The striker who turned Portsmouth down on move again after ex-Charlton, Aberdeen and Luton man drops into League Two

The one-time Blues loanee has dropped into League Two after signing for Port Vale for an undisclosed fee.

The striker netted 13 goals in 59 games during an 18-month stay at Fleetwood, while finished as top scorer last season as they suffered relegation.

Now he has become Darren Moore’s third summer signing for the Valiants, joining former Pompey favourite Ronan Curtis.

Back in June 2021, Stockley was on the verge of signing for the Blues under Danny Cowley, only to change his mind and instead join Charlton.

It was a huge blow to Cowley, who had been appointed head coach following initially serving on an interim basis, during a difficult summer of recruitment.

Stockley, who had scored twice in 12 games during a previous Fratton Park loan spell in 2015-16, opted to remain at Charlton on a permanent basis, where he’d enjoyed a successful loan from Preston.

He would go on to net 23 times in 18 months at The Valley before switching to Fleetwood in January 2023 for an undisclosed fee.

Speaking to Port Vale’s official website, manager Moore, said: ‘Jayden is an experienced striker with a proven track record of scoring goals and will add an aggressive, combative and quality dynamic to our final third.

‘He is another player who sets himself the highest standards both on and off the pitch and will be a real role model to the younger players in our squad.

‘I am absolutely delighted to welcome Jayden to Vale Park and we are all looking forward to working closely with him next season.’

Stockley was previously on loan at Pompey during Paul Cook’s first season at the helm in 2015-16.

He memorably levelled with a diving header to mark a stunning comeback from 3-0 down against Morecambe In August 2015.

However, his time at Fratton Park was impacted by injury and he returned to parent club Bournemouth in January 2016.

Following spells at Exeter (twice), Aberdeen and Preston, the Blues were subsequently back in for the centre-forward more than five years later - only for him to choose Charlton.

Now he’s bidding to fire Port Vale back into League One at the first time of asking following last season’s relegation.