Port Vale

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Port Vale have announced that senior head of recruitment Lee Darnbrough will leave the League Two club at the end of this month.

Darnbrough was appointed in June 2025 having left a similar role at Vale's neighbours Stoke City in February of the same year.

Port Vale were relegated from League One last season and are currently bottom of League Two with only two points from their opening five matches.

The club say head of recruitment Tommy Johnson and chief scout Martin Foyle will fill the void left by Darnbrough's departure.

Port Vale are at home to Exeter City on Saturday, 12 September (15:00 BST).

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Port Vale chief scout Martin Foyle will rely on his eyes over data and statistics when it comes to recommending possible signings for the club.

Foyle scored 107 goals in 356 games for the club, managed them from 2004 to 2007 and was inducted into the club's Hall of Fame in June.

He has previously filled recruitment roles at Northampton Town, Morecambe, St Mirren and Carlisle United. He told BBC Radio Stoke doing the job had changed over that time.

"A lot of it [now] is data driven which is something I didn't have a lot of at the previous three or four clubs - not that if affects anything because at the end of the day, scouting is about your eyes and your feel for a player and obviously if the club can afford to take them," the 63-year-old said.

"Social media has probably had the biggest affect on football, on managers and coaches, even players as well. It can be very tricky, there's a lot of lies out there and people get portrayed in different ways.

"That's the hardest thing to deal with - but as for the rest, going to games, meeting people, meeting agents who are connected with a lot of clubs... It's about trying to be open, honest and upfront, and tell it like it is.

"Contacts are huge - it is [about] who you know. I started about 10, 12 years ago with Chris Wilder and Alan Knill at Northampton - that was a baptism of what goes on. Recruitment is a completely different field and it's not as easy as people think."

Vale have signed a dozen players since relegation from League One last season.

They began the League Two campaign with a 2-0 loss at Oldham Athletic and next face back-to-back home games against Tranmere Rovers and Crewe Alexandra.

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