 He featured 42 times in the 1981–82 season, scoring goals against Hartlepool United and Lincoln City.He scored seven goals in 45 games in the 1982–83 promotion campaign, including a brace in a 4–1 win over Mansfield Town at Vale Park.However he and numerous other players fell out with manager John McGrath over player wages, and as a result Armstrong, Barry Siddall, Russell Bromage, and Geoff Hunter all remained on weekly contracts.