Nearly Men 31: Deklan Wynne, the International left-back who never played competitively for Vale

Deklan Wynne joined the Valiants in April 2024 but despite two spells lasting till July of that year, he never managed to make a competitive appearance for the club.

It’s fair to say that by April 2024, things were starting to look desperate at Vale Park. The side had won just two games that year and were plummeting towards the League One relegation zone. Part of the problem was Vale’s ill-balanced and weak squad. One of the issues was at left wingback. The Valiants had started the season with just one senior left-footed wingback in Conor Grant. However, Grant had a history of injury problems and this season was to prove no different. It lead to a succession of stand-ins playing on the left including James Plant, Tom Sang and teenager Jack Shorrock.

The side’s poor form had also lead to a change of manager with Darren Moore being brought in. Moore had inherited the weak squad and with the transfer window shut had limited opportunities to make changes. However, he clearly saw an opportunity to strengthen the left wingback area when he swooped for free agent Wynne on the 11th April.

Wynne looked to be an intriguing prospect for the side. A New Zealand International with sixteen caps, Wynne had never played in England before. However, the 29 year-old had played for a number of clubs in the United States and had been named “defender of the year” in the 2022 USL Championship. Presumably, Moore’s thought process was that Wynne, despite his lack of knowledge of the Football League, could well be a better option than the other left wingback contenders. However, neither the manager nor the fans would find out if Wynne could make the grade.

Signed on a short-term deal until the end of the season, Wynne added to Vale’s already lengthy injury list when he picked up a muscle strain which meant he was unable to feature in the remaining four games of the season. He did make the bench for two games – against Wycombe and Bolton – but was an unused sub in both, presumably because of his lack of fitness.

The 2023-24 campaign ended in relegation and a need to reset. Wynne was a number of players out of contract but he was offered a summer trial with the club. It resulted in Wynne’s only appearances in a Vale shirt as he appeared in friendly games against Newcastle Town, Kidsgrove Athletic and Coventry City. However, yet again he would not appear in a competitive fixture. Moore opted for the signing of Sam Hart from Sutton United on the 1st July and later that month, Wynne left the club for a second time.

Wynne in a Port Vale shirt during the 2024 friendly game with Newcastle Town