre one of the most difficult periods in the history of English football.
After a long time away from the football grounds, fans had an opportunity to get a feel of the stadium once again and even meet the players and owner Carol Shanahan. Of course there was an opportunity to sell more than the 1200 tickets, but Bank Holiday opening hours restrictions and the poor weather.
The club expects even more ticket sales in coming days which reflects an air of optimism that hasn’t been seen in recent times. Crunching the numbers shows that the club has already sold about a third of last year’s comparable total sales in three days. The three days event was a sneak preview of the expected change in fortunes for a team that had an impressive run in a difficult season.
New Beginnings
One reason for the fans’ enthusiasm could be the radical transformation spearheaded by Port Vale boss Darrell Clarke. While the team’s performance was at one time comparable to the 1958-59 season, the manager still felt the need to overhaul the playing personnel. Clarke had already said he was eager to let go of the deadwood towards the close of the season.
The team had an impressive run of eight wins and a draw from nine games and there was hope of a top 20 finish. The poor final performances, dashed such hopes and made the case for an overhaul even more urgent.
To show his intent at reforming Port Vale, Clarke let go of all the 15 out of contract players. In addition, first-team coach Danny Pugh also left after 4 years in the club as player, first-team coach and caretaker manager. So revolutionary is the transformation that even first-team regulars such as Scott Brown, Luke Joyce and club legend Tom Pope have also left.
Even with such a difficult decision, there’s consensus among fans that Clarke has made the right decision. More players might have to leave this summer as the manager finally gets to build his own team.
The enthusiasm shown by the fans at the Banking Holiday events points to good tidings for Port Vale. It was such support that pushed the team of 1958-59 to fight to a title and this could be just what Clarke and his team need right now.