Preview: Port Vale vs Northampton Town - prediction, team news, lineups

Port Vale welcome Northampton Town to Vale Park for their latest League One fixture on Saturday afternoon.

While the hosts are bidding to win their fourth league game in a row, the visitors are hoping to collect maximum points for the fifth time in six matches.

Match preview

After securing automatic promotion from League Two last season, Port Vale endured a difficult start to life in the third tier, failing to win any of their opening seven league matches (D2 L5), but they have since turned their fortunes around in impressive fashion.

Indeed, the Valiants have valiantly won each of their last three league games against Exeter City, Mansfield Town and Barnsley by an aggregate score of 6-1, beating the latter 2-0 away from home last weekend courtesy of second-half goals from Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel and Ryan Croasdale.

Head coach Darren Moore believes that there is “more to come” from his Port Vale side after an "almost perfect away performance" and their recent upturn in form has helped them to climb from second-bottom to 16th in the table, three points clear of the relegation zone.

Port Vale are preparing to return to home soil for the first time since losing 2-0 to Arsenal in the EFL Cup just over a week ago, and Moore’s men head into Saturday’s contest unbeaten across their last four home meetings with Northampton (D2 L2).

The Valiants claimed a slender 1-0 win over Northampton in their last home encounter in League One in September 2023, but the Cobblers got their revenge in April 2024 when they secured a 2-0 victory; they are now bidding to win back-to-back games against Port Vale for the first time since the 2016-17 season.

Kevin Nolan’s side have also enjoyed an upturn in form in recent weeks, winning four of their last five League One matches without conceding a goal against Exeter, Leyton Orient, Blackpool and Bolton Wanderers, beating the latter 2-0 last weekend.

Two goals in the space of just three second-half minutes from Cameron McGeehan and Sam Hoskins sealed all three points for Northampton, who have risen to 13th in the third-tier standings and could climb to as high as seventh with a win this weekend if other results go their way.

Nolan is expecting “another tough one” against Port Vale and he is keen to see his team’s away form improve, as the Cobblers have only won three of their last 10 league matches on the road (D2 L5), conceding 14 goals in the process.

Port Vale League One form:

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Port Vale form (all competitions):

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Northampton Town League One form:

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Northampton Town form (all competitions):

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Team News

Port Vale have received a triple injury boost ahead of Saturday, as Moore has confirmed that goalkeeper Ben Amos, wing-back Kyle John and striker Jayden Stockley are all in contention to face Northampton. All three players are likely to begin as substitutes, though.

Meanwhile, defensive duo Mitch Clark and Liam Gordon are sidelined with injuries, the latter of whom will remain unavailable for “some considerable time”.

Devante Cole has scored three goals in his first four league appearances for the Valiants and the striker is expected to lead the line one again alongside Ronan Curtis.

As for Northampton, Nolan could welcome back as many as five players to the first-team squad this weekend; Max Dyche, Lee Burge, Elliott List, Jack Burroughs and Nesta Guinness-Walker could all be back in contention, and the same can be said for Jack Perkins, who missed the win over Bolton due to illness.

Strikers Ethan Wheatley and Jack Vale were both taken off against Bolton, but Nolan has revealed that the pair are both "fine" and have taken part in training this week, while Ross Fitzsimons will remain as the club’s starting goalkeeper for the foreseeable future ahead of Lee Burge.

Port Vale possible starting lineup:

Gauci; Debrah, Hall, Humphreys; Lawrence-Gabriel, Garrity, Byers, Croasdale, Headley; Curtis, Cole

Northampton Town possible starting lineup:

Fitzsimons; McCarthy, Dyche, Perkins; Hoskins, Campbell, Thorniley, Guinness-Walker; McGeehan, Fornah, Wheatley

We say: Port Vale 1-1 Northampton Town

Both teams will enter Saturday’s contest in high spirits and will back themselves to claim maximum points considering their positive runs of form. However, neither side have been involved in too many high-scoring matches so far this term and we feel that a tight affair could be in store, one that may end with the spoils being shared on this occasion.

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