Moore: ‘Hard work ahead but best is yet to come’
“(Ruari Paton and Ronan Curtis) have brought a lot of camaraderie. That sends ripples through the team and the club ”
DARREN Moore leads his Port Vale team into another battle in Barrow, tomorrow, insisting: “I’m happy with our progress but we know there is a lot of hard work ahead of us.”
In their fifth game of the campaign, the Valiants will have only played against three clubs, having come up against Salford twice and having lost to tomorrow’s opponents in the League Cup.
And there is good news for supporters in that Connor Hall and Baylee Dipepa are both included in the squad and any decisions on their fitness will be made late, following both players’ withdrawal early at Salford City on Tuesday.
Now the Vale boss, below, will want to see another three points on the board in League Two having won four so far from a possible six.
“The fixture list can certainly throw up bizarre situations where we have played Salford and Barrow twice within the first month of the season but I feel really fine with the way we’ve started,” said Moore.
“It feels good that the players are gaining that level of understanding for each other.
“As the games have been coming by
I feel there are moments when we are looking really strong and moments when we want to look to improve.
“Overall, when I look at the start of the season where we are, I’m happy with the progress, but we know there is a lot of hard work ahead of us.
“The players need to keep on taking on information and when the fixtures call upon them to perform they need to perform.”
Moore mentioned two players in particular who have livened up the dressing room in Ronan Curtis and Ruari Paton.
“It’s great that they have brought a lot of camaraderie to the group,” said Moore. “The way both of them have just hit it off together has been fantastic and that sends ripples through the team and through the club and through the squad really, so it’s excellent.
“Everybody is doing their bit. It’s the consistent relationships we are building on a daily basis.
“I think it’s great as we can come together as a group of people and continue to work really hard. Obviously you are pleased when you see combinations working and the team seems to be settled down but as a manager I see these guys every day in training and I know there is a lot more to come.
“Are we the finished article to where we want to be? We’re nowhere near it.”
Elaborating on Hall and Dipepa, he added; “Both players sustained knocks. Both players we are assessing. Both are part of the squad travelling to Barrow and with both of them we will make a late call on, to give them every opportunity. But the signs are good, they are really good.” If they don’t make it, there’s plenty of options and Moore agreed: “That’s been based on our recruitment. We’ve brought players in who can play in a whole range of different positions and the adaptability the way they can drop in, is great.
“Sam Hart dropped into Connor’s position and performed very well so we are really grateful for that. That’s part of the recruitment process.”
Three clean sheets in four has helped too and he maintained: “There has certainly been a solidity to us. I’ve been really pleased with the way the players have been going about their business. Even if the lads will take plaudits, the socalled defensive unit, it’s a joint effort by the team.
“The boys get asked questions every week and they have come up with the answers thus far.”
On Barrow he added: “It’s another difficult test on Saturday. The team will make sure that they are solid which it has been but there’s always room for improvement and we will continue to push them.
“At Salford we came through a cup game and kept a clean sheet but there’s still elements of our game that we felt we could be doing better at and should be doing better at. We have identified where and asked them to apply it.”