Walsh: ‘I love it at Port Vale’

Defender Michael Walsh has not been offered a contract for next season. The 30-year-old has been at Vale Park for nine years, but devastating injuries have blighted his Vale career.

Foyle has told Walsh that he will not get a contract for next season unless the club can off-load another defender first.

Foyle told ‘The Sentinel’, ‘The door is not shut for him…if someone came in for one of our defenders and I could offer him something then I would do. Walshy has been a loyal servent and I have had sleepless nights over the decision.’

Walsh – who has been on an appearance based contract this season – told ‘The Sentinel’ that he would play for ‘peanuts’.

‘I was asking for hardly anything, so long as I could get my testimonial and have a good end to my Port Vale career. I felt I deserved that.’

‘Had the manager offered me the worst deal in the world I would have stayed because I love it at Port Vale.’

‘He couldn’t get a Sunday league player for what I was asking.’


Michael Walsh is by far and away the best defender at Port Vale. Ok, he struggles with injuries but I would have twenty games from the guy over a season than forty from Miles, Walker or McGregor. What is Foyle thinking? Where is the centre-half that he intends to partner Pilkington next season? Surely not any of the current lot. Richard Walker and Colin Miles are not good enough for this league. Mark McGregor has looked shaky whenever he’s played in the centre of defence. Clayton Fortune? There’s absolutely no guarantee that he will be at Vale Park next season regardless of what the player or Foyle wants. Leyton Orient hold the all the cards where Fortune is concerned. Besides which Clayton seems to pick up his fair share of injuries and is prone to more than the odd error when he is playing.

Surely Foyle can offload Miles or Walker. Preferably both. There has to be clubs in Div.2 who are mug enough to take one of these clowns on. Walsh goes whilst Miles and Walker stay? Foyle has lost the plot.