On loan central defender Gareth Owen says he hopes to find out if he has a future at Huish Park this weekend. Both Owen and manager Russell Slade have said that they want to extend his current loan deal in Somerset, and speaking to the Stoke Sentinel Owen also revealed that he wants to organise a permanent deal with a club so that he can sever his current ties with parent club Stockport County:
"I haven't been offered anything by Yeovil yet. I expect to find out what's happening at the weekend. Yeovil is a great club. The manager has been pleased with me and the fans seem to have taken to me. I'd prefer a permanent move because I'm not required at Stockport and I don't want to go through the lottery of the January transfer window and possibly be left in limbo."
Owen is from Blythe Bridge - a small village in the Staffordshire Moorlands that has gradually been swallowed up by the growing mass of suburbs that surround Stoke-on-Trent, and therefore Port Vale had high hopes that their 'local lad' would sign for them when it became clear that Owen's days at Stockport were numbered. Owen admitted that with his future still undecided that he would listen to a second offer from Vale if it gave him an opportunity to settle down permanently at a club:
"I gave some serious thought to joining Vale because it's a great club. Of course I would consider another offer from them. I'm not ruling anything in or out. It wouldn't bother me moving down to League Two, and although you want to test yourself at the highest level possible, I just want to play football and I know all about the division. When I was growing up, Vale were always a Championship or League One club. It's been a shock to see their demise to League Two, but they won't be down there long."
This morning's Western Daily Press confirms that Owen's last game will be against Peterborough United on Saturday, with the loan length specified as a 31 day deal. Thereafter Owen's future will be up for grabs and clearly the Glovers need to move quickly to ensure that the defender does not start getting tempted by alternative offers. The Sentinel's view is that Stockport will not be seeking a fee for Owen, with them anxious to get him off their payroll due to his fall-out with Hatters manager Jim Gannon, and the fact that his contract at Edgeley Park expires next summer.
Whilst on such Port Vale related topics, the WDP also confirm that Vale striker Luke Rodgers was at Tuesday night's match against Leicester City. However, they claim that he was at the game with his agent Mark Cartwright, who represents Yeovil Town midfielder Gary Roberts and so suggest that his presence at the match shouldn't be read into too much.
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13 November 2008 : 
