Port Vale: Yates happy to sit back on his defensive laurels

By port vale steve shaw

ADAM Yates is targeting a regular place in Micky Adams's back-four after flourishing in his preferred full-back role last season.

The 27-year-old, from Norton Heights, pictured right, struggled to make an impact when playing wing-back in Adams's preferred 3-4-3 formation during the first half of last season. But he excelled when the manager switched to a 4-4-2 system at the turn of the year which helped his team power up the table to finish the campaign in 10th place.

"I felt a lot more comfortable when we went to 4-4-2 because I've played there all my life," said Yates, who arrived from Morecambe last summer.

"In Micky's 3-4-3 I was also playing a winger's role, and as hard as I tried I couldn't play as well as when I went to full-back.

"I had a chat with the manager at the end of the season and he said he was pleased with how well I'd done after going to right-back.

"We'll more than likely play 4-4-2 this season and playing right-back is something I want to do.

"I hope to play more games this year because I feel fitter and stronger than last year.

"I also think we'll do well – the buzz in our dressing room is as good as I've known."

Yates started just seven of the club's first 21 league games last season before Adams dropped his 3-4-3 wing-back system for a traditional 4-4-2 for the 2-1 victory at Grimsby on December 28.

Yates then played a starring role in a subsequent surge for the play-off places, making a further 18 starts before Vale eventually fell just short.

While Adams intends to keep faith with 4-4-2 this season, Yates added: "I think if we had played 4-4-2 earlier last season we would have gone up.

"I suppose that was our fault though for not showing the manager we could play it last summer.

"But there's no reason why we can't carry on off from where we left off from last season."