With promoted Port Vale enjoying a reasonably solid return to League One after a five year absence, manager Darrell Clarke’s main aim this year, having tasted League Two Play Off success last season, was obviously to consolidate our position back in the third tier of professional football and finish as high as we possibly could.
With just ten games remaining in the 2022/23 campaign, Vale are sat pretty comfortably in 15th place in the table, and as I type we have an eleven point buffer zone to the top relegation spot, but if we end strongly as everyone hopes, Clarke could actually lead us to our highest placed finish at this level since Rob Page’s spell in charge back in the 2015/16 season (12th place).
In an effort to achieve just that, Clarke brought in experienced Oxford United striker, Matty Taylor, during the January transfer window on a loan deal until the end of the season, and the 32 year old found the net for the first time during last Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Fleetwood Town. Taylor should certainly prove to be an asset with 172 career goals to his name, and the player himself will certainly be determined to end 2022/23 on a high and in good form because come the end of the season he is out of contract with his parent club.
Either way, he is playing to impress and win a new contract with someone, even if that ultimately does not become us PlayersBest UK probably would not be the only outlet to give good odds on us doing just that given his existing relationship with the gaffer,
Speaking to the local media recently to discuss his future, and his spell at Vale Park in the second half of this year, Taylor knew what was at stake.
“I would be lying if I didn’t have one eye on it because I am out of contract. But I wanted to come here, enjoy my football, try to score as many goals and win as many games as possible and help Port Vale climb as high as possible in the table. That’s it really.”
Many would argue he has already impressed given his bright and positive displays across his six games so far, and there was always a sense that his debut goal was only actually around the corner, and he had in fact wasted an earlier chance to open his club account as he skewed wide from seven yards out in the first half of Saturday’s game.
“I asked the linesman and he said it was just offside but he didn’t need to put the flag up! I struck it well, probably too well really. You will miss more than you score so I am old enough and ugly enough to get on with the next one.”
With his first goal finally arriving in the 57th minute of the match, Taylor was understandably delighted to get off the mark – particularly in light of the wasted efforts he knows he probably should have done far better with.
“I am delighted to get off the mark. The first one is always the hardest one for any striker. I had a couple not go in which is frustrating but it is nice to see one finally hit the net. We have been playing really well lately, really good performances and we just want to keep playing well, keep performances high and finish the season strongly.”
Hopefully he and Port Vale will do just that, particularly as he has now renewed acquaintances with former Bristol Rovers colleague Ellis Harrison after he returned from injury.
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