Exclusive: "I really do" - Sky Sports pundit makes exciting Port Vale prediction | OneFootball

It’s crunch time in League Two, and Port Vale look well setup for the fight under Moore

The race for promotion in League Two is hotting up as the final eight games of the season approach, and Port Vale are still very much in the frame.

The Valiants are level on points with AFC Wimbledon in the last automatic promotion spot and sit only six points behind league leaders Walsall.

The club appointed current boss Darren Moore with the intention of revitalising the club just over a year ago and, despite succumbing to relegation to the fourth tier last season, progress looks within touching distance.

We asked Sky Sports pundit and former midfielder Lee Hendrie whether he thinks Moore has what it takes to get Vale over the line.

Hendrie backs Port Vale for promotion under Moore

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Hendrie said: “Do I think Darren Moore will guide Port Vale to a promotion? I actually do, I really do.

“Knowing Mooro well and how he goes about his job and how he has done recently and in the past, is that he's got that drive to take the club forward.

“They're still in the mix. Obviously, Bradford have been excellent and Walsall have dropped off the pace.

“It's so tight in League Two to really push and get that promotion spot.

“But it's wide open. I do feel that Mooro has got the experience to go and do that and he has proved that wherever he's been.”

Vale’s extreme faith in Moore could soon pay off

Football management is the opposite of a ‘job for life’ trade, with the BBC calculating a couple of years ago that the average tenure for a boss in England’s top four divisions is around one and a half years.

It was clear, therefore, that Vale were trying to bat against that trend when they handed Moore a whopping five-and-a-half-year contract last February, raising more than a few eyebrows in the process.

Given the Valiants had slipped into a relegation battle in League One, and the bulk of Moore’s experience was in the third tier and the Championship, the lengthy contract was like a necessity to attract the 50-year-old.

The scale of the task became apparent when Vale slipped into League Two despite Moore’s best efforts in the little time he had at the back end of the 2023/24 season, and his position remained secure as the club looked to return to League One.

Hendrie picks up on Moore’s drive from his own personal knowledge of the coach, and that’s certainly evident in his team’s performance this season.

They were relegated at the same time as Carlisle United who, staring down the barrel of relegation to the National League, are living proof that it’s not as simple as just bouncing straight back up.

But Moore has managed to inject his energy into his side and have them right up there challenging with the top teams in League Two.

Given the shaky form of Wimbledon and Walsall in particular, you wouldn’t bet against Vale climbing into those top three spots.

If they manage that, Vale have had the foresight to appoint a manager with the experience to take them all the way through to the Championship eventually.

The details around Moore’s appointment may have raised a few eyebrows at the time but, should he seal an immediate return to League One as Hendrie predicts, it will look a masterstroke from the decision-makers at Vale Park.