It’s fair to say the 2022/23 season has been another frustrating one for Port Vale fans. The season promised so much pre-World Cup. But the reality is there is now very little left to play for. The play-offs aren’t going to happen for the Valiants, and a lot would have to go wrong for Vale to get dragged into the relegation battle.
But as annoying as that is for Vale fans, there is still a lot to be decided in League One between now and the end of the season. Questions such as who is going to win League One, and who will be the four teams in the playoffs, still need to be answered.
Three teams fighting for the League One title
Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth Argyle, and Ipswich Town are all battling it out to win League One. All three teams seem to be in with a chance, at least according to the outright markets. For those betting on football, odds show that the bookmakers seem to think Wednesday is going to top the table as they are just 4/9 to win the division. This is despite there only being a handful of points between the Owls, Plymouth, and Ipswich at the top. The rest of the top three in the betting sees Ipswich at 4/1, and Plymouth at 9/2.
The Owls do have games in hand on their two rivals. So that may be why the betting sites are seeing them as the most likely candidates to win the division.
What about the playoffs?
With only two sides gaining automatic promotion, one of those three sides will miss out and have to settle for a place in the playoffs. At the moment, joining the three leaders in the fight for a place in the playoffs are Barnsley, Derby, Bolton, Peterborough, Wycombe and Portsmouth.
Barnsley seems to be the team in the driving seat as they have games in hand on all of their rivals. Again this is supported by the bookmakers who make the Tykes just 1/200 to finish in the top six positions. Teams as far down as 10th place will still feel they are in with an outside chance of making the top six. However, the likes of Portsmouth know they can’t afford any slip-ups in the remainder of their season if they are to gatecrash the playoffs party.
Focus on this season is still needed for Vale
This all rules Vale out for another season. And although the Valiants still have a role to play as they are scheduled to face promotion-chasing Ipswich and Plymouth towards the end of the season, it’s likely that attention at Vale Park will already have switched towards planning for next season.
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That said, this campaign can’t be totally ignored. There is still a small chance Vale could get dragged into the relegation battle. There may also be players playing for their futures, as after such a disappointing end to the season, a shake-up in the playing staff can’t be ruled out.
And at the very least, a strong ending to this season for Vale could see the team starting the 2023/24 campaign on the front foot.
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