Former Lincoln City first-team development coach Richard O’Donnell has joined League One strugglers Port Vale, returning to the division with one of the Imps’ rivals.
The experienced coach has linked up with Jon Brady’s backroom staff at Vale Park after leaving his most recent role as assistant head coach at Shrewsbury Town earlier this year.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, current Valiants boss Jon Brady said: “Since Simon [Ireland] went, we needed support in that department because we have fixture after fixture. We need to make sure we’re working across the whole group and connecting with all the players; Richard is a very good, experienced coach who will help us with that.”
Richard O’Donnell at Sincil Bank
O’Donnell spent two and a half years at Sincil Bank between January 2020 and the summer of 2022, working under Michael Appleton as the club’s first-team development coach. It was a role designed to sit between the senior side and the Academy, ensuring young players remained closely connected to the first-team environment.
While Appleton and assistant David Kerslake focused on preparing the side for matches, O’Donnell’s job covered a broader development brief. He trained with the senior group on a daily basis, oversaw the progress of players out on loan and worked closely with Academy staff to help promising youngsters step up into first-team sessions.
It was also a role that required constant communication with players, gaining experience away from the club. O’Donnell regularly kept in touch with loan players, such as Jordan Adebayo-Smith and Alex Bradley, analysing their performances and speaking with managers at their temporary clubs to track their progress.
O’Donnell arrived at the club after more than a decade working within Hull City’s Academy system, where he coached across multiple age groups before moving into senior football. His background in youth development made him a natural fit for the structure we were building during that period.
Following his departure from Sincil Bank in 2022, he moved on to roles with Blackpool and Charlton Athletic before linking up again with Appleton at Shrewsbury Town. The pair joined the Shrews in 2025 but left the club earlier this year.
Port Vale have now brought him into their coaching set-up as they attempt to improve their fortunes in League One. The Valiants currently sit at the foot of the table and are battling to close a significant gap to safety during the final stretch of the season.