‘AN EXCITING TIME TO BE AT FOOTBALL CLUB’

Man City. It will have that sort of feel and excitement.

“But really, it will be nothing like anything before.

Smith, pictured above, says supporters helped get Vale over the line in their play-off semi-final second leg in Burslem when they overcame Swindon’s 2-1 first-leg lead to level the tie 2-2 on aggregate and eventually triumph 6-5 on penalties on a thrilling night.

He added: “From the years I have been playing, and I have been watching them through the youth team, I can’t remember anything quite like that.

“It was a nail-biter from start to finish. We started like a house on fire. We got after them, we got our rewards early on. The game had a cup final feel to it. Everyone was on the edge of their seats and no one knew quite which way it would go.

“We always felt comfortable as a team defending, it was just whether we were going to get that goal or it was going to go down to the penalties like it did.

“But the atmosphere, the feeling and the buzz around the place... just driving into the ground before hand, I’d not seen Burslem as full of people, especially for a weekday fixture as well.”

Smith was both the sponsors’ and Sentinel man of the match in that second leg after an outstanding performance in the middle of the back three, flanked by James Gibbons and Connor Hall. While most of his work was defensive, he almost scored in the first half when he bent a shot past the keeper from the edge of the area but saw it hit the post. The defender, whose chances more often come on the end of set pieces, said: “It was totally out of character! I don’t know why I hit it but it nearly went in. I had a little giggle to myself running back thinking ’what is going on here!’

“I was slightly gutted it didn’t go in but if you don’t buy a ticket you don’t win the raffle.”

Smith didn’t have to take a penalty in the shoot out as Vale won after eight players from each side had stepped up. He added: “I was on the list somewhere…it was getting close to me! There were people in front of me more qualified, but it was getting to us defenders at the end. But we stood together out there as a team and came through it. And now it is a really exciting time to be at the club.”