Following a ninth placed finish on their return to League One last season, Port Vale had a very difficult challenge in terms of trying to better that this campaign. To their credit, they have performed admirably for the majority of the season but it looks like their efforts have caught up with them and they have struggled of late. Vale come into this weekend having lost their last six league games which has seen them drop to 16th in the league. Before this current dismal run they had been comfortable in mid-table, but that will seem like a distant memory now as they prepare for a battle to stay in the division. Although there are plenty of teams below them, they are only two points ahead of Crewe who occupy the final relegation spot.
At the other end of the table, MK Dons are flinging everything they can into their challenge for automatic promotion. Four straight wins have put them in pole position of the chasing pack but they still remain five points behind second placed Preston, with Bristol City strolling towards the title. All MK Dons can do is continue to win games and hope that a couple of teams do them a favour by taking points off Preston. Should they fall short and end up in the play-offs then they will be very confident off going all the way after dismantling fourth placed Swindon – away – last weekend. It was a performance of real quality and when you put it alongside their other three victories in their winning run, they are certainly the form team in League One at the moment.
What has been especially damaging for Port Vale in recent weeks is losing to sides who are below them in the table. Defeats to Leyton Orient, Colchester and Crawley have not only dented the hopes of Vale surviving, but they have also breathed life into those clubs and improved their chances of staying up. Four of the eight clubs below them also have one more game still to play and should a couple of them win that, Robert Page’s men would be in serious bother. Their run-in is not the easiest either, as they face two three clubs who are currently in the top eight.
If Dons do fall short and fail to go up automatically (and do not get promoted through the play-offs) then they will look back at run they went on at the beginning of February when they lost five in seven games. It was at the same time when Preston were really beginning to motor and that stage of the season could be pivotal in the battle for second. Karl Robinson will not be thinking about that just yet and whatever happens in their next five games, it will be their best finishing position – and season – since their third place in 2009.
It goes without saying that this will not be an easy game for either side with so much at stake. Port Vale know how valuable three points would be in their battle to stay in a League One, and how important it is to put a halt to their six-game losing run. On the other hand, MK Dons probably have to win all five games between now and the end of the season if they are to finish second – but you wouldn’t put that past them in the form they’re in at the moment. They will have to be wary of the home team here, though, who have already defeated Sheffield United and Chesterfield at Vale Park this season. Despite that, I am very keen on an away win, such has been the manner of MK Dons victories over the last month.
MK Dons 20/23 @ Betfred
