Port Vale's Vertu Trophy match-winner Ben Waine says the squad can feel the "passion and positivity" that has come into the club with the arrival of new manager Jon Brady. Former Northampton boss Brady has now overseen back-to-back wins since taking over from Darren Moore, with Waine's 90th-minute winner seeing off Bolton Wanderers on Tuesday to book Vale's place in the quarter-finals of the EFL Trophy. Waine was was part of Plymouth's run to the final in 2023 before injury denied him the chance to play at Wembley, but the thought of getting back there is a tantalising prospect. "Once you get out of the group stage and you realise how close you are to playing at Wembley - it's a massive occasion," Waine told BBC Radio Stoke. "I was injured at the time [with Plymouth] so I couldn't play but I experienced it and the atmosphere was amazing.

Source: BBC January 14, 2026 16:20 UTC