Port Vale Betting Guide 23/24
A look ahead to some Port Vale odds ahead of the new season.
Relative satisfaction
Well that’s the 2022/23 League One campaign at an end and it’s fair to say that Port Vale’s season was one of relative satisfaction. The main objective was always going to be consolidation in the third tier following the promotion of the previous campaign and that has at least been achieved. Things got underway in excellent fashion with a win over Fleetwood Town and concluded with an unsurprising 3-1 defeat at home to champions Plymouth Argyle, while in between came a mixed bag of results (23 defeats, 10 wins and 13 wins in total). The question is, will we see an improved showing next season and a push towards the play-offs at the very least?
New manager
Having taken the reins for the closing four games of the season following the dismissal of Darrell Clarke, Andy Crosby will remain in the hot-seat into the new season and the 50 year-old will be hoping to lead Port Vale to a successful 2023/24 campaign. In fairness, prior to the start of the 22/23 season, most fans felt that retaining a League One position would be the main objective and as such, most will have been happy that this was achieved. Nevertheless the downturn in form after January was frustrating and thoughts will now be turning to the new campaign and hopefully an upturn in fortunes. Crosby’s four games in charge returned just three points (courtesy of a 2-0 win over Bristol Rovers), however the previous seven matches prior to his arrival had involved three draws and four defeats.
Strengthening the squad
Few will have been surprised by the departure of Clarke and even fewer will have been shocked by the appointment of Crosby as his successor. He certainly has plenty of experience behind him and has done well in his temporary managerial stints at the club, however he has a chance to prove his mettle on a more permanent footing in the new season. Crosby will clearly look to strengthen the squad and many – myself included – will feel that some additional height wouldn’t go amiss. By this I mean a tall goal keeper, one or more taller central defenders, a taller striker and a strong midfielder. Some extra pace would obviously be of benefit, while given that there were a few passengers last term, there should be some improvement on recruitment.
New deal
The good news ahead of the new campaign is that Midfielder Ben Garrity will remain at Vale Park after signing a new two-year contract. The 26 year-old has now spent two seasons with the club and has banged in 13 goals in his 90 appearances, 12 of these coming in the 2021/22 campaign. This new deal will keep Garrity at Vale Park until the close of the 2024/25 season at the earliest. This term he made 37 appearances with just a single goal coming his way, however the received an injury in the 1-0 victory over MK Dons earlier this year and was absent for the rest of the season.
Departures
Departures from Vale Park include promotion heroes Tom Pett and Jamie Proctor who are amongst six players released by the club. Midfielder Pett has made 83 appearances for Port Vale across two seasons while Striker Proctor banged in 12 goals throughout the 2021/22 campaign. Other departures include Sam Robinson, Derek Agwakya, Rory Holden and keeper Lucas Covolan. Mal Benning, James Wilson, David Worrall and Dan Jones are all out of contract this summer and at the time of writing they are in talks to extend their stay at Vale Park.
Betting odds
The leading betting websites go as high as 50/1 on Port Vale winning the League One title and this in many respects is a fair reflection of the chances of the trophy coming to Vale Park. At the time of writing, Derby County are favourites to clinch the title at a general 5/1 while Bolton Wanderers and defeated play-off finalists Barnsley complete the top three in the market at 6/1 apiece.
A price of 12/1 on promotion suggests that the Valiants might be in the mix at the end of the campaign while the major UK bookmakers go 5/1 that a top six finish to the season is on the cards. Derby are firm favourites to make the jump up to the second tier (either automatically or via the play-offs) while the Rams are odds-on at 10/11 for a top six finish to the campaign.
The League One relegation odds for the 2023/24 season have yet to be released by the main UK and Irish betting sites, however Port Vale are likely to be amongst the leading contenders for the drop once again. Relegation back to League Two was a concern in the latter stages of the 22/23 season and as the curtain came down on the campaign, just four points separated the Valiants from the drop zone, a run of 11 defeats in 18 outings threatening to send Vale down into the drop zone.
The Valiants managed just 3 wins from their last 22 outings in 2022/23 and they managed to cling onto their third tier status purely on account of their relatively solid form throughout September and October where they picked up a respectable 15 points from a possible 30. Crosby will be aiming for a similar showing in the early stages of the new campaign although this principal remit will once again be to ensure League One football stays at Vale Park for another season.
Port Vale 2022/23 Best Betting Odds
50/1 – To win the League One title
12/1 – To win promotion to the Championship
6/1 – To finish in the Top Six
2022/23 Fixture list
The 2023/24 League One fixture list is set to be announced on June 22nd and full details of Port Vale’s opponents and match dates will be available on the BBC website.