Port Vale boss Bruno Ribeiro wants top-six stay

(Picture: Action Images)

Port Vale boss Bruno Ribeiro has said he doesn’t want to drop out of the top six again all season after his side returned to the play-off spots.

A disappointing 2-0 home defeat to Coventry on October 1st had seen the Valiants slump out of the play-off places, but they climbed back to fourth with an impressive first away win of the season at MK Dons on Saturday.

It has been a brilliant start to life at Vale Park for Ribeiro, and his side are now just five points off leaders Scunthorpe and four off second-placed Bradford.

After the mini blip against Coventry, Ribeiro is delighted to be fling high again and said after the win at Stadium: MK: “It’s a great win because it’s a good club we played against, with good players and they are a strong team.

“I want to stay in the top six now till the end of the season, we know it will be difficult.”

The Portuguese boss, 40, credited the brilliant away performance to the fact he and his players stayed overnight in a hotel, near Milton Keynes, instead of travelling on the day of the game like usual.

If the travel time to a game is less than three hours, Vale chairman Norman Smurthwaite is reluctant to fund hotel stays for the team as the costs can reach nearly £2,500.

However, Ribeiro believes the night away helped his players prepare and told the Stoke Sentinel: “When we travel the same day, we have played against Swindon, Bristol and Peterborough. It is three hours’ drive and it is very difficult.

“Coming here [to MK Dons] everybody was fresh and everybody understood what I want for this game.

“We had more rest, the players had more rest and everything is different. The players could run for 90 minutes or 95.”