Friday 29 March 2013 19:44, UK
Port Vale boss Micky Adams was eager to credit all his players and not just Tom Pope after a 3-2 victory over Cheltenham.
Pope, voted the best player in League Two by rival managers last weekend, ended an 11-game barren spell to take his season's tally to 30 goals with an impressive hat-trick. He also became the first player in history to score three hat-tricks in a season at Vale Park, but Adams said: "I was delighted with all of them. "We told the players how important it was to be brave and positive and I'm very pleased to say they responded magnificently. "When there was a forward pass on we played it forward, when there was a cross on we put the ball into the box. We told them not to take the easy option because a positive mindset is vital when the going gets tough. "Saying that, Tom was superb. He was the catalyst to what we did. He's a local boy who is desperate to do well for the club he has supported since he was a boy. "He epitomises the spirit we've got here. Some people have questioned that spirit and we have had a difficult spell, but we are a close-knit group and days like this bring us even closer. "It's a very welcome win against one of our promotion rivals, but there is still work to do and will make sure we prepare in the right way for all of our last six games."