How can Port Vale win the League Two play-offs?
The English football pyramid is genuinely one of the most unpredictable yet passionately followed collections of leagues globally. Fans will travel up and down the country in all conditions to see their team battle for their position in the table, hoping to get promoted to a higher division.
Port Vale have come back from a worse than mediocre season last year by playing some scintillating football, earning their spot in the play-off semi-final. Vale’s opponents are Swindon Town, who finished one place behind them in the league. But how can they go the whole way and win promotion to League One?
Overcome not winning Automatic Promotion
Port Vale finished only two points and one goal difference below Bristol Rovers for the final automatic spot, with the last few games costing them dearly. The top two finished level on points for a tight title race, comparable to what we see from Liverpool and Manchester City, whose odds to win the Premier League are incredibly close with only a couple of games to go.
Only seven points separated the top seven at the end of the year and Port Vale had an automatic promotion in their sights. However, three losses in their last five games dashed their dream of avoiding the play-offs and heading straight to League 1. Nevertheless, with two legs to come against Swindon Town, Darrell Clarke needs to have his players focused on giving the fans what they deserve.
Turn Form Around
The challenge that faces the squad coming into their play-off matchup is losing form at the wrong time. The team has hit a few stumbling blocks rather than gaining steam at the season’s business end. They haven’t scored more than one goal since the 9th of April and gave up more than two goals in four of their last six games. Having James Wilson and Jamie Proctor firing on all cylinders in the play-offs will be vital to their promotion hopes.
However, they ended the season on a high with a 1-0 win against Exeter City, which cost them the title. Exeter was top of the table into the match and needed at least a point, but a victory would’ve guaranteed the title. It was a pressure-filled game against a team that required a result; Exeter had most of the possession with 61% and 17 shots to Port Vale’s six. Nevertheless, Port Vale claimed a crucial win that hopefully turned their form around for the play-offs.
Forget the Past
Having automatic promotion within touching distance but ultimately not getting it is a brutal blow for the squad. It is compounded by the fact that Port Vale finished 13th last year but nearly completed a stellar one-year turnaround. Nevertheless, they still had a thrilling season that saw them play some of their best football. Rather than seeing the play-offs as a negative, it can be thought of as a golden opportunity to get back to League One for the first time since 2017. With the two meetings with Swindon Town this year being split, the semi-final will be too close to call, but it’s an opportunity Port Vale can’t miss.