Port Vale manager Micky Adams has expressed his happiness at the partnership that Tom Pope and Lee Hughes have formed since the latter arrived at the club in January of this year.

Hughes has scored six times from his 12 outings for Vale, while Pope is the leading goalscorer with 27 strikes to his name.

"There's a blossoming partnership between Lee and Tom," Adams told The Sentinel.

"Their friendship is helping them grow closer and you can see on the pitch that they're gradually understanding each other's game more, which can only benefit the team."

"Early on, people were saying he and Tom couldn't play together because they were very similar. In a lot of respects, I can see that. But they're working closely now and I'm sure it's a pairing that can work for us."

Vale are currently second in the League Two table.