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Bulls boss Richard O'Kelly is very familiar with Vale Park, having been there in both on and off-field roles.
The former striker spent 18 months there as a player, managing 28 games in an injury-hit spell, before starting his coaching career as their Community Officer during the 1990/1 season.
Current Valiants coach Mark Grew, who was also a Vale player during O'Kelly's time there, told the BBC the pair were friends: "I know their manager very well from when we played together at the Vale. He's also a friend of mine, but we will be enemies until the game is over."
"Ritchie is an excellent coach and I said to him a few years ago that I thought he should have a go at the manager's job and he's done it now and I think he will be successful. I think deep down he has always wanted to do it. There isn't an ideal time, but I think perhaps now is the right time for him.
"He will have put it to his players that it is a never say die situation. He never game up as a player and he certainly won't give up as a manager."
O'Kelly was signed to Vale by former boss John Rudge, now Director of Football at Stoke where the Bulls recently trained on their way to Morecambe.
