On Saturday, Port Vale will host Shrewsbury Town at Vale Park in a match that should provide plenty of information about the League One relegation struggle.
The Valiants are in the relegation zone going into it and run a real risk of losing ground to the teams above them. Alarms are starting to go off because the team is six points off safety, no significant progress has been made since Darren Moore took over, and the new manager has yet to record his first three points.
In fact, Port Vale has only collected three points from 11 games in 2024 and are still without a win for the year. Given that Shrewsbury is the team that sits just above the relegation zone, this weekend’s matchup presents the perfect chance for them to get back to winning ways.
It’s safe to say that neither team enters the game in good form. Shrewsbury, for example, has only won once in their last seven games, largely due to poor goal-scoring efforts. The team has struggled with that throughout the season, and they have the lowest scoring team in the division.
They have scored just 26 goals in 36 games this season, so it’s clear where the issues are, but they could be able to take advantage of a very weak Port Vale defence.
With that in mind, here’s how two of The Real EFL writing team see the game panning out…
Ivan Newsome
“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
Charlie Beeston
“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
