Vale Athletic confirm the stadium redevelopment will run a season late

The delay had been expected for months. The confirmation, when it arrived, came with a detail that had not been briefed in advance.

Capacity for the coming season will be reduced by roughly four thousand, and the club has accepted that a portion of that reduction falls on supporters who have held the same seats for two decades.

The compensation package is more generous than most. That will not be the part anybody remembers.