Darrell Clarke on Port Vale’s season opener – it’s a marathon, not a sprint
Port Vale manager Darrell Clarke says that while the club “want to get off to a good start” that “nothing is gained or lost on the first game”…
It’s always nice to get that first win on the board, but it’s a long season – it’s a marathon and not a sprint. Nothing is gained or lost on the first game but, of course, we want to get off to a good start…
Speaking to the official EFL website, Clarke said: “It’s very good to be back and we’re buzzing to be in a division higher. It’s a competitive league; there are some big teams with big fanbases in League One.
“Those Clubs that have been in the Premier League and the Championship before have a different weight on their shoulders in comparison to ourselves, but we’re trying to get Championship ready as well. We haven’t got a timescale for that, but we’re aspiring to be at that level and we’ll see how long it takes.
“You can see the togetherness at the Club and that’s testament to the owners. We are a massive community Club and it’s the heartbeat of the area. That togetherness will put us in good stead for the new season.”
Speaking about the Fleetwood game, the Vale manager said: “We’ve kept the core players from last season and they’re going to get the opportunity to show they can compete at League One level, but we’ve made some useful additions and we’ve still got four or five more to get in.
“We enjoy the success of last season, but the whole focus now is about the new season. It’s always nice to get that first win on the board, but it’s a long season – it’s a marathon and not a sprint.
“Nothing is gained or lost on the first game but, of course, we want to get off to a good start. I treat every game as a one-off project and the aim is to win each game, so let’s bring on Fleetwood.”
Read our preview of the Port Vale v Fleetwood Town game
Have Port Vale strengthened enough ahead of their League One opener? We’ll find out on Saturday afternoon…