Justin Richards is desperate to see his namesake, and strike partner, Marc stay at Port Vale next season.
Richards eager for strike partner to be at Port Vale next season
Port Vale striker Justin Richards is desperate to see his namesake, and strike partner, Marc remain at the club next season.
The Valiants made a great start to this season, with the Richards combination netting 22 goals between them before the turn of the year.
The loss of manager Micky Adams to Sheffield United in late December sent the club spiralling into a mid-table finish.
The former Leicester boss has now returned to Vale Park after an unsuccessful spell with his boyhood club but, with 42 goals scored in his last two campaigns, Marc Richards is starting to impress potential admirers.
However, former Cheltenham striker Justin Richards believes that keeping the 28-year-old at the club this summer is crucial if Vale are to push for promotion next season.
Massive loss
"It would be a massive loss if we were to lose Marc this summer and thankfully I haven't heard of any speculation about him leaving yet, so I hope that he doesn't go anywhere," Justin Richards told
skysports.com.
"From both a selfish and a team point of view because he has led the team well after becoming the captain.
"We lost him at an important time of the season when he picked up an injury in January, but he proved how good a player he is when he came back and started scoring goals again."
Richards is entering the final year of his contract at the club after joining on a two-year deal from Cheltenham last summer and he is desperate to prove his worth next season to earn an extension.
"I initially signed a two-year deal, so I'm approaching my second year of that now and hopefully I can prove my worth next season to earn another contract," he added.
"I've enjoyed my first season at the club, despite missing out on the play-offs, but hopefully we can start off from where Micky left off when he joined Sheffield United and keep it going for the whole season this time."
