Port Vale say Gary Neville has been as good as his word as Salford have paid for fans’ coach travel for the postponed game between the teams at the Peninsula Stadium.
The teams should have met at Salford on Saturday February 5 but the game was postponed because of a waterlogged pitch at 1.30pm and has subsequently been rearranged for Tuesday April 5 (7.45pm).
Vale had sold around 1,300 tickets and some fans had started to arrive by the time of the pitch inspection.
So, Salford co-owner Neville apologized to Vale and their supporters on social media and said his club would pay for Vale players and fans coach travel.
Salford are obliged by league rules to pay for the Vale players’ transport but those rules don’t include the five supporters’ coaches that had headed to the game.
However, Vale chief executive Colin Garlick has confirmed Salford have paid for fans who were traveling on both the official coaches and the popular independent “Fun Bus” coach travel run by supporter Paul Dixon.
So, supporters who had coach tickets for the original game have the option of a refund or traveling to the rearranged game for free.
Garlick said: “I know Gary Neville tweeted and also their chairperson contacted Carol on the day of the game to say they would pay for the supporters’ coaches.
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“So, consequently we offered refunds to those that had booked on the official coach through the club shop. We also contacted Paul and asked him to get us a copy of his invoices.
“We sent them, along with ours, to Salford and, to be fair to them, we received a check for full payment for the coaches last week.
“Salford were good to their word. They said they would do it and they have.
“There were altogether five coaches going and that is what they have paid for.”
The independent “Fun Bus” coaches run by Paul Dixon raise money for the club and local good causes including the Supporters’ Club projects to finish the Lorne Street Stand concourse and raise funds for a statue of John Rudge.
He was taking 160 fans on three coaches to the game and is contacting them about Salford’s refund.
He said: “It was a great gesture from what turned out to be a rubbish day with the game being called off.
“I am trying to get the money back to the original people which is a job on its own, but a few people have already said to put it towards the John Rudge statue and the Lorne Street fund.”
The Vale return to action this evening when they are at Rochdale (7.45pm).