Salford City: 50 league matches in the bank, 4 from this season and the rest from last season. Port Vale: 50 league matches in the bank, 4 from this season and the rest from last season in the League One.
The question this step asks
Step one is THE TABLE: rank against rank, and the blocks -- the table cut into a top, middle and bottom block, drawn from last season's final standings. The question is not just where each side stands but how it behaves against the company the other keeps: does it play to rank against the blocks above and below, or come apart?
The two sides
Salford City -- at home
Where it stands
Stands 21st of 24 after 4 games, with 3 points -- too few games yet to mean much. Last season it finished 4th of 24 in this division.
Its block
By last season's final table it sits in the top block (1st to 8th). Blocks are drawn from last season because the current table is only 4 games old.
Against today's opponent's block
Today it faces a side new to its division, and none of the matches we hold were against that block -- nothing to read.
Across all the blocks
Across the blocks, over the last two seasons: against the top block won 6, drew 2, lost 10 of 18 (1.11 a game); against the middle block won 8, drew 2, lost 4 of 14 (1.86 a game); against the bottom block won 11, drew 3, lost 4 of 18 (2.00 a game).
Port Vale -- away
Where it stands
Stands 24th of 24 after 4 games, with 2 points -- too few games yet to mean much. It was not in this division last season -- it came down from the League One, where it finished 22nd of 24.
Its block
New to the division this season, so it takes no block from last season's final table.
Against today's opponent's block
Today it faces a side from the top block (1st to 8th). Against that block it has won 2, drew 3, lost 11 of 16 -- 9 points of 48. At home against them: won 1 of 8. Away against them: won 1 of 8.
Across all the blocks
Across the blocks, over the last two seasons: against the top block won 2, drew 3, lost 11 of 16 (0.56 a game); against the middle block won 3, drew 6, lost 10 of 19 (0.79 a game); against the bottom block won 5, drew 5, lost 5 of 15 (1.33 a game).
Built 06:08 from matches completed before
kick-off. Every figure is an observed count with its denominator —
not a forecast, and nothing here is a tip or a selection.