Valiants grab Gannon

Last updated : 06 January 2011 By westfield shrimper

Gannon: Takes Port Vale reins

Gannon gets a return to football with Port Vale

Sitting in fourth place Port Vale have been looking for a manager since Micky Adams walked out last week to join Championship club Sheffield United last week, and after a 5-0 reverse away to Rotherham at the weekend, they needed one, quickly.

And they've gone for Jim Gannon on a one-and-a-half-year contract, a disappointment to Stockport County fans who hoped he would replace their recently sacked boss Paul Simpson.

42-year-old Gannon led Stockport to promotion from the League basement in 2007-08, and remains a legendary figure at Edgley Park.

He was made redundant by the Hatters due to their earlier financial problems and joined Motherwell in the SPL in 2009, leaving them after only 25 games.

Gannon then helped out for a couple of months at Peterborough in early 2010 after Darren Ferguson was given his P45, but was not employed on a full-time basis, Gary Johnson getting that position.

Vale chairman Bill Bratt told www.port-vale.co.uk: "We are delighted that Jim has agreed to join Port Vale at what is undoubtedly a very exciting period for the club. We are an ambitious club and we believe Jim is the right appointment to deliver the success we are striving for."

After giving us a football lesson on August 21st at Roots Hall, when we lost to the Valiants 3-1, we hope that events on the field will prove closer when next we meet, at Vale Park, on the 9th of April.

Meanwhile, coach Peter Ward has been placed in temporary charge of first-team affairs at Stockport, and depending on results may keep the job.

Following the takeover of County by the 2015 consortium in June 2010, Ward took up on the chance to take charge of first team training of his former club during the close season whilst the new board searched for a permanent manager, which turned out to be the now sacked Simmo.

Ward was in fact Gannon's assistant while at Motherwell.

It's just 24 little hours:
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