MIDFIELDER Shane Tudor says he regrets the savage manner in which he criticised Macclesfield Town after their thumping 4-1 triumph against the Valiants.

The defeat, on September 20, which prompted the sacking of former boss Lee Sinnott, led to Tudor's post-match rant in which he belittled Macclesfield in a short tirade, which began: "It's Port Vale here. We're playing Macclesfield Town. No disrespect to them, but they're a s*** club."

Tudor says his emotions were running high in the aftermath of the game and he was frustrated at only being handed five minutes to try to turn the game in Vale's favour, having been brought on as an 85th-minute substitute.

Although the 26-year-old stopped short of withdrawing the sentiment of his comments, he said: "I don't regret what I said, I regret the way in which I portrayed my opinions.

"I believe in the sentiment 100 per cent, but I do regret how I expressed that opinion.

"I should really apologise to Macclesfield. The chairman (Bill Bratt) came to me and said, 'look, you're out of order Shane'.

"I explained the situation and that we were 2-1, and then 3-1 down, and I only got five minutes.

"I was disappointed and angry, but that's how a player should be, and they shouldn't be happy if they're not playing.

"Nobody else would do the interview, so I thought I would go and do it. I only played for five minutes so it didn't look as bad on me.

"I thought I would keep everybody else out of the limelight and do them a favour, and hoped they would do me a favour in the future.

"I was asked a question, I gave him an answer, and wrongly I put it into those words, but rightly, it was true."

On the following Monday, the same day Sinnott was sacked, Vale chairman Bill Bratt had words with Tudor, although the winger escaped disciplinary action. However, Bratt did send a letter of apology to Macclesfield's chairman.

Tudor added: "I've not said anything bad about this club, and even more so, I've highlighted that this club should be higher than what it is.

"The chairman just told me to keep my gob shut. I apologised to him and I said I would ring the Macclesfield Town chairman.

"But the chairman (Bratt) said it wasn't a problem and just told me to be careful in the future."

VALE fans are being urged to ditch their cars and travel to next week's away fixture at Shrewsbury Town on one of the club's official supporters' coaches.

Fans who do travel to the Prostar Stadium, on Saturday October 11 (kick-off 3pm), will not be able to park in roads surrounding the venue.

Instead, they will be forced to park two-and-a-half miles away from the stadium at one of three park and ride sites, although buses will be available to take fans to and from those locations.

The nearest train station is two miles away from the Prostar, and again, nearby buses will transport supporters to the stadium.

Vale's official coaches will depart from Vale Park at 11.30am next week and cost £10 for adults and £8.50 (concessions). Fans can book their seats at the club shop, or by calling (01782) 655838.

YOUTH midfielder Luke Chapman faces another five weeks on the sidelines after having an operation to fix damaged cartilage in his knee.