Justin Richards hopes Micky Adams can enjoy the same success at Port Vale as in his first spell as boss.
Striker hoping manager can repeat his earlier success at Port Vale
Port Vale striker Justin Richards is hoping that returning manager Micky Adams can be just as successful as he was during his first stint with the club.
Adams returned to Vale Park just three days after leaving boyhood club Sheffield United after being unable to prevent the Blades from slipping into League One following just four wins from his 24 games in charge.
He had previously left the Valiants firmly in the League Two promotion race when the Blades came calling in December.
Vale ultimately finished 11th in the table and Richards says that Adams' return has been the perfect tonic after a disappointing end to the season.
Big buzz
"Obviously, the league table doesn't lie and it shows how badly it went during the second half of the season for us, but I believe that there were external factors that may have played a part," Richards told
skysports.com.
"When you are involved in it you don't really realise the external factors, but once the season is finished and you summarise then you can start to see what factors were involved.
"I haven't been around Stoke since the season finished, but I assume that there will be a big buzz around the place due to how well liked the manager was when he was there beforehand.
"You would like to think that we will carry on from where Micky left off next season because the manager knows the players and vice versa, so hopefully that will prove to be the case."
Port Vale's fierce local rivals Stoke City were thrust into the spotlight at the weekend after losing 1-0 to Manchester City in the FA Cup Final at Wembley, but Richards insists that the Potters' success isn't required to spur them on next season.
He added: "Obviously, for Stoke as a city it was great to see our rivals get to Wembley in the FA Cup, but our fans don't want to be going down the pub and hearing how they are doing so well and we aren't.
"However, as players you just want to do the best you can during your career anyway, so Stoke's success doesn't really spur us on much to be honest."
