Former Northampton boss Jon Brady appointed boss of Port Vale

Former Northampton Town manager Jon Brady has been confirmed as the new manager at League One strugglers Port Vale.

Brady, who turns 51 later this month, has signed an initial 18-month contract to take over at the side currently sat bottom of the third tier table. Brady’s first game in charge will be an FA Cup tie against Fleetwood Town on Friday night.

He replaces Darren Moore, who left the Valiants in late December after a run of seven defeats in nine outings.

The news sees Brady return to first team management for the first time after resigning as Northampton Town boss in December 2024.

Brady managed the Cobblers between February 2021 and December 2024, winning 75 out of 200 games in charge. His time in charge of Northampton included winning promotion in the 2022/23 season and comfortable survival in League One during the 2023/24 campaign.

Before being in charge of the Cobblers, Brady had managed Brackley Town, where he lead them to the National League North for the first time as well as winning the Northamptonshire Senior Cup on three occasions.

Brady will make his first return to Sixfields as an opposition manager on February 24th, when Port Vale are scheduled to visit Northampton for a League One fixture.

Port Vale Chief Executive Matt Hancock told the club’s official website, “We’re delighted to welcome Jon to Vale Park as the club’s new manager. Jon was the standout candidate at the end of what was a thorough recruitment process, with his experience and passion for returning to management here at Port Vale really shining through.

“Jon is someone who we believe can make a real difference here in both the short and long term, and he will have our full support as we focus on achieving our objectives this season.”