Port Vale defender Dan Jones returns to training

Popular Port Vale defender Dan Jones has returned to first-team training two weeks after he was rushed to hospital.

Following Port Vale’s win over Carlisle United on 26th August, manager Andy Crosby explained Jones’ absence saying: “Dan was rushed to hospital on Sunday night with severe pains in his stomach, sternum. He’s been in a really poorly way for a lot of this week. Mike (physio Mike Green) and the medical department have been up to see him but he’s not been in a good way so all our best wishes, all our love goes to Dan and his fiancée Scarlet.

“He got discharged yesterday but he’s gone home and the medication that has been given hasn’t worked and he’s gone downhill a little bit today. He’s not in any danger before anyone jumps to any conclusions but that’s the situation with him. We spoke about it pre-game. It puts things into context. You give the ball away, just get the ball back… Dan would have loved to have been out there today.”

Jones subsequently missed the games against Crewe Alexandra and Oxford but a tweet by the club has revealed that the left-sided defender is now back in training:

It is unclear if Jones has recovered sufficiently to be in contention for Saturday’s game against Northampton Town but after a couple of games where the only fit defenders were Nathan Smith, Lewis Cass and Alex Iacovitti, Vale now appear to have cover and competition at the back – loanee Kofi Balmer returned from injury to make his debut against Crewe in midweek and Jones’ welcome return to fitness should see Vale’s options further boosted.