Tomlinson could not prevent a Vale defeat at his former club Crewe

Goalkeeper Stuart Tomlinson has said Port Vale need to end their recent slump quickly or lose the chance to win promotion from League Two this season.

"Doing so well early on, we've allowed ourselves to have that little blip, but it's gone on for too long now," he told BBC Radio Stoke. "It's not acceptable.

"I can't put my finger on what's going wrong but it needs sorting out."

Vale have lost four of their last five league matches and also went out of the FA Cup in the third round at Burnley.

A 2-1 defeat at local rivals Crewe on Saturday left Jim Gannon's side fourth in League Two, two points behind third-placed Rotherham and nine behind leaders Chesterfield.

Gannon stated after the match that he is actively looking for new players to bolster a squad that has been severely affected by injuries and suspension since the turn of the year.

Top scorer Marc Richards, striker Sean Rigg and midfielders Doug Loft and Louis Dodds were all missing for the game at the Alexandra Stadium.

"We've got a thin squad but everyone sticks together," Tomlinson continued.

"At the start of the season nobody was thinking we needed more numbers.

"I think because results aren't going our way, people will start picking up faults and knit-picking.

"It needs to be sorted out because we've lost five of the last six."

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