BROWN DETERMINED TO GIVE FANS FESTIVE CHEER AT MOSS ROSE
SCOTT Brown says he is looking forward to getting one over on ‘the greatest mind in football’ when Port Vale travel to Sol Campbell’s Macclesfield this weekend. Port Vale make the short trip to Moss Rose on Saturday looking to build on back-to-back 2-2 draws. Former England and Arsenal defender Campbell took over the Silkmen at the end of November and oversaw his first win at the weekend. And Vale keeper Brown said: “It’ll be a tough test. They’re good fans up there, it’s a tight ground and I’m sure Vale will travel in numbers as they always do. “He’s the greatest mind in football, so it would be great to go up there and get a result.” Brown also said he appreciated the support Vale get home and away, especially at Christmas when money is tight. “I was looking at going to the Wolves game the other day,” he added, “and it was £30 to £40 a ticket, so we really appreciate the fans turning up and supporting us up and down the country. “It would be nice to give them an away win before Christmas.” Brown was named sponsors’ man of the match for Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Cheltenham Town - the club he started his career with. “It was almost identical to the Notts County game,” he said. “They’re a good team under a new manager, they move the ball well, and the conditions didn’t make it easy. “When you’re 2-1 down in the 90th minute, you take a point, but we should have been 2-0 up and it’s a different game.” On facing his former club, Brown said it was different last season, when more of his former team-mates still played for the Robins. “Last year it was weird, but this year there was only one player there who was there with me because of how quickly football turns around,” he said. “I spent a third of my life there, so it’s a club with great memories for me.” While Vale did well to battle back and salvage a point, Brown added that it was high time the club got themselves into more comfortable positions in games. He said: “It’d be nice not to be in that position - it’d be nice to be 2-0 up and hold on to it. “We’re always looking to improve - and we’ve gone from keeping clean sheets and not scoring to scoring lots and not keeping clean sheets. “We need to combine the two and that will take us up the league. “The games come thick and fast - I love that - so it’s about looking after yourself over the Christmas period. “Generally the teams who look after themselves best do well. “There’s belief there, but we need to start showing it.”