Rob Fielding says this is the second season in a row that the Valiants have brought in excellent loan additions – but this time the club won’t be affected as much should any return to their club early.
Rob Fielding writes…
There’s been so many players brought into the club over the summer that Vale’s continued success in the loan market has perhaps been overlooked. Yes, there’s been some good permanent signings such as Connor Hall, Ryan Croasdale, George Byers, Ben Heneghan and not forgetting Jayden Stockley. But the temporary additions have been impressive too.
This season’s crop of loanees:
- Brandon Cover: Came in relatively unsung, was put straight into the starting XI and single-handedly solved the right wingback problem.
- Benicio: hasn’t suited every game but on his day it’s clear that his ability upfront is a real asset as League Two defenders struggle to contain him.
- Rico Richards: often used in the closing minutes but even those cameo appearances have shown what a talent he is.
- Antwoine Hackford: some may have wondered where the youngster fitted in but, like Richards, he’s found a role coming on in the closing stages and with two late goals, has proved his worth.
This season all four loanees have all come in and added something to the Vale squad. It’s good work by the Valiants who, after several seasons of bringing in loanees who did very little, (remember Liam McCarron, Thierry Small, Joel Cooper et al?) have now had two successive seasons of bringing in loanees who make an impact.
In many ways, the input of the Port Vale loanees this season matches that of last season when Ollie Arblaster and Alfie Devine, in particular, became key players. Vale fans will remember how it went last season. Arblaster and Devine left in January, victims of their own good form, Vale suffered and were relegated. However, there’s a key difference between this season and the last. In 2023-24, Vale’s squad was threadbare. The losses of Arblaster, Devine and even that of Josh Thomas upfront were never replaced.
The difference now is that, thanks to those permanent additions, Vale now have a far stronger squad. If the likes of Cover and Benicio went, it would be a blow – but Vale have multiple players competing for positions and would surely be able to cope.
The quality of the loanees is very similar to last season, but it seems that this time around the club have brought in talented youngsters to complement their squad, not to be irreplaceable, and that’s a key difference. It’s good that the club, despite the changes in the football structure, can still attract top talent and it’s also good that this time around they aren’t too reliant on it.
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