Port Vale's Summer Reset: Ben Garrity's Role in Rebuild

Relegation rarely comes quietly, and at Port Vale the response is already taking shape. At the heart of it sits a simple question: does the captain stay for the fight?

Ben Garrity, the driving force in midfield and the armband-wearer in a bruising campaign, has been offered a new contract as Vale prepare for life back in League Two. Talks are under way, and his decision will say plenty about the direction of the club under Jon Brady.

Garrity, 29, arrived from Blackpool in June 2021 and has become a fixture at Vale Park, racking up 198 appearances in all competitions. He helped drag the club up to League One in the 2024-25 promotion season, a symbol of the energy and edge that powered that rise. This year never quite caught fire for him: a disrupted pre-season, injuries biting early, and only 28 appearances as Vale’s season unravelled.

Now, with the club finishing 22nd and 10 points short of safety, he stands as one of the few constants in a squad about to be stripped back.

Brady's Rebuild

Brady’s rebuild has already claimed its first major casualties. Seven players who were part of the group that climbed out of League Two under Darren Moore two seasons ago are being released: Ben Amos, Mitch Clark, Ben Heneghan, Jesse Debrah, Sam Hart, Ben Lomax and Funso Ojo. They are joined through the exit door by Arron Davies, Tyler Magloire, Grant Ward and Andre Gray.

It is a decisive break with the recent past, a clear signal that sentiment will not dictate selection.

Not everyone is heading out. Defender Connor Hall and midfielder Ryan Croasdale will remain at the club for the 2026-27 season after extensions in their contracts were triggered. Both offer something Brady badly needs: reliability, familiarity and a spine around which he can build.

There is ruthlessness in the goalkeeping and midfield departments too. Marko Marosi and Jordan Shipley, each signed on two-year deals at the start of the season, have been made available for transfer. Rico Richards and Ruari Paton have also been placed on the market as Vale clear space on the wage bill and in the dressing room.

When the dust settles on the retained list, 19 players will still be under contract. It is a base, not a finished squad. A framework, not yet a team.

The task now is stark. Turn a relegated group into promotion contenders in a single summer. Keep the right leaders, move on the passengers, and find the hunger that once took Vale out of this division.

Whether Garrity leads that charge back through League Two could define the tone of the entire comeback.