Manager looks ahead to Saturday’s League One clash against Burton Albion at Vale Park.
- Darrell Clarke | “Looking for more in the last ten games of the season”
- Port Vale manager speaks to the media ahead of his side’s League One fixture with Burton Albion
- Clarke: “If we can continue the form that we’ve shown, certainly in the last five games, we will pick up more points.”
Port Vale manager Darrell Clarke says he is looking for his side to build on their recent performances to finish the season strongly, with Saturday’s visit of fellow Staffordshire side Burton Albion to Vale Park commencing the final ten league fixtures of the 2022/23 campaign.
The Vale have picked up seven points from our last five matches, albeit the two defeats in that period clearly merited more against both Morecambe and Bolton Wanderers.
Speaking to the media ahead of Saturday’s return to Vale Park, Clarke explained.
“I think it was a really strong first half of the season; we then hit a massive black spot, although some of the performances were decent, we didn’t get the points.
“In the past five games, though, we have found our performance levels again. We have lost a couple of games in that run but certainly the performances have been good and we are looking for more from the last 10 games.
“There’s a frustration in the group, we feel like we should be a lot better than the points total that we are on but still, I think that you’ve got to look at it as a competitive league.
“We are on 44 points with 10 games to play and 30 points still to play for - we will try and get as many as we can from now until the end of the season. If we can continue the form that we’ve shown, certainly in the last five games, we will pick up more points.”
Burton Albion arrive at Vale Park on Saturday having won five of their last nine matches in League One, albeit the Brewers were on the end of a 5-2 home defeat to Peterborough United in midweek.
“Dino [Maamria] has got them going,” Clarke added. “They’re tough to beat, they are a very physical side, very much on the front foot and fighting to stay in the league, but it looks like they are going to with the points they have been picking up recently.”