DARRELL’S DELIGHT AT NEW VALE DEAL
Valiants receive big boost ahead of Wembley final as manager Clarke signs long-term contract
MANAGER Darrell Clarke says ‘something special’ is being built at Port Vale after he signed a new five-year contract.
Clarke will lead the team in tomorrow’s League Two play-off final against Mansfield at Wembley (4pm) but, whatever happens this weekend, the club have shown their faith in Clarke with the longterm deal.
The manager is looking forward to staying at Vale Park, working with owners Carol and Kevin Shanahan, director of football David Flitcroft, staff and players.
He said: “This was such an easy decision for me. The support my team and I have received has been second to none and we are building something very special at Port Vale. My focus, as always, remains on continuing to improve – match by match, season by season. And I’m so grateful for this opportunity to work with such incredible people.
“I love working for this club, the owners and Dave Flitcroft. We have such an honest and up front relationship. The support I have received from day one has been fantastic. We constantly challenge each other because we are all obsessed with football and are driven to create a culture of improvement and success for Port Vale.
“The togetherness throughout the entire club has been shown on the pitch with the season we have had so far. I want more. We all want more. This appetite is needed to drive the club forward. Building a winning culture is what we are all about.”
Clarke was appointed in February 2021, guided the club to mid-table safety last season and has now led the club to within one game of a return to League One after a five-year exile.
Now he’s focused on tomorrow’s game as Vale take on Nigel Clough’s Mansfield for the final League Two promotion spot after Vale earned their place at Wembley with a thrilling victory over Swindon.
Clarke added: “Preparations have been good. As they have been all season, they have been on a consistent level. As soon as we got through against Swindon we were working on the next one, the final one.”
Director of football David Flitcroft, who recruited Clarke and then worked closely with him to rebuild the squad, said: “Darrell is a credit to the club with his passion, his drive and his enthusiasm. I knew that was a part of who he was when we brought him to the club, but now I’ve seen it and felt it.
“What we know, a year on, is that Darrell has developed fantastic relationships with the chair and the owners, with myself, with the chief executive, the board and everyone around the club.
“With regard to players, Darrell wins their hearts and minds. They would run through a brick wall for him. He cultivates a very good dressing room environment and passes on to players the values of the club from the top – from Carol.
“If you want to build anything you need a really strong foundation. The decision on a five-year deal is to keep everyone settled and make sure that everyone knows that for the next five years we are working towards something we all believe in.
“Ultimately, we believe Darrell Clarke takes us forward to where we want to get to. He’s got the ability to do that and he’s certainly got the passion.”