PORT Vale manager Michael Brown has been given a vote of confidence from the club’s board despite the side’s abject start to the new season.

The Valiants are rock bottom of the table with just three points to their name and have lost each of their last six league matches.

Former Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United midfielder Brown was only appointed at Vale Park for the second half of last season and was unable to prevent them falling to relegation in League One.

After failing to stop the slide at the start of the new campaign, there have been calls from sections of the Vale fanbase for Brown to be sacked.

However, Valiants chief executive Colin Garlick has given Brown his backing, stating that everyone at the club is working hard to turn their fortunes around as soon as possible.

Garlick told BBC Radio Stoke: “Michael’s the manager, so we just carry on with it.

“We’re not fools. We can see what’s going on. All we’re doing at the moment is supporting the manager and his players. Everyone else is speculating.

“Collectively, the chairman (Tony Fradley) or the owner (Norman Smurthwaite) would have those discussions. But it’s not something I feel I can make on my own and one I hope I’m not going to have to make.”

  •  FOREST Green Rovers goalkeeper Bradley Collins has been accused of spitting at Lincoln City defender Sean Raggett during Tuesday’s match.

Ugly scenes marred the latter stages of the contest – which ended in a 1-0 Lincoln win – with Imps boss Danny Cowley accusing 20-year-old Collins of spitting at one of his players in the aftermath.

Cowley told BBC Radio Lincolnshire: “Their goalkeeper spat at Sean Raggett, so that’s what is all started from. We are categorical on that.

“I am not hiding from it. That’s what he did and our players reacted as a consequence of that.

“I think Sean lost his cool and a few of ours that saw it did as well and that created what it created, but it was instigated from their goalkeeper who spat at Sean Raggett.”

The Football Association are aware of the allegation.

  •  CAMBRIDGE United striker Ade Azeez is set for an extended spell on the sidelines due to a knee injury.

Azeez only joined the U’s over the summer after a switch from Partick Thistle in the Scottish Premiership and has made seven appearances for the club.

However, the 23-year-old has picked up a ligament injury, with Cambridge boss Shaun Derry saying he will likely to be out of action for a “large period of time”.

Derry told BBC Radio Cambridge: “We’re not expecting him back in the near future.

“Ade’s not yet been to the specialist to get the absolute result but this is going to be one that puts him out for a large period of time.

“But whenever you have somebody missing, it gives an opportunity for someone else.”