John McCombe agreed a new two-year contract with Port Vale in May

Defender John McCombe believes Port Vale will need to repeat their defensive heroics to ensure another successful League Two campaign.

Only the top three teams conceded fewer goals that Vale last season.

"It was down to the whole team and the manager that we conceded less goals, not just the back four and the goalkeeper," he told BBC Radio Stoke.

"We've got the same defence, we'll have to keep working hard and then hopefully we'll do better than we did last year."

Micky Adams' side finished tenth in League Two last season, four points off a play-off place.

The Vale boss has added strikers Sean Rigg and Justin Richards, as well as goalkeeper Stuart Tomlinson, to his squad since the end of the campaign and McCombe believes competition for places will be fierce at Vale Park.

"Everyone's got to keep performing or you'll get dropped," added the former Hereford defender.

"I think it happened to nearly everyone last year, where they got left out of the team for a couple of weeks.

"You know it's going to be hard to get back in, so when you're in the starting 11 you just want to play well and stay there."

McCombe, 25, agreed a new two-year contract with the Valiants in May.

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