Port Vale: Adams rush to sign loan defender as Owen is out
PORT Vale manager Micky Adams is poised to bring in a defender before today's 5pm loan deadline after Gareth Owen was ruled out for at least the next three games.
Owen will have minor surgery tomorrow after damaging his cheekbone, which was healing from a fracture.
The centre-half wore a protective face mask in Tuesday's 2-2 draw with Torquay, but was forced off before half-time after taking a knock toin the face.
He is expected to be out for 10 to 14 days, leaving Adams chasing a loan signing.
The manager said: "I have already made some inquiries, because we don't want to leave ourselves short of defensive cover.
"It is disappointing for Gareth. We have looked solid away from home and he has been a part of that, but he has to get this right for himself."
Versatile former Ipswich youth defender Curtley Williams is training with Vale for a week and played in the reserves' 1-1 draw at Burton Albion last night.
But the 19-year-old free agent is a possibility for the future, rather than the ready-made replacement Adams is hoping to sign in time for Saturday's FA Cup second-round tie at home to Huddersfield.
Meanwhile, Sean Rigg insists he has all the motivation he needs to make his mark at Vale after being transfer-listed by Bristol Rovers.
The 21-year-old striker joined the club on loan hours before making his debut in the 2-2 home draw with Torquay United on Tuesday.
And after his man-of-the-match display, Rigg said: "I'm hoping to do well here, because being put on the transfer list was disappointing.
"I definitely want to stay in the League and do as well as I can.
"You have your ups and downs all the time in football, but you have keep your head down, keep at it and you'll get what you deserve."
Rigg and fellow loanee Lewis Haldane were placed on the transfer list by Rovers' boss Paul Trollope last May. But while Rigg has made only one appearance for Rovers this season, he did have a loan spell at Blue Square Premier side Forest Green Rovers, when he hit seven goals in 19 games.
Rigg, a first-half replacement for Louis Dodds on Tuesday, was deployed on the left side of a three-pronged attack, alongside leading scorer Marc Richards and Haldane in a 3-5-3 formation.
"With this system, the manager can push me out wide on the left as well so I can get at the full-backs and try to get a few balls into the box," he explained.
"It's good to have a few options. I'm hoping to get a few goals and I've just got to get my shots off.
"When that first goal goes in then they start rolling, so I've just got to concentrate on that first one."
Manager Micky Adams is resigned to seeing Haldane return to Rovers in the next few days, so needed to get cover in.
He said: "Sean scored goals at a struggling Forest Green side, so we've taken a gamble on whether he can take the next step. Haldane will go back to Rovers so we had to cover ourselves as well."
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