Port Vale vs Northampton Predictions

Following a couple of disappointing seasons in a row, morale can be pretty low when sides head into a new campaign, but with fresh faces in the dressing room and a summer to recharge their batteries, fans are always eager to get the action back under way. This weekends clash between Port Vale and Northampton Town represents a clash between two sides who will be hoping they are able to produce more than they have been able to manage over the past couple of seasons.

Port Vale will be pleased they were able to put up a resilient performance on the opening day of the campaign as they managed to hold promotion hopefuls Colchester United to a 1-1 draw on opposition territory. Away form was a constant thorn in their side last season so when Tom Pope found the back of the net from the penalty spot early on in that fixture, it looked to be a perfect tonic to their previous travel sickness. However, Vale’s defensive frailties are never too far away and it will be a concern that they have to live with for much of this campaign.

Making the trip to Vale Park is a Northampton Town side who will be pretty frustrated to how their season got underway as they welcomed League 2 new-comers Walsall on the opening day of the season. Unfortunately for the Cobblers, they were unable to make it a bad day for their visitors as Walsall went home with a 1-0 victory, a result which would have been a pretty bitter pill for them to swallow given that Northampton will be hoping to mount a promotion challenge this term.

With neither side getting off to the perfect start to the campaign this year, both will be determined to come out better this time around. Given that this fixture has seen an average of three goals scored per game over the last nine encounters, we think that backing there to be over 2.5 goals scored this time around represents the best chance of a decent return.