Port Vale could mathematically secure survival with a win at Exeter City on Saturday afternoon, depending on other results, and Scott Brown is determined to pick up a third successive league win.
The recent victories against Northampton Town and Crewe Alexandra have lifted the Valiants 10 points ahead of 23rd-placed Yeovil Town, and John Askey was also shortlisted for March’s Manager of the Month award.
Vale’s goalkeeper insists that he and his teammates are thriving in the style they’ve been allowed to play, and Brown is enjoying the positivity around the club at the moment.
He said: “He’s been great to work with and he’s got us pressing high up the pitch. People might have doubted us after his first four games, but we kept working hard on the training ground and results have turned for us.
“I think we’re averaging two points per game over the last few weeks and that is promotion form, but we’re not getting too carried away.
“We want to make sure we get to 50 points and ensure safety ourselves rather than relying on other teams - we’re now in a great position to do that.
“The lads have done brilliantly at the back. Leon Legge has been great when he’s played and Kyle Howkins was fantastic last week, so that just shows the quality of training.
After signing from Wycombe Wanderers in the summer of 2018, Brown has caught the eye at Vale Park and he’s demented himself as a favourite with supporters due to some fine performances this season.
The 33-year-old registered his 15th clean sheet of the Sky Bet League Two campaign last weekend, but typical of his humble nature, he commended the efforts of everyone at the club for their part in achieving that.
He and Sam Hornby have been working alongside Ronnie Sinclair over the past year and he has helped the duo develop, with Brown being a huge admirer of the way the goalkeeper coach and the rest of the backroom staff operate.
On his form, he said: “Touch wood I’ve done okay, but you’ll never hear me saying I’ve done well. If other people want to say it that’s great, but I’m not one to blow my own trumpet.
“I come in every day with Ronnie who’s absolutely fantastic. He’s got bags of experience and I’m really grateful that the club has a goalkeeper coach like him.
“He’s great at working with video alongside our analyst Dan Thompson, and Andy Davies has done a lot of strength and conditioning work with us as well.
“We’re really fortunate to have people like that at the football club and any good performances from the lads are down to them too, it’s a whole team effort."