There is no doubt that new signings in the January transfer window can help change the course of a campaign for any team and with only five days of the window Port Vale will certainly be looking to strenthen their options.
With this in mind, we take a look at the top five transfers that the club have made in January
5. Gareth Owen
After a loan move earlier on in the season, Owen made the permanent move to the Valiants in January 2009.
Despite suffering from several injuries, he was a mainstay in Vale’s defence in four and a half years at the club with him featuring 127 times.
At the time Owen was seen as an influential member of the squad as in 2011 he was given the role of a player-coach.
4. Sean Rigg
The winger joined on a second loan spell from Bristol Rovers in January 2010, before making the permanent switch at the end of the campaign.
Rigg particularly impressed in the 2011/12 season with him ending it with nine goals and six assists.
In his three seasons at the club, he was one of the team’s most lethal attacking assets with his composure on the ball along with his pace helping him to accumulate 17 goals and 11 assists in his spell at the Valiants.
3. Leon Constantine
Even though he only spent a season and a half at Vale Park, Constantine became a potent goalscorer for Vale with 38 goals from 84 games, before moving to Leeds United in 2007.
The striker came from Torquay United permanently in January 2006 and finished his only full season with the club on a remarkable 26 goals, making you wonder that with this track record whether Vale would have earned promotion earlier on if they had kept hold of him.
2. Lee Hughes
Despite not being at the club for very long, his goals in the second part of the 2012/13 season were pivotal to seeing Port Vale earn promotion from League Two through the automatic promotion places.
After being recruited from Notts County, in only 18 games he netted an impressive ten goals for the club. with his most memorable moment coming in a 7-1 demolition at home to Burton Albion, in which he secured a hat-trick- two of which came from the penalty spot.
1. Tom Pope
Finally, Pope will surely go down as a club legend as in his nine seasons at the club, he became Vale’s post-war top goalscorer with 115 goals.
This all started with a loan move from Rotherham United back in 2011 and since then, with two impressive spells with the club, there is no doubt that the 36-year-old will go down as one of the club’s most iconic players.
He was another figure that was key in their promotion back in 2013 as his 33 goals in all competitions was vital to seeing them over the line.
