It brings to an end two years of mediocrity from the former Watford, Leyton Orient, Colchester and Wigan Athletic man, who arrived at Vale Park in the summer of 2022 and was heralded as “a real asset” by former director of football David Flitcroft.
However, Massey never got close to hitting the heights of his five seasons at Wigan and finishes his Vale career having made 98 total appearances and scoring just four goals.
After Wigan Athletic won League One in 2022, Massey signed with the Valiants. That season, he made 33 appearances, but just nine of those were as a starter.
He had played five seasons with Wigan, including two in the Championship, so his affection for the team did not seem to have waned when he was let go. He told the Wigan website, “I’ll be a Latics fan forever.”
After Wigan Athletic won League One in 2022, Massey signed with the Valiants. That season, he made 33 appearances, but just nine of those were as a starter.
He had played five seasons with Wigan, including two in the Championship, so his affection for the team did not seem to have waned when he was let go. He told the Wigan website, “I’ll be a Latics fan forever.”
Inauspicious start at Vale Park
Massey’s tenure with Burslem didn’t start out well, as manager Darrell Clarke stated at the beginning of the season that he was unfit due to “a long summer break”.
After he recovered, Massey was a regular in the squad that was doing brilliantly in the top half of the table. However, his versatility meant that he was never really able to lock down a starting position, which may be telling for his tenure at Vale.
As Clarke put Vale up in a 3-5-2 formation, Massey found himself lined up as one of two attacking midfielders, sometimes wide right, and often in an unaccustomed wing-back role.
He never once exuded confidence and provided little in the way of goal danger. During the 90-minute match against Morecambe on Boxing Day, Massey found himself playing in three different places, even if he did score the game’s important winner.
