Port Vale Must Find Consistency To Avoid Nervous End To The Season
Sat in a congested mid-table in League One entering the second half of the season, Port Vale’s mixed form this term has been self-evident.
Capable of thrashing teams pushing for promotion and losing to sides battling to avoid the drop, manager Andy Crosby is desperately seeking the consistency that would mean Vale is looking upwards and not over their shoulders.
Jekyll And Hyde At Times
Looking back at some of the games of the busy festive period, it’s easy to see how frustration has arisen. At their best, they’re more than capable of overcoming most teams in this division. Vale, who are currently priced at 30/1 in the football odds to finish in the top six this season, produced their most comprehensive win of the campaign on December 29th with a 3-0 victory against promotion-chasing Blackpool.
Ben Garrity, James Wilson and Nathan Smith all got on the score sheet for a Vale side that are 11/1 in the football betting tips to be relegated this season. On the high of that impressive win over the Tangerines at Vale Park, Crosby then saw his side suffer a 2-1 defeat against relegation battlers Carlisle United three days later.
Garrity had given Vale the lead in that clash at Carlisle, but a penalty given away helped spark a comeback in the last 10 minutes from the hosts at Brunton Park. This certainly stung, but there should be cause for optimism heading into the second half of the rigorous League One campaign.
It’s been the tale of the season so far, with swings in fortunes that have left Vale in limbo in the middle of the table. Even with the frustration the inconsistency brings, it’s fine margins that could turn Vale’s fortunes around and bring on a patch of strong form.
Vale Seeking August Repeat
This season, Vale has already shown they’re capable of producing a positive run of results. Having claimed 10 points from an available 12 in a four-game spell back in August, Crosby landed himself the EFL League One Manager of the Month award. It was an impressive feat, especially after an afternoon to forget against Barnsley on the opening day of the 2023/24 campaign. However, the good form was to only last so long, as Crosby then saw his side go on an 11-game win-less run in the league and a disappointing exit from the FA Cup at the hands of Stevenage.
Crosby will be determined to tap back into the form that saw Vale fly up the table in August and early September. Solidifying Vale’s defence will be a priority, as clean sheets have been hard to come by. Conceding 38 goals in the first 25 games of the campaign, resolving the defensive issues would go a long way to seeing this side rediscover that August form.
It’s already been a season of ups and downs for Vale but there’s potential in this side and it’s up to Crosby to try and squeeze it out of this squad consistently.