Port Vale welcome Shrewsbury Town to Vale Park on Saturday in a game which should give us plenty of pointers regarding the League One relegation battle.
Going into it, the Valiants sit in the relegation zone and are seriously at risk of falling out of touch from the teams above them. A full six points off of safety, alarm bells are beginning to ring and since Darren Moore has take charge, no real improvements have been seen and the new manager is still yet to put his first three points on the board.
In fact, Port Vale are still without a win this calendar year and have amassed just three points from 11 games in 2024. The weekend clash with Shrewsbury brings the ideal opportunity for them to get back to winning ways, with the Shrews being the team who sit precariously above the relegation zone.
It’s fair to say that neither come into this in good form, Shrewsbury themselves have just one win in their last seven and that can mainly be attributed down to their performances in front of goal. That has problem for the team all season and they are the lowest scorers in the division.
With just 26 goals in 36 matches this season, it is obvious where the problems lie, however they might be able to exploit a very leaky Port Vale defence.
With that in mind, here’s how two of The Real EFL writing team see the game panning out…
“It’s no secret that this game is a huge one in the fight for survival. For me, Port Vale and Shrewsbury currently look the two of the likelier candidates to go down this season, which only makes the clash more intriguing.
Both are in fairly shocking form, something you’d expect from teams at the bottom. The Valiants are now at serious risk of falling out of touch with the rest of the teams around them, and it’s a must-win for them at this point.
Their defence is a real worry however Shrewsbury may not take advantage of that and it’s no guarantee that they will based off of their form in front of goal this season.
For that reason, I’m thinking Port Vale can get their first win of 2024.”
Port Vale 2-1 Shrewsbury Town
“Shrewsbury Town may have thought they could pull away from a relegation fight with their change in fortunes under their new boss, and especially following their 3-2 victory over Reading. However, two rather disappointing displays since, both ending in losses and no goals, have halted that hope. Now sitting in 20th, the position is beginning to look more precarious as the weeks go.
Travelling to fellow relegation battlers Port Vale, they’ll know they need to not lose at least.
For the home side, they are still yet to pick up a win under new boss Darren Moore and it would not be too outrageous to suggest there have been little to no improvements in terms of performance. This is a game that is going to see two of the poorest sides play out a poor game, on a poor pitch as they desperately try to stay in the division. I doubt either edge it.
Port Vale 1-1 Shrewsbury Town
Senior Editor
